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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:35 am Post subject: Pope seeks "One World Economy" |
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VATICAN CITY, July 7 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday called for a world political authority"to manage the global economy and for more government regulation of national economies to pull the world out of the current crisis and avoid a repeat.
Called "Charity in Truth", parts of the encyclical appeared bound to upset conservatives because of its underlying rejection of unbridled capitalism and unregulated market forces, which he said had led to "thoroughly destructive" abuse of the system.
The pope said every economic decision has a moral consequence and called for "forms of redistribution" of wealth overseen by governments to help those most affected by crises.
Benedict said "there is an urgent need of a true world political authority" whose task would be "to manage the global economy; to revive economies hit by the crisis; to avoid any deterioration of the present crisis and the greater imbalances that would result".
Such an authority would have to be "regulated by law" and "would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice, and respect for rights".
"Obviously it would have to have the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties, and also with the coordinated measures adopted in various international forums," he said.
The United Nations, economic institutions and international finance all had to be reformed "even in the midst of a global recession", he said in the encyclical, a booklet of 141 pages.
An encyclical is the highest form of papal writing and gives the clearest indication to the world's 1.1 billion Catholics as well as non-Catholics of what the pope and the Vatican think about specific social and moral issues.
It was addressed to all Catholics as well as "all people of good will" and was released on the eve of the start of the G8 Summit in Italy and three days before the pope is due to discuss the global downturn with U.S. President Barack Obama.
In several sections of the encyclical, Benedict made it clear he had great reservations about a totally free market.
"The conviction that the economy must be autonomous, that it must be shielded from 'influences' of a moral character, has led man to abuse the economic process in a thoroughly destructive way," he said.
"In the long term, these convictions have led to economic, social and political systems that trample upon personal and social freedom, and are therefore unable to deliver the justice that they promise," he added.
Profit was useful only if it served as a means to a brighter future for all humanity.
"Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the risks destroying wealth and creating poverty," he said.
He said the current economic crisis was "clear proof" of what he branded as "pernicious effects of sin" in the economy. |
Wasn't this guy at one time into liberation theology? Does the world need an all powerful central planner to ensure equality? It must if you believe the pope is infallible.
http://education.wallstreetsurvivor.com/node/1669
Last edited by Pluto on Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:52 am Post subject: |
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| Once a nazi, always a nazi. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:56 am Post subject: |
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| Wasn't this guy at one time big into liberation theology? |
I don't think that either Benedict or his predecessor JP were ever really that big on the more marxist permutations of liberation theology. The political/economic ideology of the Vatican could probably best be compared to that of the Christian Democratic parties in Europe. Anti-communist, morally conservative, but intervetionist on economics. |
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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:11 am Post subject: |
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| On the other hand wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Wasn't this guy at one time big into liberation theology? |
I don't think that either Benedict or his predecessor JP were ever really that big on the more marxist permutations of liberation theology. The political/economic ideology of the Vatican could probably best be compared to that of the Christian Democratic parties in Europe. Anti-communist, morally conservative, but intervetionist on economics. |
I don't think JP2 was ever into liberation theology. But I remember reading or hearing about Benedict either studying or flirting with liberation theology during the eighties. I am not sure how deep the connection was, but since I remember hearing about one, I thought someone would know a little bit more. That is why I asked. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:27 am Post subject: |
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| I thought someone would know a little bit more. That is why I asked. |
Well, it seems that he did write something significant on the topic in the early 80s. His view of it seems somewhat nuanced, but ultimately falls on the "anti" side of the argument...
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2. An analysis of the phenomenon of liberation theology reveals that it constitutes a fundamental threat to the faith of the Church. At the same time it must be borne in mind that no error could persist unless it contained a grain of truth. Indeed, an error is all the more dangerous, the greater that grain of truth is, for then the temptation it exerts is all the greater.
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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:41 am Post subject: |
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| Okay, then that must have been it. Still, I find his call for a global regulator of the world economy to be appalling. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:57 am Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
| Once a nazi, always a nazi. |
Hyperbole aside, I'm not exactly surprised that a guy with his 'background' would see more state as the solution for a huge crisis caused by the state. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:03 am Post subject: |
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| Also, I've been to the Vatican. There are literally walls covered in gold. How about that tax-free organization 1) turn off the marketing campaigns and 2) sell off the gold walls. This should raise sufficient revenue. |
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Sergio Stefanuto
Joined: 14 May 2009
Location: UK
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| Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
| Once a nazi, always a nazi. |
Well, not just a Nazi. The Church supported three other fascist governments.
In any event, the Pope clearly knows nothing whatsoever about basic economics. Someone give the old fool a reading list. |
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djsmnc
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:13 am Post subject: |
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| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
| ontheway wrote: |
| Once a nazi, always a nazi. |
Well, not just a Nazi. The Church supported three other fascist governments.
In any event, the Pope clearly knows nothing whatsoever about basic economics. Someone give the old fool a reading list. |
Well, the problem is that there are 1.1B Catholics throughout the world, at least half of which believe the Pope to be infallible. Can you just imagine talking to a Catholic who believed that the Pope can say or do no wrong? Imagine this Catholic saying, "well the Pope says blah blah blah"? |
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