"Above all, the intention to good..." Pope Benedict XVI

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Charity in Truth”, Pope Benedict’s encyclical has been a "surpise to me, yet I am grateful to be reading it. The sense of continuity and enduring presence of the Holy Spirit guiding the Church has been a blessing:

1. Finance, therefore — through the renewed structures and operating methods that have to be designed after its misuse, which wreaked such havoc on the real economy — now needs to go back to being an instrument directed towards improved wealth creation and development. Insofar as they are instruments, the entire economy and finance, not just certain sectors, must be used in an ethical way so as to create suitable conditions for human development and for the development of peoples. It is certainly useful, and in some circumstances imperative, to launch financial initiatives in which the humanitarian dimension predominates. However, this must not obscure the fact that the entire financial system has to be aimed at sustaining true development. Above all, the intention to do good must not be considered incompatible with the effective capacity to produce goods. Financiers must rediscover the genuinely ethical foundation of their activity, so as not to abuse the sophisticated instruments which can serve to betray the interests of savers. Right intention, transparency, and the search for positive results are mutually compatible and must never be detached from one another. …

Both the regulation of the financial sector, so as to safeguard weaker parties and discourage scandalous speculation, and experimentation with new forms of finance, designed to support development projects, are positive experiences that should be further explored and encouraged, highlighting the responsibility of the investor. Furthermore, the experience of micro-finance, which has its roots in the thinking and activity of the civil humanists — I am thinking especially of the birth of pawnbroking — should be strengthened and fine-tuned. This is all the more necessary in these days when financial difficulties can become severe for many of the more vulnerable sectors of the population, who should be protected from the risk of usury and from despair. The weakest members of society should be helped to defend themselves against usury, just as poor peoples should be helped to derive real benefit from micro-credit, in order to discourage the exploitation that is possible in these two areas…

At a time when the USA is looking at tax reform as a way to help people to manage their finances and at the same time seeking to get the government itself out of debt, we need to pray for all those in all governments and societies. We need to pray as a human family for the good to prevail and for wisdom to discern good from evil.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful; kindle in us the Fire of Your Love.
Jesus, we trust in You!
Mary, Mother of the Church pray with us and for us.