CARITAS IN VERITATE

The American Conservative published an article regarding the encyclical CARITAS IN VERITATE. This seems to be one of the best and least biased articles I have read regarding this. I have not read the entire encyclical (couldn’t stay awake) but have read enough to get the general drift.

It almost seems as though the Pope would condone the framers original intent for the U.S., a weak central governing body acting as a referee in the interaction of the states (subsidiarity). He doesn't seem to understand, as most people don't, the critical role the truly free market plays in this. Capitalism, with just enough oversight to keep the market free and competitive for all, will always create the most wealth and freedom for the most people. To say this isn't true is to close your eyes to the history of the U.S. While not always perfect, no other system of government and commerce has ever created a wealthier or more productive society. The problems we are experiencing today stem from the distance between the framers intentions and the reality we have created.

Just like the Pope, the framers believed in the absolute need to follow the natural law and the moral precepts of Judeo/Christian belief. Numerous quotes attest to this fact. We have cast aside this governing force to pursue our own narcissistic pleasure. If we don't return to the idea that along with blessings from above come responsibilities here below our system will always be open to criticisms from those that would destroy it.

The thing that I don’t understand is the theme that seems to flow through nearly every statement on economics that is issued by the Vatican. It seems to always be ready to at least partially condemn capitalism without ever offering any other system to replace it that has been proven effective. The Church seems to be enamored of unions and the United Nations, both of which are bastions of leftist ideology. I challenge the Vatican to produce even one example that shows socialism/communism/fascism has ever produced the standard of living enjoyed by the American people, even the poor. Yet, capitalism is condemned, at least by implication if not by name, once again.

I don’t know what sort of world authority the Pope envisions as a controlling force for an international economy. Hasn’t the Church learned from its own history? The Church occupied this exact role at one time. We ended up with so much corruption the Church was shattered by the Reformation. If the Body of Christ can’t be trusted to run the world, just who would the Pope suggest?

I find much to agree with in this encyclical. It is the remedy to the problem that I have trouble with.

This leads me to step off once again into the world of the paranoid schizophrenic. The Church has of late made a number of statements regarding our President. It seems to be suggesting that he may be pro life. The Pope went out of his way to congratulate the President after the election, far more so than is common. They seem to share a goodly number of beliefs regarding societal structures and the place that a strong central government should have in it. This encyclical is issued at the time of the G8 meetings, supporting so much of the Obama administrations agenda. The Church seems to opening the door to a one world government. Not just opening the door but rolling out the red carpet and sending the invites.

I believe that the Pope wants what is best for us. Is he being used by someone, albeit unintentionally, to further an agenda that will only lead to our destruction? How much influence is being exerted by Vatican bureaucracy? Who or what controls this bureaucracy? Is this the beginning of the collapse of the Church as prophesied by so many?

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?