American Capitalism is just plain broken. Why do I say that? Because American Capitalism has in essence declared that its god is the Almighty Dollar. And in such circumstances as these, the problem identified by Pope St. John Paul II…
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSD) provides no genuine solace for either of the two economic poles we are offered as alternatives today: socialism and capitalism. It is easy — for a conservative — to find…
In this post I would like to continue with some notions I raised in a prior post, about the relationship between individual people and social institutions. The Compendium brings the subject up fairly regularly, so it is reasonable to infer…
Human institutions aren’t just for breakfast or play time or work time. The Compendium of Social Doctrine observes the following: …worldly things and human institutions are ordered, according to the plan of God the Creator, towards people’s salvation, and that…
We must love God in order to be saved. It is inconceivable that those who are utterly indifferent towards Him or who genuinely hate Him will meet with His favor on Judgment Day. But in order to love God, we…
I expect that this will be my last post in my little series drawing from Pope Benedict’s final encyclical, Caritatis in Veritate. How can we be surprised by the indifference shown towards situations of human degradation, when such indifference extends…
This is the ninth post in my occasional series of comments from and about Caritatis in Veritate, Pope Benedict’s final encyclical. It is good for people to realize that purchasing is always a moral—and not simply economic—act. (§66) And therefore,…
An overemphasis on rights leads to a disregard for duties. Duties set a limit on rights because they point to the anthropological and ethical framework of which rights are a part, in this way ensuring that they do not become…
Many of us have alternately had a good laugh or got our dander up thanks to Limbaugh’s ludicrous assertion that Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation (n.b.: not encyclical; there is a difference) exposed the Pope as a “Marxist [sic]”. One of…
It is easy for capitalists, free-market types, freedom lovers, and enemies of socialism to get the idea that because the Catholic Church condemns socialism in essentially unconditional terms, the Church must consequently be on the side of the capitalists. Even…
Aquinas, Etc. 