Posted on 05/09/2014 7:15:15 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis called Friday for governments to redistribute wealth to the poor in a new spirit of generosity to help curb the "economy of exclusion" that is taking hold today.
Francis made the appeal during a speech to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the heads of major U.N. agencies who met in Rome this week.
Latin America's first pope has frequently lashed out at the injustices of capitalism and the global economic system that excludes so much of humanity, though his predecessors have voiced similar concerns.
On Friday, Francis called for the United Nations to promote a "worldwide ethical mobilization" of solidarity with the poor in a new spirit of generosity.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
This Pope is an unholy disaster.
Roger that.
As seen both in theory and historical fact, the answer for third-world countries is basically the same as everyone else. To climb out of poverty, third world countries need to embrace freedom and the free market economy. Theory and historical fact also teaches us that Socialism only makes matters worse.
Can popes be impeached?
This is where he goes off the rails.
He was good until then - volunteerism being historically the most effective means of short term aid. He's devoid, however, of the big historical picture that freedom and the free market economy is, as Adam Smith explained, the key to the wealth of nations and individuals.
An that is why he is an enemy of the American people.
Thomas Jefferson is smiling with one of those "I told you so" moments in his grave.
But he is asking GOVERNMENTS to do it.
Ultimate government redistribute wealth through the barrel of a gun.
Your point on subsidiarity is excellent. The pope, however, never makes it.
On the other hand, he does mock what he calls, our “trickle down” economics theory, almost as if he has been indoctrinated with liberation theology, but claims to oppose.
Possibly the most confusing speaker and leader I have ever heard in my lifetime.
Well, Pelosi has come close. :)
Thanks and I agree. He’s not as clear as Benedict XVI ever was.
If the Pope simply reminded us how difficult it is for rich mortals to go to Heaven when we die, then the Church’s richest donors might decide to become Protestants.
Can’t have that...
Alot of the nowadays pander to the media crowd so they won’t be “judged” Bill Gates, etc. and now this Pope. LOOKITME LOOKITME I Care!!!!!!!!
While living comfortable, cushy lives without a threat of ever living any other way.
That’s ultimately the big problem with it.
Liberation Theology was ostensibly created to “liberate” oppressed Third World peasants from the plutocracies (usually the Church, the State and wealthy hereditary landowners) who kept them in defacto slavery.
Noble goal.
But it went to far. Rather than breakdown the “Iron Triangles” it simply validated two legs of them (Church and State) while kicking the third leg (landowners) out. With the State invariably controlled by Socialists/Communists.
From that limited perspective I can see what the Pope is trying to accomplish here. He’s just 1) writing the wrong prescription and 2) thinking that prescription needs to be applied everywhere.
The truth is that it doesn’t really apply to the US or Western Capitalism/market economies. Unless (and this is where it gets interesting) Francis’ comments can be interpreted as being firmly against the kind of Crony Capitalism we’re increasingly seeing here in the US.
Which WOULD support the notion that action needs to be taken by the government to “redistribute” the wealth accumulated by US\Western cronyism ... With the natural prescription being reduced regulation, lower taxation, aggressive use of RICO against various organs of the Liberal/Progressive crony capitalism cabal, etc.
So, actually, it’s possible to find (if one looks hard and creative enough) something really appealing in what the Pope is saying ..
The current Pope is clearly hostile to the concepts which are the founding basis of our republic. These concepts include:
1) Limited government
2) Minimum taxation
3) Private property
4) Individual liberty
5) Free market capitalism
I just pray I am not seeing the Holy Father through my Obama lens.
This is the greatest pitfall for the West, in our own current state of affairs, that is, all politics all the time, where we Christians see losing ground every day under this administration, and we know the language of subterfuge, confusion, vagueness, that socialists and Marxists use to get it done and to take that ground.
To hear that language from our pope is pretty shocking for me.
