Saturday, October 29, 2011

Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace: recommendation of a global financial authority

A couple days ago the  Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace issued a position paper recommending, as a solution to the world's financial problems, what some would attribute as "more of the cause." The Document, titled: "TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY", can be read here.


The paper, which doesn't seem to have an attribution of authorship, and certainly does not bear the imprimatur of the church, much less the Holy Father, has been written about by more competent authors than me, so I'll let you find those articles on your own and form your own opinions. What strikes me as a layman, is that the Vatican, with it's scandal-plagued Vatican Bank, would offer suggestions of this nature when it has clearly demonstrated deficiency in this department; a department that it seems lies outside the competence of the Church. From a moral standpoint, if the world had embraced Christ and lived a devout faith, there would be no financial crisis, right? given fallen human nature, there will always be crisis of one sort or another, as man seeks to assert his will over his fellow man, rather than serve his neighbor as one created in the image of God.

So it seems to this financially-challenged mind, that a document that suggests that to make things right, the world needs to live as though the fruits of charity were present and could be counted upon, without ever mentioning the name of Jesus, from whom all charity flows, has missed the mission statement:

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” [Mt 28:18ff]

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