The Vatican has released a new encyclical that specifically endorses the anti-capitalist rhetoric of the OWS protesters and calls for a "global public authority" and a “central world bank” to rule over financial institutions:
“Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority,” was at times very specific, calling, for example, for taxation measures on financial transactions. “The economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence,” it said.
It condemned what it called “the idolatry of the market” as well as a “neo-liberal thinking” that it said looked exclusively at technical solutions to economic problems. “In fact, the crisis has revealed behaviours like selfishness, collective greed and hoarding of goods on a great scale,” it said, adding that world economics needed an “ethic of solidarity” among rich and poor nations.
The Vatican called for the establishment of "a supranational authority" with worldwide scope and "universal jurisdiction" to guide economic policies and decisions.
Such an authority should start with the United Nations as its reference point but later become independent and be endowed with the power to see to it that developed countries were not allowed to wield "excessive power over the weaker countries".
"Of course, this transformation will be made at the cost of a gradual, balanced transfer of a part of each nation's powers to a world authority and to regional authorities, but this is necessary at a time when the dynamism of human society and the economy and the progress of technology are transcending borders, which are in fact already very eroded in a globalised world."
One would have expected something more intelligent from a pope who saw first hand what such central control did to half of Germany, and from a Church who has seen exactly how Marxist societies treat religion and the Church. And this is not the first time Pope Benedict has indulged in this folly.
Pope Benedict is simply too weak to take a moral stand here, just as he was in his positions on Islam and the relationships with Israel and the Jews. Far easier to react with cringing appeasement instead of moral leadership.
Perhaps this Pope will next appear in a 'kill the banksters' OWS tee shirt, just as he was once happy to done a keffiyah, today's equivalent of a Nazi armband.
One would have expected something more intelligent from a pope who saw first hand what such central control did to half of Germany,
ReplyDeleteyawn..........
benny isn't the first pope to do this.
J/P II also preached in this fashion. he was from poland. he should have seen things as well. J/P II didn't issue an encyclical, but gave numerous sermons denouncing capitalist financial ways.
Having been educated/indoctrinated in the Roman Catholic Church I can state that the church has always been anti-capitalist. I wouldn't read too much into what the Pope says on the issue. I am more concerned about their silence on the attacks on Christians in Egypt and Iraq. Of course, silence seems to be the Church's response to just about everything of importance.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, the Church has made similar noises before. But context is important.
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing to come out in favor of a kind of benign socialism as an intellectual exercise when times are good. It's another thing entirely to do it when there's a hardline neo-marxist movement out there trying to overthrow the established order. And if you read the quotes from the document, they're going much further than before.
You read my stuff - you know that initially I was a big fan of Pope Benedict. Since then, he's gone out of his way to appease Islam, torpedo Vatican II,undermine what relationship the Church has with Israel, and now bring the Church in line with 'Liberation Theology' something Pope John Paul II explicitly condemned.
The Church as an institution is a force for good in this world. I'm sorry to see it revert to what I consider it's less admirable behavior and being led by such a weak reed.
Keep throwing all things Nazi around to defend Israel's intergenerational dispossession & oppression and you will eventually rehabilitate the whole National Socialist project yet,the way the tide has turned on the epithet's effectiveness since 1960.
ReplyDeleteAlways the Evil Jews and Israel for people like you Anonymous 5:19 PM.
ReplyDeleteThe tide is actually turning the other way as people find out what Hamas and Fatah are really like.
And since both champion genocide for Jews although Fatah's a little more crafty about it, the term Nazi is pretty apt. Hey, the original 'Palestinian' leader, Haj-Amin al- Husseini was a bosum pal of Hitler and Eichman's raised troops for them and actually had a death camp planned with them for 'Palestine's' Jews,to be located in Nablus.
The stench is almost exactly the same, no matter how people like you try to pour perfume on it.
Own it.