Pope: No economy without humanity

Monday, July 27, 2009

*Father Roberto Cid

English Spanish

On July 7 of this year, Pope Benedict XVI published the encyclical “Charity in Truth” (Caritas in Veritate) addressing the topic of development with particular emphasis on the dominant issues of our times. It is his third encyclical, but not the first on social issues. His first one, “God is Love” (Deus Caritas Est) also addresses social issues, especially in the second chapter, where the Pope discusses the practice of love in the life of the Church.

In his new encyclical, the Pope provides sound economic analysis, but he goes even deeper: He frames the economic crisis within the anthropological problems that affect our contemporary culture. Many famous economists recognized throughout history that, in the words of Wilhelm Ropke, “the decision on the ultimate destiny of the market economy, with its admirable mechanism of supply and demand, lies…beyond supply and demand.”

If these times are difficult, it is not so much because of the economic problems that we are experiencing, but because we no longer seem to know or understand what it means to be human.

The economy is a living organism, the sum total of the individual decisions of consumers, households, firms and the government. It goes through periods of expansion and periods of contraction. There are times of adjustment when resources are redirected to correct some misallocation. Economists disagree on the best way to deal with these phenomena. Different schools of thought emphasize different aspects of the business cycle and have, therefore, different prescriptions for solving different situations. Therefore, there is legitimate debate about the best policy needed to tackle economic problems. However, if the point of departure is an incorrect anthropology, a distorted understanding of the human person, then the desired end of prosperity and human development will not be achieved.

Paul VI had already taught in Populorum Progressio that the market mechanism is useful and has delivered prosperity but it is not the answer to all the problems of humanity. For that and similar statements, he was accused of being a “warmed-over Marxist”. John Paul II was also told to stay away from politics when he explained the moral dimension
of development. It is now Benedict’s turn to remind us that a humanism which excludes God is an inhuman humanism, because as the Second Vatican Council teaches, when God is forgotten humanity itself is unintelligible.

Indeed, there cannot be authentic human progress with a perverse vision of the human person that reduces us to mere consumers and producers, disposable beings, enslaved by our passions, to be eliminated when we are not “useful” to society. Such a distorted view of reality has led to the atrocity of state-sanctioned abortion, euthanasia and the assault on the family - all presented and pursued as human progress.

The Pope invites us to look through these errors and tragedies to discover the greatness of our common humanity and answer our call to work for authentic human progress. The greatest service to authentic human and economic development, he says, “is a Christian humanism that enkindles charity and takes its lead from truth.”

Father Roberto Cid
Parochial vicar, St. Gregory the Great, Plantation

READ THE ENCYCLICAL:

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Comments from readers

Father Roberto M. Cid - 07/27/2009 11:25 PM

The social doctrine of the Church, of which Caritas in Veritate is an integral part, is moral theology. It is not ideology. Liberal and conservative are political categories quite unable to describe the reality and mystery of the Church. As Benedict explains, "clarity is not served by certain abstract subdivisions of the Church's social doctrine, which apply categories to Papal social teaching that are extraneous to it... The Church's social doctrine illuminates with an unchanging light the new problems that are constantly emerging...It is an expression of the prophetic task of the Supreme Pontiffs to give apostolic guidance to the Church of Christ and to discern the new demands of evangelization." (12).

Pbro. Roberto M. Cid - 07/27/2009 11:05 PM

La econom�a pone de manifiesto la realidad del pecado original y los efectos del pecado personal sobre la sociedad. Como dice Benedicto XVI en Caritas in Veritate, "la sabidur�a de la Iglesia ha invitado siempre a no olvidar la realidad del pecado original, ni siquiera en la interpretaci�n de los fen�menos sociales y en la construcci�n de la sociedad...Nuestros d�as nos ofrecen una prueba evidente." (34). Es cierto que la avaricia y el af�n desmedido de lucro sumados a un ambiente generalizado de corrupci�n y el materialismo dominante en nuestros tiempos han contribuido al estallido de la crisis actual. No obstante estos fen�menos, tambi�n hay que se�alar, como lo hace el Papa, que la crisis tiene aristas t�cnicas que deben ser analizadas en profundidad para encontrar soluciones viables a los problemas concretos de la gente. "La caridad no excluye el saber, m�s bien lo exige, lo promueve y lo anima desde adentro." (30).

Michael Kramer - 07/27/2009 05:35 PM

Beautiful and clear teaching from the pope, and beautiful and clear commentary Father. I, like Brother Richard am grateful to have read the analysis coming from a priest with a degree in Economics. Thank you!

Angel Taboada - 07/27/2009 03:53 PM

Los medios audiovisuales vierten las opiniones de economistas a quienes escuchamos como maestros del futuro, en general no se detienen en considerar la omnipotencia y la omnipresencia de Dios.
Bien vale la apreciaci�n del RP Cid sobre la consideraci�n antropol�gica como su an�lisis de la Enciclica Papal "La caridad en la verdad".

