[TheRiverNile]

I'm shocked at this. Anybody care to explain? I've always held Pope Benedict in high esteem, so I'm baffled by this.

[RasterMaster]

Give a man a fish, you feed him for the day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

What the Pope needs to teach:

Let the deadbeats get off their backsides and stop begging for handouts.

[henkster]

My respect for this pope just dropped a number of pegs. It is one thing to castigate greed, as “the love of money is the root of all evil.” However, the Bible teaches us that as individuals we are to freely and lovingly give of our gifts to those less fortunate. To force us to submit to tyrants (and I would point out to the pope that many of them are distinctly non-Christian), and to be forcibly separated from the fruits of our labor, is decidedly un-Christian. It has no basis in Biblical teaching. Not in the Bible I’ve read, anyway.

[TheWasteLand]

Pretty bad message to be sending.

[PanzerKardinal]

As I posted on another thread.....how many of you have actually read the encyclical?

But then again maybe reading it would be too great of a strain and destroy you well construction views and prejudices.

[theanonymouslurker]

Who here has actually read the Pope’s encyclical, and not just what Reuters says the Pope said? Anyone? Anyone?

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

I'm not. If it is as it is being reported, it is final collusion of communism that is taught in seminaries and preached from the pulpit joining forces with the secular communists.

A large portion of the Christian churches was taken over through the seminaries and theological programs in academe at about the same time the statists took over the other programs.

[driftless2]

"baffled"

It's simple, the Pope is an economic ignoramus. He means well, but so many disastrous events have occurred because some people were "meant well".

[TNLawyer]

John Hagee has said some things about this.

I’m not going to say more, because I will get flamed and attacked.

[beethovenfan]

I think the Pope should try reading the Bible.

[epluribus_2]

There already is one. It is called the free market. Everything else is a futile attempt to restrain the unrestrainable.

[Antoninus]

Don't let Reuters parse your news for you. Read the whole thing, if you can.

Caritas in veritate

Remember, the Pope is the shepherd for millions of poor Africans, Indians, Latin Americans and Philipinos--not just rich Americans.

[MrDem]

Ok, this has got to be satire on the old “The Pope is the False Prophet of The Beast Anti-Christ system... blah, blah, blah”.

If not, IT IS MIND BOGGLING THAT THIS CURRENT VERY GODLY POPE, COULD BE SO INCREDIBLY IGNORANT AS TO WHAT HE IS CALLING FOR?! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oldbrowser]

This has absolutely nothing to do with faith and morals. The Pope should stick to his knitting.

[americanophile]

Proud once again to be Protestant.

[Lucky9teen]

Hmmm....the illuminati....the free masons.....rockefeller.....skull and bones....secret societies....the catholic church....New World Order....

[Reagan Man]

Millions of folks are baffled by this remark from Pope Benedict.

The New World Order just got a huge boost.

[paulycy]

“Tis more blessed to give than to receive and dammit, I’m going to see that you are blessed! Over and over again.”

[Albion Wilde]

No, no!

[The Pack Knight]

I know it was a long time ago, but didn’t Charles V teach the Vatican to keep its nose out of this sort of thing?

[Locomotive Breath]

there is an urgent need of a true world political authority" whose task would be "to manage the global economy

In former times this was otherwise known as "The Catholic Church" and he wants that role back.