RE: So the Pope blasts capitalism
I did not see it that way.
Is Jesus Christ a Marxist when he said :
“What shall it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul”?
OR
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
OR
“Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
Is capitalism greed?
Is the pope also openly condemning the tyranny of Islam and communism?
What provides more freedom for the individual... free, capitalistic markets or government-controlled markets?
Does the pope care about individual freedom?
misconstruing the Pope’s words.
First we need to let the Pope speak for himself, and the Evangelii Gaudium, Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, 2013 never mentioned 'capitalism'. In fact, it was actually pretty bland. Sure, it had stuff like--
...I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: “Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs”...
--and --
..The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor...
--but the real problem with the Pope's exhortation was in with all that was left out. Like the poor need to sober up, get a bath, and start working for a living like the rest of us.
Reality is that there are more poor than rich, but the Pope was telling the rich what to do. Supposedly. My fear is that what was really going on was that he was telling the poor that if they were envious of what the rich had then it was the rich that were 'covetous' not them. Furthermore if the poor want to steal from the rich it was OK because the goodies all belonged to the poor anyway.
The Pope is supposed to be a leader, but instead he appears to be just a follower of a covetous thieving mob.
Jesus promotes a free market system.
It is the way of freedom and hope for the poor.
it is a govt controlled system which oppresses the poor and these socialist and communist systems not coincidentally bash Jesus constantly.