Pope Benedict XVI often puts his foot in his mouth. But that is not the case with his third encyclical, CARITAS IN VERITATE. Released today, the Pope's encyclical is a plea for social justice, for a sense of community with each other, and for solidarity to replace greed. It is a fine read and worth looking at, even for the non-catholics among us - like me.
Those of a reformist and progressive bent of mind will find plenty to object to in Caritas In Veritate, the pope maintains his stance on the absolute authority of the church, his rigid sexual teachings, his uncompromising moral stance on abortion and birth control. Despite this, however, Pope Benedict XVI has not written a conservative manifesto.
The heart of Caritas in Veritate is a critique of global capitalism. The pope argues with conviction, passion, and strong evidence that the rise of deregulated multinational corporations has exploited the working classes the world over, led to great inequality of class and wealth, and led to horrific living conditions the world over.
The source of this debacle, the Pope argues, is greed and a false sense of the self as an isolated and self-focused individual. In place of this atomistic and selfish philosophy the Pope calls for a world of solidarity and community:
"Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of “all of us”, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society[4]. It is a good that is sought not for its own sake, but for the people who belong to the social community and who can only really and effectively pursue their good within it. To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity. To take a stand for the common good is on the one hand to be solicitous for, and on the other hand to avail oneself of, that complex of institutions that give structure to the life of society, juridically, civilly, politically and culturally, making it the pólis, or “city”."
Importantly, this is not a simple call to individual responsibility. The Pope argues that we need world wide regulating mechanisms and organization to stop the abuses of rampant capitalism and to help insure that Justice is done in the world.
A very fine read, I highly recommend it. Check it out here
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