Evangelii Gaudium does not say anything new in terms of Catholic teaching and economics. But its total lack of obeisance to the political powers in one wing of American politics both affronts and angers them. The Pope is a problem.
The last thing the political powers that be want is for religious leaders to start behaving as if Jesus Christ was actually the arbiter of their teachings. The scary thing about Pope Francis’ independence and total unconcern about them and their power is not only that tens of millions of American Catholics might follow him, but worse, that their toady religious leaders might consider preaching the Gospels of Christ instead of political expedience along with him.
Courage breeds courage. There is just the glimmer of a possibility that these had men of the fallen collar class might decide to become real men of God and start standing for Christ. What would happen if, instead of bending over and apologizing to their political masters for disagreeing with them, the religious leaders these political parties depend on for their moral cover actually stood for Christ?
Thus we are being treated to the sorry spectacle of tawdry attacks on the Vicar of Christ by people who have made their excellent livings promoting fealty to political christianity.
The pope attackers are trying to use the same thing that President Obama has used in pushing the HHS Mandate. They are counting — probably correctly — on the latent anti-Catholicism in our society, in particular in certain conservative Protestant circles.
Not only do these outlandish slanders against the Pope feed them red Catholic blood to whet their anti-Catholicism, they demonstrate what can happen to those who don’t do what they are told. The Pope might be able to shrug off their insults, but lesser clergy would have their reputations and careers wrecked by an onslaught like this.
In short, since they can’t bully and coerce the Pope, they will try as much as possible to isolate him and render his moral teachings insignificant among those religious leaders they can bully and coerce.
That is what is causing the outrageous attacks on the Pope. The claims that these pundits are making about Evangelii Gaudium are baseless lies. I’ve read the document and I can tell you that it is consistent with Catholic teaching on economics going back at least to the 19th century. I know this because I’ve also read the encyclicals of previous popes on this subject.
The Pope is a Marxist??? If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you.
You're too late to sell it. The Pope has already confiscated that bridge and has given it to his muslim peeps in reparation for past crusades.
Sorry but “Catholic teaching on economics” goes back at least to the 1st Century:
Jesus Christ speaks on economics 2000 years ago, not the 19th century
viz
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So he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.
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He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins 5 and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’
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His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
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But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading.
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The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’
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He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’
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Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’
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And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’
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Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,
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for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’
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He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant;
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why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’
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And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’
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But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’
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‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
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Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.’”
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