I am Catholic forever— I’m just sayin’. Thx, Rita
You’d think from some of the replies here on this post that the Pope said something to the effect of “....more flat screens and EBT cards for overweight, lazy, minorities”
At least he included the term “legitimate” in his comments. Actual excerpt follows and judge for yourself. I honestly can’t say which way his leaning on this - hopefully, he is referring to something along the lines of smart, government provided incentives that truly benefit all in society and not some giveaway for politicians to buy votes:
“Today, in concrete terms, an awareness of the dignity of each of our brothers and sisters whose life is sacred and inviolable from conception to natural death must lead us to share with complete freedom the goods which God’s providence has placed in our hands, material goods but also intellectual and spiritual ones, and to give back generously and lavishly whatever we may have earlier unjustly refused to others.
The account of Jesus and Zacchaeus teaches us that above and beyond economic and social systems and theories, there will always be a need to promote generous, effective and practical openness to the needs of others. Jesus does not ask Zacchaeus to change jobs nor does he condemn his financial activity; he simply inspires him to put everything, freely yet immediately and indisputably, at the service of others. Consequently, I do not hesitate to state, as did my predecessors (cf. JOHN PAUL II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 42-43; Centesimus Annus, 43; BENEDICT XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 6; 24-40), that equitable economic and social progress can only be attained by joining scientific and technical abilities with an unfailing commitment to solidarity accompanied by a generous and disinterested spirit of gratuitousness at every level. A contribution to this equitable development will also be made both by international activity aimed at the integral human development of all the world’s peoples and by the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the State, as well as indispensable cooperation between the private sector and civil society.
Consequently, while encouraging you in your continuing efforts to coordinate the activity of the international agencies, which represents a service to all humanity, I urge you to work together in promoting a true, worldwide ethical mobilization which, beyond all differences of religious or political convictions, will spread and put into practice a shared ideal of fraternity and solidarity, especially with regard to the poorest and those most excluded.
I think the problem is that he didn’t make it very clear that the State was the servant of the people, and not their master, who could “redistribute benefits.” What he said came across, to me at least, as very “top down.”
And that’s always the problem with the State, and something you see particularly in Latin America (certainly, Argentina is a prime example!). Individual taxes may not be very high simply because most people don’t have very much money, but huge amounts are extorted from seizures of businesses or extortionate taxes and fees...and yet none of this ever goes into benefits for the average person. It just goes to pay huge salaries to government officials, both elected and civil service, or distributed to other businesses that are friends of the government or generally even ends up invested offshore somewhere, making money for the head of state. It never goes for things like providing clean water to populations, both rural and urban, etc., a modest enough undertaking which most of Latin America, including Mexico, seems to be unable to handle. And the countries where the State is strongest and has seized virtually everything with the supposed goal of “redistributing” it are the worst: Cuba and VZ, both formerly prosperous states where the poor and middle classes now are being subjected to food rationing and don’t have enough to eat. Although I don’t notice Castro or Maduro looking as if they’ve missed any meals...
Reading Pope Francis’ words as a whole, yes, I’m sure he probably had subsidiarity in mind and felt that the whole thing likes with individuals (witness the account of Zacchaeus). But he should never have said the part about redistribution and the State, because the press has seized on that and now makes it sound like he was legitimizing “redistribution” at the hands of this all-powerful, all-wise State. It probably wasn’t his intention, and in fact I think he was trying to be very careful to specify and make a number of other points, and he probably can’t be blamed for what the press is going to do with his words. But I expect to hear Obama (selectively) quoting him any day now, and I also expect to hear the UN citing this in their plan to impose a global 10% tax on wealth.
Government redistributon is charity? Don't think so...
I hope everyone is happy with a Jesuit pope...
THAT was a sober assessment. Thank you for it. I needed to be called off the ledge and that helped.
Have you read Michael Novak, on liberation theology? I read a link exerpt that I thought was excellent information. Novak wrote a book on this subject that I intend to get.
No, he’s not a Communist.
You just misunderstand.
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