“I am not a Marxist”. Seems nobody ever is. Wouldn’t be surprised if Karl, himself, denied being a Marxist as soon as people found out what Marxism is.
Now, Pope Francis felt compelled last December to assure his flock that he’s not a Marxist, just as Barack Obama was moved early in his reign to deny that he was.
Actually that’s not the only instance in which Pope Francis and President Obama appear to be on the same page. Seems they are both in the process of “fundamentally transforming” the institutions which they currently lead. Neither much likes capitalism. Both would like to see a whole lot of wealth and income redistribution. “Inequality” occupies a great deal of their concerned thinking. And, while both of these men appear to be aware that there are a great many serious and dangerous challenges facing the world and their respective areas of responsibility, each seems to believe that the greatest danger the planet faces is…”climate change”?
Above all, these two leaders don’t seem too keen on America, its traditions and economic and governance systems. They are willing and eager to look to the United Nations for solutions to, not only climate change, but all manner of “justice”…’social’, environmental’, ‘economic’.
While Pope Francis calls for “a better distribution of wealth”, he concedes that “globalization ..(capitalism)… has helped many people to exit poverty , (but)…it has also condemned many others to die from hunger”.
Whoever criticizes this Pope’s views is immediately accused of unfairly claiming he is espousing a “Marxist” ideology. Pope Francis, until his election to the Papacy spent his entire ministry in Argentina…a hotbed of “liberation theology”, a form of Marxism and one that was rampant during his years of ascendancy through the Catholic hierarchy. It was not an ideology embraced by the Church and several Cardinals who openly espoused it were dismissed by the Vatican. While Francis experienced first hand the effectiveness of the economic system based on liberation theology, he apparently took from it the wrong lessons. “Wealth redistribution”, “income equality”, these things are right out of the “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need” playbook of ‘liberation theologists’ and Marxists and communists throughout modern history.
Coincidentally, Obama’s “spiritual inspiration” for 20 years, the esteemed Reverend Wright, was a strong proponent of a form of liberation theology, “Black Liberation Theology”.
For Pope Francis to make the claim that “globalization”, the term he uses to identify capitalism, “has condemned many others to die from hunger”, should not be allowed to go unchallenged. Maybe His Holiness should take a closer look at the human suffering and devastation Marxism/Communism has caused throughout the 20th century and into the 21st…and then get back to his flock on that.
There are many websites that discuss “liberation theology.” Here are a few things clear to us from a brief survey :
1) Pope Fran is heavily influenced and greatly enthralled by the concept
2) It combines Roman Catholicism with revolutionary Marxism/socialism
3) “Social Justice” departments have been virtually taken over by adherents to it
4) Social Justice is the key to bringing liberation theology to government, and with it, the notion that private property is a leading cause of poverty and should be done away with, thru expropriation if necessary
5) Pope Fran is a functional Marxist, however much he doth protest
If our critiques (and many others Catholic and non-Catholic) are untrue then we welcome broad definitive rebuttal.
Pope Veritaspac speaks
Given Pope Francis’ polemic criticisms of “capitalism,” he owes it to believers and others of good will whom he hopes to influence, how his accusations and criticisms are accurately descriptions of any truly capitalistic country, or even substantially market oriented economies. We are aware of no country that might meet his approbation that can legitimately be called capitalist in any proper understanding of the term. Capitalism is a form of economic organization characterized by no government favoritism. Where are these truly “capitalist” governments he inveighs against? Command and control economies, Argentina for example, are not “capitalist.” In other words name names, point to the specific examples so that accused might not be victims of such sweeping accusations and any unwarranted political foment that may result, or shut up.
We have a few more demands of Pope Francis as he prepares any upcoming encyclical or pronouncement on economic matters:
- Are your statements controlling as regards the faithful or your human opinion? What is the Biblical basis, the authority in Jesus’ words to make any demand on others using the heavy punishing hand of government as compared to Christian charity?
- Why do the Biblical citations you may employ definitively trump any countervailing Scriptural injunctions? Please list them all and provide a substantive exegesis.
- Is it allowable for Catholics to disagree and oppose confiscatory redistribution schemes and instead promote free market systems as consistent with Christianity?
- How is it that a Catholic must believe in and submit to command and control economies as inherently superior to free market economies and on what metrics?
- As an indicator of where you are coming from economically and Biblically, please enlighten us on the Biblical basis for income taxes as opposed to or instead of consumption taxes or other means of funding government? If capitalistic economies are soul wrenching, how are command and control economies not?
- If you are addressing your statements to “people of good will,” that is, beyond the Roman Catholic flock, how has your macro-economic authority been arrived at? What are the diverse economic authorities you have studied? Are you an authority on comparative economics, macro-economics, labor economics, monetary economics, economic history? Have you studied Nobel laureates Hayek and Friedman, and others of free market bent? What are your critiques of their scholarship? How are they wrong economically? How are they un-Biblical? What are your favorite macro-economic authorities and on what basis do you rely on them as Pope? Of course you owe an exposition in these matters to the flock as well.
- Given that standards of living have been increasing worldwide — in terms of food, shelter, and healthcare advancement, and resultant life expectancy, and infant survival explain how “capitalist” economies (your broad brush not ours) have been inimical to that, rather than producing the technology and economies of scale to result in such improvements?
- Elaborate as to how you are not a Marxist or imbued with Marxist /socialist economic presumptions.
These are among the minimal things Pope Francis has a responsibility to show to authenticate his pronouncements on economic organization. R Mall
yeah, yeah! looky here! the anti-Christ and his worldly host! hehehe!!!