The Pope Makes Enemies!: Thursday Absolute Idiocy Weblogging
Francis: Evangelii Gaudium:
Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting...
Various responses:
Cliff Kinkaid:
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not here to beat up on the pope. That’s not my job. But I can read. I can read this document. I can see what he is saying, and I can tell you right now that this is a very, very disappointing document, and it makes me wonder about the future of the Roman Catholic Church in this world and what they’re heading towards.... What we might euphemistically call a new world order, a new world economic order...
Pam Geller:
At a time when Christianity worldwide is under siege by Islamic jihadists, the leader of the Catholic Church claims that the Quran teaches non-violence. As Christians across the Muslim world live in abject terror and fear kidnapping, rape and slaughter to the bloodcurdling cries of ‘Allahu akbar,’ the pope gives papal sanction to the savage... [He claims true Islam is] opposed to every form of violence. How does he know that? When did he become an imam?
Jeb Bush: Obama is taking revenge on Catholics by moving Vatican embassy
Why would our President close our Embassy to the Vatican? Hopefully, it is not retribution for Catholic organizations opposing Obamacare.”
James Glassman: A JP Morgan economist (in effect) responds to Pope Francis:
Those concerned about global poverty have more to be thankful today than to complain about. The commonly-heard complaints that today’s economic systems fail to address the plight of the poor ignore several fundamental facts. Poverty is not a modern phenomenon. Second, the developed economies are still recovering from deep recessions and in time will reach their full potential. That is, of course, why central bank policies remain so stimulative. Those hurt by the recession will be restored as the developed economies continue to recover. And third, despite the cyclical problems of the developed economies, the average global living standard is at a record high—the highest known in the records compiled by economists and still climbing, thanks to the support from the developed economies. In other words, market-oriented economic systems are doing more to cure global poverty than any other effort in the past…
Rush Limbaugh: Lashes Out At The Pope Over Critique Of Inequality:
Up until this, I have to tell you, I was admiring the man. I thought he was going a little overboard on the "common man" touch, and I thought there might have been a little bit of PR involved there. But nevertheless, I was willing to cut him some slack. I mean, if he wants to portray himself as still from the streets of where he came from and is not anything special, not aristocratic, if he wants to eschew the physical trappings of the Vatican--OK, cool, fine. But this... totally befuddled me. If it weren't for capitalism, I don't know where the Catholic Church would be.... The pope here has now gone beyond Catholicism here, and this is pure political.... I have been numerous times to the Vatican. It wouldn't exist without tons of money. But, regardless, what this is--somebody has either written this for him or gotten to him. This is just pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope...
Tim Worstall: In Which A Good Catholic Boy Starts Shouting At The Pope:
That’s what has me spitting with rage and coming close to snarling at the good and brave man who is the current Pope. The market based economic system that he is complaining about is exactly the economic system that is in the process of solving the problems that he identifies. This strange capitalist free market mixture is the only economic system that has ever appreciably raised the living standard of the average man for a significant period of time. That is, this third great invention of humans (after agriculture and the scientific method) is the one thing we know of that reduces and then beats poverty.... I’m perfectly willing to agree that the Pope knows more about the difference between transubstantiation and consubstantiation than I do (although I’ve a pretty good grasp, see Benedictine education up above) and I’m willing to believe that he knows more about the salvation of my soul than I do. But it’s clear and obvious that he is not quite up to date with the current state of knowledge about how to effectively reduce poverty and inequality...
Greg Mankiw: The Pope's Rhetoric:
I see that the pope has decided to weigh in on economic issues.... "Trickle-down" is not a theory but a pejorative used by those on the left to describe a viewpoint they oppose. It is equivalent to those on the right referring to the "soak-the-rich" theories of the left. It is sad to see the pope using a pejorative, rather than encouraging an open-minded discussion of opposing perspectives.... As far as I know, the pope did not address the tax-exempt status of the church. I would be eager to hear his views on that issue. Maybe he thinks the tax benefits the church receives do some good when they trickle down.
