THIS is what the Republican Party advocates… the USCCB has signed on to it, too… it’s narrow focus on abortion and homosexuality has distorted their mission. It’s time for Pope Francisco to reign in rightwing swine like George Weigel and Timothy Dolan. They bow down in worship before the very golden idol that he decries! To support the Republican Party is to bow down low before Almighty Mammon… and that’s that! HH AGREES with the Pope on this one…
_______________________________
The majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences. … In my opinion, one cause of this situation is in our relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over our society and ourselves. Consequently, the financial crisis, which we are experiencing, makes us forget that we can find its ultimate origin in a profound human crisis, in the denial of the primacy of human beings. We have created new idols. The worship of the golden calf of old (Exodus 32.15-34) has a new and heartless image in the cult of money and in the dictatorship of an economy that’s faceless and lacking any truly humane goal. The worldwide financial and economic crisis seems to highlight the distortions and above all the gravely deficient human perspective, which reduces [people] to one of [their] needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, nowadays, we consider human beings themselves as consumer goods that we can use and throw away. We have begun a throw-away culture. We can see this tendency on the level of individuals and whole societies; and it’s being promoted.
Whilst the income of a minority increases exponentially, that of the majority crumbles. 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 have the charge to provide for the common good. … 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 is not our goods that we possess, but theirs”. …
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. … The church encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples.
September/October 2013
Sojourners
http://sojo.net/magazine/2013/09/heartless-cult-money
Editor’s Note:
A young loudmouth priest in Potapov’s circle in the District runs about condemning everyone who doesn’t kiss the rich man’s arse as he does. This young сопляк (whose family name should be “Durakov”) is full of it… in spades. I’ve walked a picket line or two and have dealt with nastiness in the workplace… I agree with Pope Francisco and HH… not with Victor Potapov and James Paffhausen and their noxious little coterie on the Potomac.
The righties are spinning this one HARD… the only one to read the tealeaves correctly is Dolan… he’s keeping quiet for the moment until he can determine Rome‘s new line. Being an opportunist of the first water, he’ll follow the pope’s lead. However, he’ll still sneakily support Republicans. Nevertheless, in public, he’ll tone down his rhetoric. Weigel won’t… but he’s a known sorehead, so, that won’t discomfit anyone.
Which side are you are on? God IS going to ask you that some day, y’ know…
BMD
Voices from Russia 
A Heartless Cult of Money
Tags: Catholic Church, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Francis I, Francisco Bergoglio, George Weigel, Holy See, moral stance, moral theology, morality, morals, political commentary, politics, Pope, Pope Francis, Pope Francis I, Pope Francisco, poster, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Vatican, Vatican City
THIS is what the Republican Party advocates… the USCCB has signed on to it, too… it’s narrow focus on abortion and homosexuality has distorted their mission. It’s time for Pope Francisco to reign in rightwing swine like George Weigel and Timothy Dolan. They bow down in worship before the very golden idol that he decries! To support the Republican Party is to bow down low before Almighty Mammon… and that’s that! HH AGREES with the Pope on this one…
_______________________________
The majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences. … In my opinion, one cause of this situation is in our relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over our society and ourselves. Consequently, the financial crisis, which we are experiencing, makes us forget that we can find its ultimate origin in a profound human crisis, in the denial of the primacy of human beings. We have created new idols. The worship of the golden calf of old (Exodus 32.15-34) has a new and heartless image in the cult of money and in the dictatorship of an economy that’s faceless and lacking any truly humane goal. The worldwide financial and economic crisis seems to highlight the distortions and above all the gravely deficient human perspective, which reduces [people] to one of [their] needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, nowadays, we consider human beings themselves as consumer goods that we can use and throw away. We have begun a throw-away culture. We can see this tendency on the level of individuals and whole societies; and it’s being promoted.
Whilst the income of a minority increases exponentially, that of the majority crumbles. 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 have the charge to provide for the common good. … 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 is not our goods that we possess, but theirs”. …
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. … The church encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples.
September/October 2013
Sojourners
http://sojo.net/magazine/2013/09/heartless-cult-money
Editor’s Note:
A young loudmouth priest in Potapov’s circle in the District runs about condemning everyone who doesn’t kiss the rich man’s arse as he does. This young сопляк (whose family name should be “Durakov”) is full of it… in spades. I’ve walked a picket line or two and have dealt with nastiness in the workplace… I agree with Pope Francisco and HH… not with Victor Potapov and James Paffhausen and their noxious little coterie on the Potomac.
The righties are spinning this one HARD… the only one to read the tealeaves correctly is Dolan… he’s keeping quiet for the moment until he can determine Rome‘s new line. Being an opportunist of the first water, he’ll follow the pope’s lead. However, he’ll still sneakily support Republicans. Nevertheless, in public, he’ll tone down his rhetoric. Weigel won’t… but he’s a known sorehead, so, that won’t discomfit anyone.
Which side are you are on? God IS going to ask you that some day, y’ know…
BMD