Daniel L�pez Quesada - 07/27/2009 03:01 PM

Excelente reflexi�n del querido padre Cid acerca de la nueva enc�clica de S.S., a la que bien podr�a servir de introducci�n, la que se ha hecho p�blica en momentos en que la econom�a global, deshumanizada y egoista, se encuentra en una profunda crisis que ha hecho temblar sus cimientos.
Agradezco a la Arquidi�cesis de Miami por la publicaci�n de estos trabajos de sus sacerdotes, los que ayudan a esclarecer a la feligres�a.-
Daniel L�pez Quesada

Jos� Manuel Fern�ndez - 07/27/2009 01:09 PM

Excelente art�culo del P. Roberto Cid. Los cat�licos y hombres de buena voluntad debemos agradecer al Papa Benedicto XVI por su enc�clica social ent tiempos donde el egoismo pas� a tener primacia por sobre la solidaridad. Aprender a pasar del "tener para poseer" al "dar para compartir" ser� de ayuda �til para crear esa fraternidad que es clave del desarrollo.
Nuevamente gracias a la arquidi�cesis de Miami que tiene este ejemplar sacerdote que es el P. Cid y que nos ilumina con sus escritos.
Jos� Manuel Fern�ndez

Richard DeMaria - 07/27/2009 11:34 AM

Father Roberto
The archdiocese is fortunate to have among its clergy a priest with a doctoral degree in economics to comment on this recent encyclical. Thank you for the introduction you gave us as well as making it easy to link to the encylical itself. My sense is neither liberal or conservative Catholics are happy with this document, each ascribing to an editor or curial group the parts of teh encyclical that doesn't match their positions.
Richard

Gloria U. Carreras - 07/27/2009 11:21 AM

Benedicto XVI nos da un mensaje bien profundo pero con palabras simples que todos podemos entender.
No podemos dejar a Dios fuera de las relaciones humanas, cada uno de nosotros
somos responsables ante El por todo nuestros actos, tanto a nivel personal como
comunitartio y global. Edificar la Cuidad de Dios basado en su verdad y amor
al pr�jimo.

Father Roberto M. Cid - 07/27/2009 11:25 PM: The social doctrine of the Church, of which Caritas in Veritate is an integral part, is moral theology. It is not ideology. Liberal and conservative are political categories quite unable to describe the reality and mystery of the Church. As Benedict explains, "clarity is not served by certain abstract subdivisions of the Church's social doctrine, which apply categories to Papal social teaching that are extraneous to it... The Church's social doctrine illuminates with an unchanging light the new problems that are constantly emerging...It is an expression of the prophetic task of the Supreme Pontiffs to give apostolic guidance to the Church of Christ and to discern the new demands of evangelization." (12).

Pbro. Roberto M. Cid - 07/27/2009 11:05 PM: La econom�a pone de manifiesto la realidad del pecado original y los efectos del pecado personal sobre la sociedad. Como dice Benedicto XVI en Caritas in Veritate, "la sabidur�a de la Iglesia ha invitado siempre a no olvidar la realidad del pecado original, ni siquiera en la interpretaci�n de los fen�menos sociales y en la construcci�n de la sociedad...Nuestros d�as nos ofrecen una prueba evidente." (34). Es cierto que la avaricia y el af�n desmedido de lucro sumados a un ambiente generalizado de corrupci�n y el materialismo dominante en nuestros tiempos han contribuido al estallido de la crisis actual. No obstante estos fen�menos, tambi�n hay que se�alar, como lo hace el Papa, que la crisis tiene aristas t�cnicas que deben ser analizadas en profundidad para encontrar soluciones viables a los problemas concretos de la gente. "La caridad no excluye el saber, m�s bien lo exige, lo promueve y lo anima desde adentro." (30).

Michael Kramer - 07/27/2009 05:35 PM: Beautiful and clear teaching from the pope, and beautiful and clear commentary Father. I, like Brother Richard am grateful to have read the analysis coming from a priest with a degree in Economics. Thank you!

Angel Taboada - 07/27/2009 03:53 PM: Los medios audiovisuales vierten las opiniones de economistas a quienes escuchamos como maestros del futuro, en general no se detienen en considerar la omnipotencia y la omnipresencia de Dios.
Bien vale la apreciaci�n del RP Cid sobre la consideraci�n antropol�gica como su an�lisis de la Enciclica Papal "La caridad en la verdad".

Daniel L�pez Quesada - 07/27/2009 03:01 PM: Excelente reflexi�n del querido padre Cid acerca de la nueva enc�clica de S.S., a la que bien podr�a servir de introducci�n, la que se ha hecho p�blica en momentos en que la econom�a global, deshumanizada y egoista, se encuentra en una profunda crisis que ha hecho temblar sus cimientos.
Agradezco a la Arquidi�cesis de Miami por la publicaci�n de estos trabajos de sus sacerdotes, los que ayudan a esclarecer a la feligres�a.-
Daniel L�pez Quesada

Jos� Manuel Fern�ndez - 07/27/2009 01:09 PM: Excelente art�culo del P. Roberto Cid. Los cat�licos y hombres de buena voluntad debemos agradecer al Papa Benedicto XVI por su enc�clica social ent tiempos donde el egoismo pas� a tener primacia por sobre la solidaridad. Aprender a pasar del "tener para poseer" al "dar para compartir" ser� de ayuda �til para crear esa fraternidad que es clave del desarrollo.
Nuevamente gracias a la arquidi�cesis de Miami que tiene este ejemplar sacerdote que es el P. Cid y que nos ilumina con sus escritos.
Jos� Manuel Fern�ndez

Richard DeMaria - 07/27/2009 11:34 AM: Father Roberto
The archdiocese is fortunate to have among its clergy a priest with a doctoral degree in economics to comment on this recent encyclical. Thank you for the introduction you gave us as well as making it easy to link to the encylical itself. My sense is neither liberal or conservative Catholics are happy with this document, each ascribing to an editor or curial group the parts of teh encyclical that doesn't match their positions.
Richard

Gloria U. Carreras - 07/27/2009 11:21 AM: Benedicto XVI nos da un mensaje bien profundo pero con palabras simples que todos podemos entender.
No podemos dejar a Dios fuera de las relaciones humanas, cada uno de nosotros
somos responsables ante El por todo nuestros actos, tanto a nivel personal como
comunitartio y global. Edificar la Cuidad de Dios basado en su verdad y amor
al pr�jimo.