Support NeoGAF

[NYCmetsfan]

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis called Friday for governments to redistribute wealth to the poor in a new spirit of generosity to help curb the "economy of exclusion" that is taking hold today.

Francis made the appeal during a speech to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the heads of major U.N. agencies who met in Rome this week.

Latin America's first pope has frequently lashed out at the injustices of capitalism and the global economic system that excludes so much of humanity, though his predecessors have voiced similar concerns.

On Friday, Francis called for the United Nations to promote a "worldwide ethical mobilization" of solidarity with the poor in a new spirit of generosity.

He said a more equal form of economic progress can be had through "the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the state, as well as indispensable cooperation between the private sector and civil society."

Francis voiced a similar message to the World Economic Forum in January and in his apostolic exhortation "The Joy of the Gospel." That document, which denounced trickle-down economic theories as unproven and naive, provoked accusations in the U.S. that he was a Marxist.

Francis urged the U.N. to promote development goals that attack the root causes of poverty and hunger, protect the environment and ensure dignified labor for all.

"Specifically, this involves challenging all forms of injustices and resisting the economy of exclusion, the throwaway culture and the culture of death which nowadays sadly risk becoming passively accepted," he said.

Friday's audience came just days after the Holy See was battered in a second round of grilling by a U.N. committee over its record of handling priestly sex abuse. Neither the pope nor Ban spoke of the issue, but Francis referred to another topic at the U.N. hearings: the church's opposition to abortion. He called for respect for life "from conception to natural death" and his denunciation of the "culture of death" echoed previous papal exhortations against abortion.

During the meeting, Ban invited Francis to speak to the United Nations. The Vatican hasn't confirmed any such trip, but Francis is widely expected to visit the U.S. in September 2015 to participate in a church meeting on families in Philadelphia, making a U.N. stop then likely.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-09-06-31-28

 

[Sneds]

It's almost as if he's read the New Testament! It's easier for a camel...

But fuck his views on abortion.

 

[FelixOrion]

Keep it up, Frankie.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

The founding fathers never would have let this so-called "religion" besmirch their capitalist ideals.

 

[Tugatrix]

Was he friend of Che? The socialism is everywhere even on Vatican the Americans will goes nuts and invade them

 

[Saint Gregory]

Continue tempting me as much as you please Francis but I'm not converting to Catholicism.

But seriously, I really like this guy. The church's views on abortion will likely never change though as it would mean less possible Catholics being born if they did.

 

[The Technomancer]

Honestly, as much as I disagree with the position on abortion its not like he's taking a regressive stance compared to where the church was previously, so I can't really see this as anything other then a net gain.

 

[Yagharek]

Maybe he can get the church to start selling off the cheap property it owns all over the world and redistribute the proceeds? Half the CBD in my home town are owned by the church and left to ruin.

 

[Bo Knows GAF]

It'll be very interesting to hear what he has to say when he comes here to the US. Actually, I'm almost positive he's set to stop here in Philadelphia sometime soon. I'm not a very religious person to be honest, but this new pope has been pretty impressive in terms of his progressive views. Not used to seeing this type of stuff from the church.

Edit: post below mine made me lol

 

[Intheflorsh]

Suddenly the United States is very adamant about the separation of church and state.

 

[BlueWord]

Continue tempting me as much as you please Francis but I'm not converting to Catholicism.

But seriously, I really like this guy. The church's views on abortion will likely never change though as it would mean less possible Catholics being born if they did.

That's a pretty cynical and low view of the church, I think. Not to say they don't have a history of tactics like that, but I think there's more going on theologically in the modern church.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Was he friend of Che? The socialism is everywhere even on Vatican the Americans will goes nuts and invade them

 

[Empty]

in the case of legitimate wealth redistribution, neo-liberalism has ways of shutting that down.

 

[JCX]

in the case of legitimate wealth redistribution, neo-liberalism has ways of shutting that down.

Legitimate capitalism?

 

[blame space]

love this pope

 

[Saint Gregory]

That's a pretty cynical and low view of the church, I think. Not to say they don't have a history of tactics like that, but I think there's more going on theologically in the modern church.

You're right, it is very cynical but a lot of the church's original precepts (like being against the use of any birth control) were put in place to increase the number of Catholics. It's a matter of faith now but the founders of the church made decisions designed primarily to spread the religion, not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Azih]

Fiscally progressive religion (which is almost all of them) is best religion.

