Representing the 99%?
Pope Benedict XVI
in St. Peter's Basilica
Photo: Franco Origlia / Getty Images
A recent document from Pope Benedict XVI doesn't specifically name the "Occupy" movement, but it expresses a great deal of sympathy for the aims and goals of that movement (which, for some reason, the media keep saying don't exist). Benedict expresses strong opposition to an "idolatry of the market," opposes the increase in income inequality, and argues for government redistribution of wealth.
So, when do you suppose conservative Catholics in America will insist that all Catholics must support political policies that are in line with these ideas? Oh, right, around about never -- that sort of thing only applies to issues like abortion and gay mariage.
Those who read the pope's 2009 encyclical "Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)" will not be surprised by this new document. In that encyclical, the pope decried "corruption and illegality" among economic and political elites in both rich and poor countries. He told financiers they must rediscover the ethical foundation of their activity and stop abusing savers. He wants a radical rethinking of economics so that it is guided not simply by profits but by "an ethics which is people-centered." ...
The pope also disagrees with those who believe that the economy should be free of government regulation. An unregulated economy "shielded from 'influences' of a moral character has led man to abuse the economic process in a thoroughly destructive way," he writes. This has "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."
Source: NPR
The ideas in this document aren't just not new for Pope Benedict XVI, they aren't even new for the Catholic Church generally. The Catholic Church has long maintained strong support for economic justice -- support that would probably surprise a lot of people, including Catholics. This is because so much more time and attention have been invested in issues like opposing abortion and gay marriage. Funding and support for economic justice have withered.
And that seems to be exactly how conservative Catholics in America want things to be -- including especially the most conservative leaders within the church. Blessed are the anti-abortion fanatics, doncha know.
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