Adam Shaw: Pope Francis is the Catholic Church’s Obama:
Just like President Obama loved apologizing for America, Pope Francis likes to apologize for the Catholic Church.... Pope Francis wants the bad old days to resume.... For years, the majority of priests didn't dare cover controversial topics in their homilies in fear of getting angry letters from pick-and-choose Catholics outraged that their pastor dared to say something out of line with the Democratic Party. Most parishioners therefore haven’t heard the Church’s argument on controversial topics. Consequently, usage of contraception is only slightly lower in Catholics than in the general population, and support of gay marriage is actually higher in Catholics than the general population. Perhaps talking about it even less isn’t the answer?.... Francis not only panders to enemies and professional grievance mongers, but also attacks his allies. Just as Obama snubs Britain and Israel, Pope Francis swipes at practicing Catholics. So not only has he insulted, and severely damaged the work of, pro-life and pro-marriage groups with his comments, he has also gone on the attack, dismissing Catholics who attend the older rites in Latin as ‘ideologizing’ and being guilty of ‘exploitation.’ Apparently 'Who am I to judge?' doesn’t apply here...
Stuart Varney: Admonishes Pope Francis:
Capitalism, in my opinion, is a liberator. The free choice of millions of people is the essence of freedom. In my opinion, society benefits most when people are free to pursue their own self-interest. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but it is not. When individuals are free, we collectively are better off in every way, financially and spiritually.... go to church to save my soul. It’s got nothing to do with my vote. Pope Francis has linked the two. He has offered direct criticism of a specific political system. He has characterized negatively that system. I think he wants to influence my politics...
markomalley: [CATHOLIC CAUCUS] Evangelii gaudium 54 (“trickle-down economics”). Significant translation error...:
I have mentioned that people have raised translation problems with the new Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium. I posted under another entry about problems with par. 54, which in the English translation mentions “trickle-down” economics...
Samuel Gregg: Pope Francis and Poverty:
Important sections of Evangelii Gaudium will strike many Catholics as less than convincing.... Single out the pope’s remark that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence”.... Westerners who assert that groups like the Taliban are acting in a manner contrary to the spirit of Islam “usually know little about Islam.”... Specialists in Islam will no doubt elaborate on these matters....
Many economic reflections that loom large throughout Evangelii Gaudium and which are, I’m afraid, very hard to defend.... We find Francis critiquing those who “continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world.” Such a view, the pope adds, “which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system”.... There are several problems with this line of reasoning.... It has never been the argument of most of those who favor markets that economic freedom and free exchange are somehow sufficient to reduce poverty.... Lastly, there is the issue of redistribution.... Many poverty-alleviation methods that involve redistribution (such as foreign aid) are increasingly discredited. As the economist and historian of the Federal Reserve Allan Meltzer put it, one of the 20th century’s economic lessons is that “transfers, grants and redistribution did little to raise living standards in Asia, Latin America and Africa.”... It is difficult not to come away from reading Evangelii Gaudium thinking that there are just too many unexamined assumptions about the economy that have made their way into this document...
Ross Douthat: The Pope and the Right:
[In response to] Francis’s... sharp critique of consumer capitalism and financial laissez-faire, politically conservative Catholics have... expla[ined] why they aren’t the new “cafeteria Catholics.” First, they have pointed out that there’s nothing truly novel here, apart from a lazy media narrative.... Second, they have sought to depoliticize the pope’s comments, recasting them as a general brief against avarice and consumerism rather than a call for specific government interventions. And finally, they have insisted on the difference between church teaching on faith and morals, and papal pronouncements on economic issues, noting that there’s nothing that obliges Catholics to believe the pontiff is infallible on questions of public policy. All three responses have their merits, but they still seem insufficient.... For Catholics... the burden is... to explain why a worldview that inspires left-leaning papal rhetoric also allows for right-of-center conclusions.... When it comes to lifting the poor out of poverty, global capitalism, faults and all, has a better track record by far than any other system or approach. Second, that Catholic social teaching... emphasizes... a small-c conservative preference for local efforts over national ones, voluntarism over bureaucracy. Third, that on recent evidence, the most expansive welfare states can crowd out what Christianity considers the most basic human goods--by lowering birthrates, discouraging private charity and restricting the church’s freedom to minister in subtle but increasingly consequential ways..."