 

[thefro]

Here's text of the speech translated into English by the Vatican
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-to-un-resist-the-economy-of-exclusion-serve-t

Mr Secretary General,Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to welcome you, Mr Secretary-General and the leading executive officers of the Agencies, Funds and Programmes of the United Nations and specialized Organizations, as you gather in Rome for the biannual meeting for strategic coordination of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board.It is significant that today’s meeting takes place shortly after the solemn canonization of my predecessors, Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. The new saints inspire us by their passionate concern for integral human development and for understanding between peoples. This concern was concretely expressed by the numeous visits of John Paul II to the Organizations headquartered in Rome and by his travels to New York, Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi and The Hague.
I thank you, Mr Secretary-General, for your cordial words of introduction. I thank all of you, who are primarily responsible for the international system, for the great efforts being made to ensure world peace, respect for human dignity, the protection of persons, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, and harmonious economic and social development.The results of the Millennium Development Goals, especially in terms of education and the decrease in extreme poverty, confirm the value of the work of coordination carried out by this Chief Executives Board. At the same time, it must be kept in mind that the world’s peoples deserve and expect even greater results.
An essential principle of management is the refusal to be satisfied with current results and to press forward, in the conviction that those gains are only consolidated by working to achieve even more. In the case of global political and economic organization, much more needs to be achieved, since an important part of humanity does not share in the benefits of progress and is in fact relegated to the status of second-class citizens. Future Sustainable Development Goals must therefore be formulated and carried out with generosity and courage, so that they can have a real impact on the structural causes of poverty and hunger, attain more substantial results in protecting the environment, ensure dignified and productive labor for all, and provide appropriate protection for the family, which is an essential element in sustainable human and social development. Specifically, this involves challenging all forms of injustice and resisting the “economy of exclusion”, the “throwaway culture” and the “culture of death” which nowadays sadly risk becoming passively accepted.With this in mind, I would like to remind you, as representatives of the chief agencies of global cooperation, of an incident which took place two thousand years ago and is recounted in the Gospel of Saint Luke (19:1-10). It is the encounter between Jesus Christ and the rich tax collector Zacchaeus, as a result of which Zacchaeus made a radical decision of sharing and justice, because his conscience had been awakened by the gaze of Jesus. This same spirit should be at the beginning and end of all political and economic activity. The gaze, often silent, of that part of the human family which is cast off, left behind, ought to awaken the conscience of political and economic agents and lead them to generous and courageous decisions with immediate results, like the decision of Zacchaeus. Does this spirit of solidarity and sharing guide all our thoughts and actions?
Today, in concrete terms, an awareness of the dignity of each of our brothers and sisters whose life is sacred and inviolable from conception to natural death must lead us to share with complete freedom the goods which God’s providence has placed in our hands, material goods but also intellectual and spiritual ones, and to give back generously and lavishly whatever we may have earlier unjustly refused to others.The account of Jesus and Zacchaeus teaches us that above and beyond economic and social systems and theories, there will always be a need to promote generous, effective and practical openness to the needs of others. Jesus does not ask Zacchaeus to change jobs nor does he condemn his financial activity; he simply inspires him to put everything, freely yet immediately and indisputably, at the service of others. Consequently, I do not hesitate to state, as did my predecessors (cf. JOHN PAUL II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 42-43; Centesimus Annus, 43; BENEDICT XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 6; 24-40), that equitable economic and social progress can only be attained by joining scientific and technical abilities with an unfailing commitment to solidarity accompanied by a generous and disinterested spirit of gratuitousness at every level. A contribution to this equitable development will also be made both by international activity aimed at the integral human development of all the world’s peoples and by the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the State, as well as indispensable cooperation between the private sector and civil society.
Consequently, while encouraging you in your continuing efforts to coordinate the activity of the international agencies, which represents a service to all humanity, I urge you to work together in promoting a true, worldwide ethical mobilization which, beyond all differences of religious or political convictions, will spread and put into practice a shared ideal of fraternity and solidarity, especially with regard to the poorest and those most excluded.Invoking divine guidance on the work of your Board, I also implore God’s special blessing for you, Mr Secretary-General, for the Presidents, Directors and Secretaries General present among us, and for all the personnel of the United Nations and the other international Agencies and Bodies, and their respective families.

Curious to hear Paul Ryan's reaction to this one. They can't blame it on a mistranslation, lol

 

[moggio]

Will he start with all the Catholic church's hoarded Nazi gold?

 

[Yagharek]

Fiscally progressive religion (which is almost all of them) is best religion.

What about religion that still doesnt pay tax?

 

[Azih]

What about religion that still doesnt pay tax?

What about it?

 

[somesayyea]

best pope

 

[thelatestmodel]

Well, it needs to happen.

Doesn't matter if you consider yourself a capitalist, socialist, or anything in between. The system and how wealth is distributed is completely fucked.

 

[sphagnum]

Not socialist, social democrat.

 

[cyberheater]

Good.

 

[Hugstable]

Dis gon be good.

 

[~Devil Trigger~]

So the Pope is being more like Jesus?

ok

 

[Darksol]

Lead by example. Start selling the countless billions of dollars of art and assets inside the Vatican and redistribute.

Or you know, pay taxes, since taxes go towards public services.

But you won't do either of those things Vatican, and you know why? Because that's something that Jesus might have done

 

[Abraxas]

America invades the vatican to "promote prosperity and keep the peace".

