Michael Coren Journalist for Life
Not all pro-lifers are Catholics, but every Catholic worthy of the name should be pro-life. As such, what the Pope says and writes is extremely important for the pro-life community, and after Evangelii Gaudium or “The Joy of the Gospel,” was issued there was enough hysteria to fill a CBC show about the achievements of Henry Morgentaler! This papal statement was not infallible or even an encyclical but it was still extremely significant. It’s long and lyrical and splendid, and calls for – yes – joy in spreading the Gospel, but one small aspect has been highlighted by certain people for more than a month now.
Pope Francis uses the document to attack what he referred to as unfettered capitalism, called it “a new tyranny,” and urged global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality. The document is 84 pages long, an apostolic exhortation, and it defines and refines the papacy of Francis. Frankly, the Pope went even further. He criticized the global economic system and what he called the “idolatry of money” and called on politicians to guarantee all people “dignified work, education and healthcare.”
He insisted that rich people should share their wealth, writing: “Just as the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?”
Sorry, but what is wrong or surprising about all this, and what is in any way contrary to the pro-life position. No false idols, love your neighbor, help the poor. I think it was, what’s his name, oh yeah, Jesus who said all this. So it’s hardly earth-shattering that the Pope, the direct descendant of St. Peter who was given the keys of the kingdom personally by Christ Himself while He was physically here on earth among us, agrees with his Savior. The Pope is not arguing that capitalism is wrong but that unbridled capitalism is wrong, and I agree with him.
Look, the free market is probably better than any alternative, but can we in the pro-life movement seriously argue that capitalism and free trade economics have somehow helped us to defend the unborn, the handicapped, the elderly and the true status of marriage? If anything, some of the fiercest supporters of unbridled capitalism have been the very people who have pushed the same-sex “marriage” agenda and have told us that abortion is a huge digression and must not be mentioned within the conservative movement.
I happen to favour a mixed economy, where the state intervenes to help the poor and the marginalized but otherwise keeps out of our lives. The Pope is speaking of the excesses of the open market, and the exploitation that it leads to it Latin America, where he is from, and Africa and Asia. Don’t over-react here; consider, listen, read. Francis continues, “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security … As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems.” He continues, we have to develop a system “beyond a simple welfare mentality” and adds, “I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor.”
Which leads directly to his condemnation of the throw away culture which, yes, leads to abortion. This is not some Marxist simpleton but a man of God calling for all people to live in dignity. The Pope understands that if money is everything we produce, a low taxes, low morals society and the most vulnerable – those you and I are committed to protect – will be the first to suffer. I will not say that the Pope is always easy, but I will say that he is always rewarding and stimulating. Let us read and understand him through the prism of life.
Michael Coren’s new book is The Future of Catholicism (Signal/Random House). He can be booked for speeches at www.michaelcoren.com