Here’s what Pope Francisco condemns… and the rightwingers applaud… none dare call it evil. The love of money is the root of all evil… just look at the konvertsy.
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The Daily Mail reported that Pope Francisco Bergoglio told believers that he’s prone to human weaknesses just like anyone else. Speaking to the crowd from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he admitted that he sometimes couldn’t finish praying because of drowsiness. The pontiff confessed to an audience of 200,000 that he nods off during evening prayers at the end of a long day, saying, “The fatigue of the day makes you fall asleep, but He (God) understands”. His comment drew laughter from the crowd. In general, the pontiff devoted his speech to charity. The Pope expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that, in today’s world, we don’t view starving and freezing children as something unusual. He added that people are much more interested in secular scandals nowadays, but he also said, “We can’t become starched Christians, too polite, who speak of theology calmly over tea. We have to become courageous Christians and seek out those (who need help most)”. Argentinean Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the 266th pope of the Catholic Church on 13 March 2013. He’s the first Latin American Pope of Rome, as well as the first Jesuit priest to become pope. He’s one of the simplest pontiffs in modern history. For example, he chose to reside in the Vatican guesthouse rather than the papal residence.
20 May 2013
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_05_20/Pope-Francis-admitted-dozing-off-while-praying/
Editor’s Note:
Terrence Mattingly just wrote a piece on Pope Francisco that was a lying piece of shit due to its omissions. Mr Mattingly didn’t mention once that the pope opposes all of the nutty squirrel rightwing notions that Mr Mattingly and his crowd (which includes Victor Potapov, James Paffhausen, Rod Dreher, and Freddie M-G) advocates. In fact, the implication given by Mr Mattingly was that the pope agrees with the rightwing lunatic pap spouted by the konvertsy. For instance, Mr Mattingly didn’t quote:
- The worship of the golden calf of old (cf. Exodus32.15-34) has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy that’s faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.
- Whilst the income of a minority increases exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling. This imbalance results from ideologies that uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and, thus, deny the right of control to States, which are themselves charged with providing for the common good. A new, invisible, and at times virtual, tyranny is established; one that unilaterally and irremediably imposes its own laws and rules.
- Money has to serve, not to rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the Pope has the duty, in Christ’s name, to remind the rich to help the poor, to respect them, to promote them. The Pope appeals for disinterested solidarity and for a return to person-centred ethics in the world of finance and economics.
In short, Pope Francisco stands against and condemns the rightwing libertarian nonsense spouted by Terrence Mattingly and his ilk. So should we… right is right, no matter who speaks it. It’s time to take the Church back from these greedy beastly toddlers. Aren’t you tired of their bloviations on the Fathers, “homosexual infiltration” (but note well who their “Orthodox” sponsors were… Gleb Podmoshensky, for one), neoconservatism, and “proper dress?” It’s enough to make an adult hurl. It’ll require us to swallow a kopeck’s worth… shall we?
BMD
Pope Francisco Bergoglio Attacks the Tyranny of the Markets… He’s Rather MORE “Lefty” than Benny Ratz Was
Tags: Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Christian, Christian ethics, Christianity, Consistent life ethic, ethical orientation, ethics, Francis I, Francisco Bergoglio, John Chrysostom, moral stance, moral theology, morality, morals, political commentary, politics, Pope, Pope Francis, Pope Francis I, Pope Francisco, Pope of Rome, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic theology
The Russian Market: Satan Reigns There
Vasili Ostrovsky
2004
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The cult of money is today’s golden calf.
Pope Francisco Bergoglio
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Yesterday, Pope Francisco gave his first major analysis on the causes of the global financial crisis.