 

[The Technomancer]

Lead by example. Start selling the countless billions of dollars of art and assets inside the Vatican and redistribute.

Or you know, pay taxes, since taxes go towards public services.

But you won't do either of those things Vatican, and you know why? Because that's something that Jesus might have done

Yeah no, sorry, I'd prefer they were there and not in some guy's private collection. I'll give the Vatican shit for a lot of things, but holding onto a treasure trove of historical artwork and general history isn't one of them.

 

[Necrovex]

Yeah no, sorry, I'd prefer they were there and not in some guy's private collection. I'll give the Vatican shit for a lot of things, but holding onto a treasure trove of historical artwork and general history isn't one of them.

Yeah, I agree with this. I rather have these artwork preserved and seen by people than horded by private collectors.

 

[Bit-Bit]

Best Pope is gonna keep besting.

 

[Darksol]

Yeah no, sorry, I'd prefer they were there and not in some guy's private collection. I'll give the Vatican shit for a lot of things, but holding onto a treasure trove of historical artwork and general history isn't one of them.

I'm not saying sell to random rich white dudes, I'm saying sell to museums and other places where the art can be appreciated.

 

[Kinyou]

Imagine the red scare but with christians instead of communists.

"Is this the FBI? I think I saw our neighbors pray yesterday"

 

[Dead Man]

And Australia's very prominently Catholic Prime Minister will continue to ignore the head of his church.

 

[-Eddman-]

It sounds cool and everything but he should start by commanding the catholic church to sell their wealth for redistribution.

Edit: and fuck his views about abortion. If the church is so interested in the "natural" conception and death, they should stop using medicines and hospitals.

 

[Omegasquash]

Lead by example. Start selling the countless billions of dollars of art and assets inside the Vatican and redistribute.

Or you know, pay taxes, since taxes go towards public services.

But you won't do either of those things Vatican, and you know why? Because that's something that Jesus might have done

Isn't he trying to do that? An organization is rarely a full reflection of its leader, but by eschewing from some of the pomp and grandeur enjoyed by most of his predecessors, it's a step in the directly.

I agree with what you're saying (the Vatican is FUCKING rich), and I don't align with some of his views, but it bears saying that he's pretty different than what's come before.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

I'm not saying sell to random rich white dudes, I'm saying sell to museums and other places where the art can be appreciated.

They are being appreciated right now. I've been to the Vatican. It was one of the most unbelievably amazing experiences in my life.

 

[Jawbreaker]

Not a socialist, social Democrat is what you're looking for. Granted, given how many people think Obama is a socialist, I wouldn't expect a large amount of people to make that distinction here.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I'm not saying sell to random rich white dudes, I'm saying sell to museums and other places where the art can be appreciated.

The church runs museums.

 

[danwarb]

I like this pope.

 

[Thatonemoor]

This is better than the fact that get into heaven now

 

[Chariot]

So, is he gonna be the next big enemy for Captain America?

 

[Pandaman]

I'm not saying sell to random rich white dudes, I'm saying sell to museums and other places where the art can be appreciated.

Museums don't have the funds to bankroll any significant redistribution of wealth.
They typically prefer donations and loans.

 

[Fenderputty]

Honestly, as much as I disagree with the position on abortion its not like he's taking a regressive stance compared to where the church was previously, so I can't really see this as anything other then a net gain.

This pope is rad. He can't be everything g to everybody. He can't change every long held church belief either.

 

[Kai Dracon]

A friend who is a long-time Vatican watcher recently observed about the current pope: the Vatican is political and carefully considers the position they're in. The current pope cannot simply wave his hand and become entirely progressive at once. That risks driving away too many Catholics at once. Certain hot button issues like abortion are off limits regardless of the pope's personal beliefs.

But they can also see the way the wind is blowing in many other ways. Economic disparity is a looming crisis in the world, that that's something that the bible does have something to say about which could be seen as very progressive. Now is the perfect time for the Vatican to take what opportunities are relatively safe in order to stay relevant.

Not to say Francis is merely playing a grubby political game and isn't sincere. The man does seem to be daring enough to follow what his religion actually advocates on a number of subjects that are inconvenient for a short-sighted, greedy world. But this guy being pope does dovetail nicely with a Vatican newly concerned about a rapidly changing world.

 

[PhantomFear]

Admittedly, I'm not really familiar with the Catholic church's stance on everything, but was this something that had been previously opposed? Obviously they encourage private charity, so I would have assumed that they supported assisting the poor through public channels as well.

 

[alstein]

Next step should be public excommunication of the Kochs.

 

[ThatGayWolf]

It's almost as if he's read the New Testament! It's easier for a camel...

But fuck his views on abortion.

Beaten to it. Aaaaaalmost progressive enough.

 

[User 406]

Would be really, really funny if this resurrected America's old anti-Catholic sentiment.

"Is the Obama Administration taking marching orders from papists?"