There are too many words, going in circles, in what Pope Francis wrote. Anyone, not only Rush, could focus on a particular section but later, a different one, and wind up concluding that Pope Francis was almost conducting a debate with himself.
Why should the reader have to dissect and dissect down to the syllable and even then, wonder if he truly “GOT” the overall essence, or the bottom line?
I’m not insulting anyone of the Catholic faith - not my intention - I’m just calling this controversy as I see it.
The main point appears to be that he is deeply concerned about the poor, and any system which leaves them poor is in line for critique.
Uh, didn’t Jesus say, “the poor you always have with you”?
He showed no lack of concern for the poor by saying a truism.
What he wanted his followers to do is to show kindness and compassion as individuals, as his followers. Doing good to others as unto God. It is a spiritual issue that Jesus addressed, and in the process, the poor get helped. But also they are to have the Gospel of Christ preached to them.
Whether certain economic systems were or were not helpful or harmful to poor people was not Christ’s issue.
Rush is right, though, that Capitalism has done the only decent job of lifting people up to a higher economic plane.
The rest of the “isms” are crashing failures.
I agree. Why can't he just come out in favor of free enterprise just as he does for the sanctity of life? We don't have to parse his words when he wants to be clear.
Well said.
Francis, IMHO, has been thoroughly Catholic in his actions and public proclamations, however, his role as Pope is different than Bishop. Christ chose Peter and not John the Beloved for a reason. The lives of the saints give witness to Christ and can be weird and counter cultural in doing so, a pope on the other hand has a Church to steer through time.
My hope would be that Francis be more prudent in placing his thoughts in the context of two thousand years of Christian thought as Benedict did. He could, for example, take Rerum Novarum and provide comment and extension from the time of its writing.
It’s the same frustration I feel in our current US politics in becoming a country of men instead of laws. It just has a real third-world political flavor to it...and it’s a bad taste.
The Pope should be talking less about the “system” and more about encouraging people under whatever system to be more charitable on a personal level.
Of course, under capitalism, more abundance always exists which gives the generous more wealth to be generous with.