Our human family is presently experiencing something of a turning point in its own history, if we consider the advances made in various areas. We can only praise the positive achievements that contribute to the authentic welfare of mankind, in fields such as those of health, education, and communications. At the same time, we must also acknowledge that the majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences. Certain pathologies are increasing, with their psychological consequences; fear and desperation grip the hearts of many people, even in the so-called rich countries; the joy of life is diminishing; indecency and violence are on the rise; poverty is becoming more and more evident. People have to struggle to live, and, frequently, to live in an undignified way. One cause of this situation, in my opinion, is in our relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over our society and ourselves. Consequently, the financial crisis that we are experiencing makes us forget that its ultimate origin is to be found in a profound human crisis. It stems from the denial of the primacy of human beings! We’ve created new idols. The worship of the golden calf of old (cf. Exodus 32.15-34) has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy that’s faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.
The worldwide financial and economic crisis seems to highlight their distortions and above all the gravely-deficient human perspective, which reduces man to one of his needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, nowadays, human beings themselves are considered as consumer goods that can be used and thrown away. We’ve started a throw-away culture. This tendency is seen on the level of individuals and whole societies; and it’s being promoted! In circumstances like these, solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance and the economy. Whilst the income of a minority increases exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling. This imbalance results from ideologies that uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and, thus, deny the right of control to States, which are themselves charged with providing for the common good. A new, invisible, and at times virtual, tyranny is established; one that unilaterally and irremediably imposes its own laws and rules. Moreover, indebtedness and credit distance countries from their real economy and citizens from their real buying power. Added to this, as if it were needed, is widespread corruption and selfish fiscal evasion that have taken on worldwide dimensions. The will to power and of possession has become limitless.
Concealed behind this attitude is a rejection of ethics, a rejection of God. Ethics, like solidarity, is a nuisance! It’s regarded as counterproductive: as something too human, because it relativises money and power; as a threat, because it rejects manipulation and subjection of people… because ethics leads to God, who’s situated outside the categories of the market. God is thought to be unmanageable by these financiers, economists, and politicians; God is unmanageable, even dangerous, because he calls man to his full realisation and to independence from any kind of slavery. Ethics … naturally, not the ethics of ideology… makes it possible, in my view, to create a balanced social order that is more humane. In this sense, I encourage the financial experts and the political leaders of your countries to consider the words of St John Chrysostom, “Not to share one’s goods with the poor is to rob them and to deprive them of life. It isn’t our goods that we possess, but theirs” (Homily on Lazarus, 1:6 – PG 48, 992D).
There’s a need for financial reform along ethical lines that’d produce in its turn an economic reform to benefit everyone. Nevertheless, this’d require a courageous change of attitude on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge with determination and farsightedness, taking account, naturally, of their particular situations. Money has to serve, not to rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the Pope has the duty, in Christ’s name, to remind the rich to help the poor, to respect them, to promote them. The Pope appeals for disinterested solidarity and for a return to person-centred ethics in the world of finance and economics.
For her part, the Church always works for the integral development of every person. In this sense, she reiterates that the common good shouldn’t be simply an extra, simply a conceptual scheme of inferior quality tacked onto political programmes. The Church encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples. She urges financial leaders to take account of ethics and solidarity. Why should they not turn to God to draw inspiration from His designs? In this way, a new political and economic mindset would arise that’d help to transform the absolute dichotomy between the economic and social spheres into a healthy symbiosis.
17 May 2013
The Tablet
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/blogs/574/18
Editor’s Note:
I discarded the boilerplate greetings at the head and foot of this piece. Let’s keep it simple. The reason that real Orthodox have to oppose the konvertsy and their attempt to ally the Church with rightwing forces is simple… they wish us all to bow down before Almighty Mammon. They want to ally us with warmongers, greedsters, and politicians so bloody in their use of the death penalty that they’d make Judge Jeffreys blush.
Don’t hate these people… but do oppose them. Hatred only dulls our vision and lowers us to the level of those such as Rod Dreher and James Paffhausen. God calls us to oppose them… not hate them… not do violence to them. As long as they’re alive, there’s hope that they’ll repent… it’s slim, but it’s there.
Keep your mind right and God’ll bless you.
BMD