I don’t see it as a matter of religion but as a matter of wealth. The Catholic church has quite a lot of assets, land, and money. I find it a bit ridiculous, also seems easy to criticize the financial sector… What is the Catholic church doing to lead by example? Maybe they’re are but it’d go a long way to put that forward as part of the criticism he’s levying. Without it it just seems like grandstanding.
2 Likes
Very strong words, coming from a bunch of decrepit old pedophiles who happily sit on thrones of actual nazi gold.
4 Likes
says the richest organization in the world…
Meanwhile…
2 Likes
I keep seeing that title as “Vatican drunks”.
1 Like
A reasonable proportion, as the Swiss Guard (and their dependents) are Vatican citizens during their service.
EDIT: Depends what you mean by “eligible”. Do those who are already married (married Swiss Guardsmen and their wives) count? Unmarried Guardsmen can marry, and I think there are relatively few adult children of Guardsmen, as only the senior officers would be old enough.
1 Like
To be fair, it’s not just criticism. The bulletin also includes some suggestions for change.
Leaving aside whatever the effect of the Church’s waning moral authority might be.
Effectively, the Church has just told every Catholic in the world to make their economic decisions by reference to whether the impact of those decisions tends to improve general well-being for all or decrease it with some pretty specific advice on what kind of thing is considered to be positive and what is negative.
Relevant excerpt
33. All that we have been talking about so far is not only the work of an entity that operates out of our control, but that is also in the sphere of our responsibilities. This means that we have within our reach important instruments capable of contributing towards the solutions of many problems. For instance, the markets live thanks to the supply and demand of goods. In this regard, every one of us can influence in a decisive manner by giving shape to that demand.
It becomes therefore quite evident how important a critical and responsible exercise of consumption and savings actually is. Shopping, for example, a daily engagement with which we procure the necessities of living, is also a form of a choice that we exercise among the various products that the market offers. It is a choice through which we often opt, in an unconscious way, for goods, whose production possibly takes place through supply chains in which the violation of the most elementary human rights is normal or, thanks to the work of the companies, whose ethics in fact do not know any interest other than that of profit of their shareholders at any cost.
It is necessary to train ourselves to make the choice for those goods on whose shoulders lies a journey worthy from the ethical point of view, because also through the gesture, apparently banal, of consumption, we actually express an ethics and are called to take a stand in front of what is good or bad for the actual human person. Someone spoke of the proposal to “vote with your wallet”. This is in reference to voting daily in the markets in favor of whatever helps the concrete well-being of all of us, and rejecting whatever harms it.
They must also have the same considerations towards the management of their savings, for instance, directing them towards those enterprises that operate with clear criteria inspired by an ethics respectful of the entire human person, and of every particular person, within the horizon of social responsibility. Furthermore, in general, each one is called to cultivate procedures of producing wealth that may be consistent with our relational nature and tend towards an integral development of the human person.
And to lobby and advocate for more responsible and ethical financial and economic arrangements:
Excerpt
34. In front of the massiveness and pervasiveness of today’s economic-financial systems, we could be tempted to abandon ourselves to cynicism, and to think that with our poor forces we can do very little. In reality, every one of us can do so much, especially if one does not remain alone.
Numerous associations emerging from civil society represent in this sense a reservoir of consciousness, and social responsibility, of which we cannot do without. Today as never before we are all called, as sentinels, to watch over genuine life and to make ourselves catalysts of a new social behavior, shaping our actions to the search for the common good, and establishing it on the sound principles of solidarity and subsidiarity.
Every gesture of our liberty, even if it appears fragile and insignificant, if it is really directed towards the authentic good, rests on Him who is the good Lord of history and becomes part of a buoyancy that exceeds our poor forces, uniting indissolubly all the actions of good will in a web that unites heaven and earth, which is a true instrument of the humanization of each person, and the world as a whole. This is all that we need for living well and for nourishing a hope that may be at the height of our dignity as human persons.
The Church, Mother and Teacher, aware of having received in gift an undeserved deposit, offers to the men and women of all times the resources for a dependable hope. Mary, Mother of God made man for us, may take our hearts in hand and guide them in the wise building of that good that her Son Jesus, through his humanity made new by the Holy Spirit, has come to inaugurate for the salvation of the world.
That may not amount to much but given the sort of accommodations made by banks to satisfy other religious scruples, it could lead to quite some change.
As for its own bank, the Vatican does seem to be doing rather more than most banks to clean up its act. How many Northern Rock or HSBC executives are in prison or under criminal investigation?
1 Like
On vacation abroad so didn’t have time to read so I appreciate the discussion. I did hope that said things were covered by the Vatican so it’s nice to see it was somewhat brought up. I still think the church as an organization has a long way to go to lead by example but I hope for the best
1 Like
I was specifically wondering just how many 12-year-olds were getting married. I would expect a very very small number.
Yeah, I clicked this article being really excited that the pope might be calling out financial corrupting within the church.
I don’t mind the pope getting this right, but anyone who disagrees with him is going to have a pretty easy time saying, “Why would I listen to that hypocrite?”
Tangential, but I saw in the CBC’s coverage of this that he was charges with “concealing a serious crime committed by another person”. I knew that Australia was better at using plain language in laws than North America or the UK, but this really impressed me. No “abetting” or “accessory after the fact”.
3 Likes
I won’t speak for anyone else, but I’m not dissing the Pope. More like saying that I’ve spotted a bit of hypocrisy. I think it’s awesome that he’s calling out the “wealthy” on their shit. Now he should turn an eye to his own house.
Agreed. And with this statement coming from position of power, it will be interesting to see if anything comes of it; particularly within his followers in the Catholic community. I have hopes something good will, which is why I said that I would be in the corner holding my breath. But I fully expect to asphyxiate well before anything changes anywhere… particularly in the Pope’s house.
I think there is some evidence he is, but he is fighting against those in the Vatican who want things to stay the same, and there are a lot of them. If Pope Francis was 20-30 years younger I might expect him to have some success in changing the Catholic church, but he’s 81. I think the conservatives will get their choice of pope next time and things will just go back to as they were.
2 Likes
I guess I should be fair and note that making a public statement against wealth and investment like this is going after the Vatican. It’s quite possible that rather than being a hypocrite, he is calling out the hypocrites around him. The pope probably has a lot less power than many of us non-Catholics imagine. Lots of internal politics to manage.
5 Likes
Drink! Feck! Arse! Girls!
Interesting, I’ll have to read that tonight. I don’t know if it’ll be a great bedside read, but I’ll try 
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
