Posted on 07/08/2009 7:07:40 AM PDT by marshmallow
The Vatican has released the text of Caritatis in Veritate, the long-awaited social encyclical in which Pope Benedict XVI calls for "a profoundly new way of understanding business enterprise" and a global economic system that values the common good above private profits.
Explaining the title of the encyclical, Pope Benedict writes that the social teachings of the Catholic Church offer a means of appraising the secular world, judging social and economic systems against a clear moral standard. The guiding principle of Catholic social teaching is charity, he says. The teaching function of the Church involves explaining how that charity should be applied to practical issues: "A Christianity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance."
While the Church "does not have technical solutions to offer" in shaping today's global economy, Catholic social teaching can guide moral decisions. The world's economic system cannot be guided simply by the pursuit of profit, he argues. While acknowledging that the profit motive "is useful if it serves as a means toward an end," he adds: "Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty."
The 144-page document, released on July 7 just as leaders of the G8 industrial nations gather in Italy for their discussions of the global economy, defies easy categorization. A story in the National Catholic Reporter carried an accurate descriptive subhead, noting that the encyclical "offers something for both the political left and right to cheer… and something to be grumpy about."
The first round of stories in Caritatis in Veritate have sometimes oversimplified the Pope's message. A Reuters report, for example, conveys the impression that the encyclical calls for a centralized authority to govern the world economy. It is true that the Pope calls for reform of the UN to create "a true world political authority… with real teeth." But he does not suggest central economic planning, and in fact he devotes considerable stress to the importance of the subsidiarity principle, which he says is "the most effective antidote against any form of all-encompassing welfare state."
Vatican Radio has provided a short and accurate summary of the main themes in Caritatis in Veritate. The Catholic Culture site will continue to provide analysis and reflections on the encyclical.
Among the many themes that the Pope touches upon in his encyclical are:
* the role of a "largely speculative" approach to finance in precipitating the current worldwide economic crisis;
* the failure of world leaders to cope with the phenomenon of migration-- which is often provoked by intolerable situations in undeveloped countries, and aggravated by the failure of host nations to protect the dignity of immigrants;
* the "unregulated exploitation of earth's resources;"
* the importance of understanding that rights are always attached to corresponding duties;
* the wrongful exploitation of international aid, which "has often been diverted from its proper ends;"
* an "excessive zeal" for maintaining intellectual-property rights in the developed countries, thus suppressing opportunities for growth in the developing countries;
* the anti-life approach that has infected the most advanced countries, producing a society that "ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man’s true good;
* the importance of allowing the Christian faith to exert some moral guiding force, which can occur "only if God has a place in the public realm."
To the "end times" crowd that was running amok on FR yesterday, the Pope is not advocating a one-world government. Papal encyclicals must be read in toto and they do not give themselves to sound bites nor to "cut and paste" type analysis so beloved of the secular press and some Freepers.
The entire encyclical is HERE. It is long, scholarly and demands thought.
[To the “end times” crowd that was running amok on FR yesterday, the Pope is not advocating a one-world government.]
Be honest with yourself. Yes, he is indeed advocating one world government and the Bible tells Christians so.
What happened to preaching salvation byshalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
calling on the NAME:
YHvH is my salvation?Or by living by YHvH's commandments if you love Him?
God has told us that there will be a one-world government and a one-world economic system and therefore these things will happen. It's just interesting that in these last days that the world is experiencing, the Pope comes out with an encyclical which appears to accept the fact that a one-world economic system is in the process of becoming a reality and appears to attempt to put as human a face as possible on this impending demonic monstrosity.
God bless him.
This sounds like Marxism to me.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
“The entire encyclical is HERE. It is long, scholarly and demands thought.” ~ marshmallow
This is what it boils down to:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2287244/posts?page=7#7
Read the encyclical. All of it.
Then comment.
It's a superb document.
As always there are those that will write summaries to suit their own slanted view of the world. My only problem with it is that I would not call on the UN to mow my front lawn let alone be in charge of anything. It is the most corrupt, satanically inspired organisation on the planet.
Mel
And the book of Acts tells us how the early Christians shared all they had with one another. Was the bible advocating Communism?
The pope is NOT advocating a one world government. He's simply telling us to take care of those in need. IMO, that's a LOT better than a government forcing us to take care of those in need.
Thank you for posting this.
Anti-Catholics need only a crumb of a lie to become absolutely hysterical. Their ability to think is trumped by their hatred.
Brother Ben needs to read Paul again about obeyingOn its face it recommends violating sovereign law.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
the rulers that YHvH has placed over us.
Sorry, the Pope went commie. He calls for redistributing energy from rich to poor countries, which is also a misnomer...
You can call me whatever name you want - religious kook, trailer park whatever- and it only reflects on you, not me. I'll stand by everything I ever said about prophecy and the Bible and I can back up every thing I ever said about prophecy and the Bible. Your juvenile, classless name calling isn't going to change one thing that I do. You just show your own weaknesses.
Time to latch onto something else with your weird obsessiveness.
The Pope is not putting a "human face" on anything. The encyclical is at pains to emphasize the principle of "subsidiarity" which is anathema to the idea of a global superstate.
It's all there, laid out in beautiful clarity in the document.
Have a read. You might be surprised.
Hey, mister. Got any IP you to give away for free...
“This sounds like Marxism to me.”
Doesn’t have to be Marxism. It does require a change in attitude of some people that the rest of us are here as sheep to be shorn for their benefit.
FYI, forced redistribution of wealth is communism.
Voluntary assistance to the poor is not communism. It's charity.
The Pope is talking about the latter, not the former.
That's why the encyclical's title mentions "charity". The Pope is suggesting that Christian love, not communist hatred, guide the market place.
I'm going to give that a go then get back to you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.