[Dr. Eckleburg]

The "problem" does not lie with the Church. The "problem" lies with the world economy. It was brought to its knees by precisely the issues which the Pope addresses in the encyclical.

The world economy was "brought to its knees" not by capitalism but by socialistic forces already within the government that your pope wants to increase.

Comments like yours and your pope's encyclical belong on DU.

But since the majority of American Roman Catholics voted for Obama, I shouldn't be surprised. The RCC is a top-down, authoritarian hierarchy governed by a kind of "infallible" potentate who preaches wealth redistribution, labor unions, social justice and enforcement "with teeth." The "problem" lies very much with the RCC.

[Quix]

Too much truth to your assertions for my comfort.

Thx.

[Dutchboy88]

Absolutely spot on! And the RCC parlays this “authoritarian hierarchy” into a theological prison where the inmates, instead of being released into the freedom of Christ alone, are re-educated into a ritualistic superstition, a Santeria, of epic proportions. Then they are told such “Arbeit macht frei”, work makes freedom.

Where was the last group that heard this?

[Petronski]

But since the majority of American Roman Catholics voted for Obama...

I'm not sure who "American Roman Catholics" are, but there is no scientific polling data on how the majority of Catholic Americans voted in the presidential election in 2008.

Happy to help clarify your malformed statement.

[Alex Murphy]

"....there is no scientific polling data on how the majority of Catholic Americans voted in the presidential election in 2008."

[marshmallow]

The world economy was "brought to its knees" not by capitalism but by socialistic forces already within the government that your pope wants to increase.

Sometimes, it's best to say nothing, Doc. Your anti-Catholic animus has completely unhinged you.

Socialism brought down Bear Stearns? Socialism caused the collapse of Lehman Bros? Socialism led to the invention and mushrooming of phony financial instruments and their packaging as gilt-edged securities? Socialism led to the rampant speculation that sent the price of oil to $147/barrel? Socialism caused the stock market bubble that sent the Dow over 14,000? Socialism caused AIG's financial instruments unit in London to back hundreds of billions of dollars worth of credit default swaps? Socialism caused banks and mortgage issuers to lie about the crap mortgages they were issuing and sell them up the chain? Socialism led Joe Public to lie about his income and take out a mortgage he couldn't afford in the belief that he could just flip the property in two years and reap a windfall? Socialism motivated Bernie's Ponzi scheme?

It's called greed, irresponsibility and dishonesty. This was an orgy of unrestrained financial mayhem by unprincipled Americans from the supermarket worker who bought a 300K mansion all the way up to the execs at the helm of AIG and Lehman. No, Doc. This was capitalism on steroids. Hard medicine to swallow for Americans but true, nonetheless.

Comments like yours and your pope's encyclical belong on DU

I was thinking the same about yours. It's the conservative position that the individual is responsible for his own actions and bad choices, not the government. If I blamed crime on "society" you'd laugh and rightly so.

You're in denial. Utterly and completely hogtied by your automatic reflex response against anything Catholic.

[Wallace T.]

My guess is that the pro-Obama majority among Catholics comes from people who have not attended a Mass except maybe at Christmas or Easter, but who call themselves Catholic because they were baptized as such. Regular church attenders of any faith tend to be more politically conservative than casual attenders or nominal believers.