Pope: Money must serve and not rule
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Money must serve and not rule" and you cannot accept "dictatorship" that it has on people and society, a dictatorship that is strengthened in the rejection of God and ethics " counterproductive: as something too human, because it relativizes money and power; as a threat, because it rejects manipulation and subjection of people". This is the harsh criticism that Pope Francis had today for the current role that economy and finance play in the world, accusing them of reducing man to a single dimension, that of consumption.
The Pope was addressing the new non-resident Ambassadors to the Holy See from Kyrgyzstan, Antigua and Barbuda, Luxembourg and Botswana.
"Humanity -
said Francis - is presently experiencing something of a turning point in its
own history, if we consider the advances made in various areas. We can only praise the positive achievements which contribute to the
authentic welfare of mankind, in fields such as those of health, education and
communications. At the same time, we must also acknowledge that the majority of
the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of
insecurity, with dire consequences. Certain pathologies are increasing, with their
psychological consequences; fear and desperation grip the hearts of many
people, even in the so-called rich countries; the joy of life is diminishing;
indecency and violence are on the rise; poverty is becoming more and more
evident. People have to struggle to live and, frequently, to live in an
undignified way. One cause of this situation, in my opinion, is in the our
relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over ourselves and our
society. Consequently the financial crisis which we are experiencing makes us
forget that its ultimate origin is to be found 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 (cf. Ex 32:15-34) has found a new and
heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which
is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal".
" The worldwide
financial and economic crisis -
he continued - seems
to highlight their distortions and above all the gravely deficient human
perspective, which reduces man to one of his needs alone, namely, consumption.
Worse yet, human beings themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods
which can be used and thrown away. We have begun a throw away culture. This
tendency is seen on the level of individuals and whole societies; and it is
being promoted! In circumstances like these, solidarity, which is the treasure
of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of
finance and the economy. While the income of a minority is increasing
exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling. This imbalance results from
ideologies which uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial
speculation, and thus deny the right of control to States, which are themselves
charged with providing for the common good. A new, invisible and at times
virtual, tyranny is established, one which unilaterally and irremediably
imposes its own laws and rules. Moreover, indebtedness and credit distance
countries from their real economy and citizens from their real buying power.
Added to this, as if it were needed, is widespread corruption and selfish
fiscal evasion which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The will to power and
of possession has become limitless".
"Concealed
behind this attitude is a rejection of ethics, a rejection of God. Ethics, like
solidarity, is a nuisance! It is regarded as counterproductive: as something
too human, because it relativizes money and power; as a threat, because it
rejects manipulation and subjection of people: because ethics leads to God, who
is situated outside the categories of the market. These financiers, economists
and politicians consider God to be unmanageable, unmanageable even dangerous,
because he calls man to his full realization and to independence from any kind
of slavery. Ethics - naturally, not the ethics of ideology - makes it possible,
in my view, to create a balanced social order that is more humane. In this
sense, I encourage the financial experts and the political leaders of your
countries to consider the words of Saint 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" (Homily on Lazarus, 1:6 - PG 48,
992D)."
"There
is a need - he added - for financial
reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to
benefit everyone. This would nevertheless require a courageous change of
attitude on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge
with determination and farsightedness, taking account, naturally, of their
particular situations. 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, for her part - concluded the Pope - i always works for
the integral development of every person. In this sense, she reiterates that
the common good should not be simply an extra, simply a conceptual scheme of
inferior quality tacked onto political programmes. The Church encourages those
in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples. She
urges financial leaders to take account of ethics and solidarity. And why
should they not turn to God to draw inspiration from his designs? In this way,
a new political and economic mindset would arise that would help to transform
the absolute dichotomy between the economic and social spheres into a healthy
symbiosis".
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