The Masters of Stereotype were at it again in saying the pope blasts capitalism in his new book. If he did, it was in code that only a mainstream editor can decipher. Reading news accounts, Fr. Robert Sirico of the Acton Institute had to wonder:
Could Benedict XVI really be departing from the teachings of John Paul II that economic freedom is but a part of a larger system of freedom and rights that is embraced by the Church?
Then he read the book and found in it no mention of capitalism. Rather, it’s a meditation, says Sirico, “on human solidarity and the centrality of God in human life, including aid to poor people.”
There is no mention here of economics, politics or specific programs of redistribution, much less any ringing criticism of the free economy.
The book is
explicitly a spiritual reflection on our own interior disposition toward those who are “neighbors” to us and for whom we have some moral responsibility – not an economic screed.
This ain’t the story editors see, however. It’s not part of “the agenda of journalists and editorial writers.”
Rather, the pope
is calling on us to care for the poor in every possible way: materially and spiritually. The science of economics informs us that the free economy is the best possible foundations for growing wealth.
The free economy, yes. It’s the best way to raise the poor from poverty, regardless of “the highly politicized and often deeply inaccurate reports of journalists looking for headlines.”
Blithe Spirit 