68 Protestant Leaders Applaud Encyclical

Call on All Christians to Respond to "Caritas in Veritate"

WASHINGTON, D.C., AUG. 28, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's latest encyclical was lauded by 68 Evangelical Protestant community leaders from the United States, Canada, England, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

In a message released last month, titled "Doing the Truth in Love," a group of university leaders and professors, press editors and presidents of various institutions signed a message to "applaud" the Pope's encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate."

The message called on Christians everywhere to "read, wrestle with, and respond to 'Caritas in Veritate' and its identification of the twin call of love and truth upon our lives as citizens, entrepreneurs, workers and, most fundamentally, as followers of Christ."

It commended the way in which the encyclical "considers economic development in terms of the true trajectory for human flourishing."

The evangelicals echoed the call for "a new vision of development that recognizes the dignity of human life in its fullness, and that includes a concern for life from conception to natural death, for religious liberty, for the alleviation of poverty, and for the care of creation."

They underlined the document's analysis of global affairs that "rejects the oversimplifying polarization of free market and active government solutions."

"Economic institutions," they added, "including markets themselves, must be marked by internal relations of solidarity and trust."

The message affirmed the encyclical's emphasis on "business efforts guided by a mutualist principle that transcends the dichotomy of for-profit and not-for-profit and that instead pursues social ends while covering costs and providing for investment."

Economy of charity

It called on other evangelicals to "rethink who must be included among corporate stakeholders and what the moral significance of investment is."

The evangelicals endorsed "the affirmation that an economy of charity demands space for myriad human communities and institutions, not just for the state and the market, but also families and the many relationships of civil society."

"Ethical globalization," they wrote, "demands of evangelical churches everywhere that we attend to the call to do the truth in love, as we continue to respond to the great commission to 'disciple the nations.'"

They affirmed a shared fear about the "growth of an overweening welfare state, which degrades social and civic pluralism," and agreed that "subsidiarity and solidarity must be held in tandem."

The message voiced a commitment to be, as "Caritas in Veritate" stated, protagonists in the effort for "global solidarity, economic justice, and the common good, as norms that transcend and transform the motives of economic profit and technical progress."

It concluded with a call for "serious dialogue among all Christians and with many others to make these goals practical realities."

**It commended the way in which the encyclical "considers economic development in terms of the true trajectory for human flourishing."**

**They underlined the document's analysis of global affairs that "rejects the oversimplifying polarization of free market and active government solutions."**

**The evangelicals endorsed "the affirmation that an economy of charity demands space for myriad human communities and institutions, not just for the state and the market, but also families and the many relationships of civil society."**

**They affirmed a shared fear about the "growth of an overweening welfare state, which degrades social and civic pluralism," and agreed that "subsidiarity and solidarity must be held in tandem."**

They GET it! In other words, they read the entire encyclical, not just one section!!!

This should debunk all the ranting about this encyclical.

1 posted on 09/06/2009 9:14:18 PM PDT by Salvation

To: All; Religion Moderator

Please follow the Religion Moderator's Guidelines for Ecumenical Threads

2 posted on 09/06/2009 9:15:17 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)

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3 posted on 09/06/2009 9:18:28 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)

4 posted on 09/06/2009 9:21:52 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)

“It called on other evangelicals to “rethink who must be included among corporate stakeholders and what the moral significance of investment is.”

Of course, the encyclical was not meant to discuss the situation in the U.S. A 40% corporate income tax rate causes us to rethink who is included among stakeholders.

5 posted on 09/06/2009 9:28:39 PM PDT by campaignPete R-CT

This should debunk all the ranting about this encyclical.

Going with that premise, we should all be thankful Obama is our President...After all, he was the choice of the American Catholic church...

Your post failed to mention how many read the piece and disagreed with it....But sure, this position of your pope would appeal to those of the world council of churches...

6 posted on 09/06/2009 9:54:41 PM PDT by Iscool (I don't understand all that I know...)

***After all, he was the choice of the American Catholic church...***

The USCCB is being called into line by the Vatican.

***But sure, this position of your pope would appeal to those of the world council of churches...***

Hardly. BXVI does not wear well to the godless churches of the left, or the churches of one.

7 posted on 09/07/2009 6:36:38 AM PDT by MarkBsnr ( I would not believe in the Gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)

The list of "Evangelical" signees reads like a who's who of the usual liberal riff-raff. Three names stand out above the rest:
* Richard Cizik, President, The New Evangelicals (Washington, DC)
* Ronald J. Sider, President, Evangelicals for Social Action (Philadelphia, PA)
* Jim Wallis, President, Sojourners (Washington, DC)

Every Catholic who thinks these clowns are "Protestant Leaders" deserves every last bit of socialism that Caritas in Veritate is promoting.

8 posted on 09/07/2009 8:24:41 AM PDT by Alex Murphy (One man, alone! Betrayed by the country he loves, now its last hope in their final hour of need!)

To: Iscool; Religion Moderator

You cannot lump the entire Catholic Church into such statements — BTW, this is an Ecumenical thread. No antagonism.

9 posted on 09/07/2009 8:42:45 AM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)

You cannot lump the entire Catholic Church into such statements — BTW, this is an Ecumenical thread. No antagonism.

The Catholic church as a whole, voted for Obama...Just as Republicans as a whole voted for McCain and Democrats as a whole, voted for Obama...That's not being antagonistic...Just pointing out facts...

10 posted on 09/07/2009 10:01:09 AM PDT by Iscool (I don't understand all that I know...)

Big difference between cradle, non-practicing Catholics and practicing Catholics. If they don’t participate in the Church, then they’re obviously not part of the Church even if they identify as Catholic.

11 posted on 09/07/2009 10:25:16 AM PDT by SMCC1

When the numbers come out, they're counted as Catholics...But I have a feeling your pope calls them Catholics...

12 posted on 09/07/2009 11:17:09 AM PDT by Iscool (I don't understand all that I know...)

The numbers as counted by some MSM pollsters. I have a feeling “my” pope wouldn’t call people who don’t attend mass or participate in the Church Catholics....but you would know, being an expert on all things Catholic.

13 posted on 09/07/2009 11:59:07 AM PDT by SMCC1

90% of Democrats voted for Obama. 90% of Republicans voted for McCain. Maybe 53 or 55% of self-described Catholics voted for Obama. The majority of mass-going Catholics voted for McCain. However you cannot lump that low-50 number along partisan lines. It's disingenuous.

14 posted on 09/07/2009 2:39:44 PM PDT by Norman Bates

I have a feeling you hate Catholics...

15 posted on 09/07/2009 2:40:24 PM PDT by Norman Bates

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