Posted on 05/21/2016 6:21:30 AM PDT by Auntie Mame
(CN) — Pope Francis condemned the sin of "living off the blood of the people" while criticizing immoral employers for not providing health care for their employees, calling them "true leeches."
During his homily on Thursday, the pontiff brought up a hypothetical situation in which a business employs a worker from September to June but does not provide health care coverage.
"Exploitation of people today is a true slavery," he said. "We thought that slaves do not exist anymore. They exist. It's true, people don't go to Africa to take them and then sell them in America, no. But it's in our cities."
Francis' critique of greedy employers was published in the National Catholic Reporter, which quoted the pontiff as saying that "living off the blood of the people is a mortal sin."
He elaborated on his hypothetical scenario by explaining how the mindset does not reflect Christian values and instead represents an immoral focus on becoming wealthy.
"I will pay you this much, without vacation time, without health insurance, all under the table — but I will become rich!
"May the Lord make us understand today that simplicity that Jesus tells us in the Gospel today. A glass of water in the name of Christ is more important than all the wealth accumulated by exploitation of people," Francis said.
Francis has commented on economic and health care issues since becoming pontiff in 2013. He criticized trickle-down economics, stating that it has never worked. He also called for a more balanced economic system that cares for the poorest people in May 2014.
Francis has discussed health care issues less frequently, and there's been a divide within the Catholic Church regarding the mandates outlined in the Affordable Care Act, specifically regarding contraception. In 2010, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops officially opposed the Affordable Care Act.
But Sister Carol Keehan, the president of the Catholic Health Association, defended the act in a 2012 speech, citing the bill's assistance in extending lives
"As I mentioned at the beginning of my remarks, the ACA is not a perfect law but it is a tremendous beginning for getting coverage for all," she said. "It is a pro-life law that matches Catholic and American principles for fairness and compassion."
Pope Francis also spoke of temporary workers who perform intense labor without receiving sufficient compensation in his comments Thursday, saying that when their job ends they're expected to "eat air."
Those who employ the temporary workers are "true bloodsuckers," the pontiff added.
Good observation.
When is he going to criticize the political and sociological wreck that is the result of Venezuela’s centralized government?
He is a beguiling deceiver.
He is a devil Pope.
Don’t neglect the high walls and secure borders.
Don’t neglect the high walls and secure borders.
There’s a wall surrounding Vatican City. Don’t hear too much from him about that.
It’s a zucchetto.
Whenever my liberal family members and friends say they like what this pope is saying, I ask: “So you’re gonna convert?”.
Always a blank stare.
BINGO! My thoughts exactly. Put your money where your mouth is Pope Francis. Give away all the billions the Catholic church has then come back and talk to us.
Seven deadly sins: (Coined by the Catholic Church a LONG time ago.)
PRIDE (from here flow the others), the worst sin
Envy
Anger
Sloth
Greed
Gluttony
Lust
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http://www.deadlysins.com/history/
In the late 6th century, Pope Gregory the Great reduced the list to seven items, folding vainglory into pride, acedia into sadness, and adding envy. His ranking of the Sins' seriousness was based on the degree from which they offended against love. It was, from most serious to least: pride, envy, anger, sadness, avarice, gluttony, and lust. Later theologians, including St. Thomas Aquinas, would contradict the notion that the seriousness of the sins could be ranked in this way. The term "covetousness" has historically been used interchangeably with "avarice" in accounts of the Deadly Sins. In the seventeenth century, the Church replaced the vague sin of "sadness" with sloth.
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I use the acronym GAPLEGS to remember them all, but also remembering that PRIDE (arrogance) is the lynch pin of them all
And if he was not *misinterpreted* it would be the first time.
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. the guy opens his mouth, he says something so off the wall that no sane person could accept it, and we are forever hearing how what he said was *misrepresented.*
I can’t recall ONE statement that he’s made since becoming pope that this hasn’t happened with.
Y’all need to come to the place where you recognize this guy for what he is.
NOBODY can be that off so often and have it be accidental.
Y’all would be better off just admitting that everyone else is right and stop making excuses for him. Y’all are just embarrassing yourselves by doing it.
A lot of health care facilities are owned by that church. He should provide health care free for all.
John Galt gave a very detailed speech about this guy and his motivations.
It would be a nice example to set.
I don’t recall Jesus charging for healing people.....
It’s ironic I suppose, that the last several Pope have always had mildly nervous discussions as to whether they were the “last Pope”, based in some fortune telling prophecy.
But not a word about this about the current occupant. I suspect because his behavior is so questionable that such a consideration cuts too close to home.
Wait until he gets a load of AI robots.
I make it a point never to listen to people who preach about the sin of wealth of others while they use bathrooms with gold faucets.
I'm going to have to quote you on this in the future. Very good.
Marx's exploitation theory is wrong and its invalid conclusions lead to wrong predictions. The exploitation theory is wrong because it is based on
1) the dialectic process
2) metaphysical materialism
3) an incorrect abstract conceptual framework
4) marx's wrong absolute labor theory of value
5) marx's wrong theory of prices
6) marx's wrong theory of profit/surplus value
7) marx's wrong iron law theory of wages
8) marx's wrong doctrine of progressive impoverishment
“These industrialists are lining their pockets with the sweat of the working man!”
Pray that this Papacy may end soon.
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