Pope Francis Tweets "Inequality is the root of social evil”

[ishii]

Income inequality is based on greed, power and prestige. There are enough world resources to go around if it was not for these injustices.

LOVE!

Is it fair, then for say, a psychology professor, to make more than a burger flipper? And if not, should the psychology professor give up enough of his/her salary to the burger flipper so that their income is equal?

Ishii

 

[ishii]

Thank God for the South American bishop raised up to be our POPE. He isn’t bogged down by Americanist rhetoric about Capitalism that pervades the body of lay Catholics and clergy in America…
Only in America are we too inundated with the usual “left and right” paradigm, we take offense to an innocuous tweet – when there is nothing wrong with criticizing the current situation of economic disparity.

A nation should not be proud of its concentration of wealth being among the few.

That kind of Opulence is not progress, that is ***not ***a sign of success or God’s blessings, as we’re told to believe at political conventions every four years . if men want Mammon rather than a culture built on charity, God leaves them to their devices.

Hopefully soon more and more Catholics will wake up and reject embracing false economic messages based on half truths and recognize when messages *are not compatible *with Catholic Social Teaching. (As well rejecting those prominent rightist Catholics with the power of pen and ink – who make a point to reject Pontiffs teachings on economics ’ because what does God’s vicar know about economics '? )

The reason why the Republican party has failed to really offer anything to counter the Democrat Party message during Presidential elections is because people tune out the same ol’ economic message.
Even if the Democrat voters are wrong by putting their trust in the state, at least they express pity for the poor, with a warped sense of doing good for people…

• Chesterton
  -Chesterton

Meanwhile Republican Party mouthpieces promote a detached sense of valuing the poor. "Oh The poor will be taken care of through a natural course of the markets , through a natural reaction that requires little effort on man 's part and is an indirect consequence of his responsibilities, and all has to do with the economic system itself! "

I think instinctually, human beings know that is BS, that is why they tune out the message.
To say that the poor are helped as a byproduct of man’s self-interest for material goods – is just another way of saying the poor will be grateful for the crumbs of greedy men.
This is why the Republican party has never been successful in attracting enough Catholics. And this is why Catholics have become split across party lines because we’ve been confused about the whole of Catholic Teaching

Catholics should read Amintore Fanfani’s book on Capitalism

Amintore Fanfani.

A review of Fanfani’s
**
Catholicism, Protestantism, and Capitalism **
integralcatholicsocialteachings.blogspot.com/2009/04/fanfanis-catholicism-protestantism-and.html
by

Dr. Peter E. Chojnowski

Amintore Fanfani should perhaps read a book on economics. The mistake critics of the American free market system make is that they look at a snapshot of the state of inequality at a given time - such as 30% are living in poverty or whatever - and don’t realize, or ignore the fact that many lower income people*** are passing through the lower income category on their way up to higher income ***- i.e. upward mobility. More Catholics should read good books that explain how economics works. So many Catholics have no clue about how an economy works - and that makes them susceptible to the demagoguery of the Democrat party’s appeal to class envy and greed. The Democrat party is successful because it can bribe voters with handouts, and create a dependent class that will support them. Those who rob Peter to pay Paul will get the votes of Paul.

Two more points for you, Veridical: one, the Church has never condemned capitalism in the way it condemned socialism. Two, you criticize the “left/right paradigm” but proceed to engage in typical Democrat/left talking points: “Democrats good, Republicans bad.” Your post is a bit confusing in that way.

Ishii

 

[LightandHeat]

Maybe we should use the Holy Father’s words to examine ourselves, and not bicker or define. I am not going to pretend that I give away all the extra money that I earn, but this does not mean that I am not sinful.

After all, the rich man was held accountable for the starving man Lazarus who was at his door. But in a world of cars, mail and cell phones, I am really so far from those in need? A twenty minute drive into the city and there are those who are sleeping without a home this very night. A six hour plane ride and there are those who may starve to death tonight. Whereas most of are living more comfortably than most people who have come before us on God’s green Earth. What I am doing to help those in need? Could I do more?

We don’t need to sit around and wait for the government to do the right thing, although maybe it is part of the solution, I don’t know. But maybe next time when we know that we may be indulging ourselves with something we don’t need, we hold off. That would be a start

 

[Robert_Sock]

Is it fair, then for say, a psychology professor, to make more than a burger flipper? And if not, should the psychology professor give up enough of his/her salary to the burger flipper so that their income is equal?

Ishii

I’m not talking some differences in income, but gross inequalities. I’m also talking about working but living in poverty due to the low minimum wage.

LOVE!

 

[ringil]

I’m not talking some differences in income, but gross inequalities. I’m also talking about working but living in poverty due to the low minimum wage.

LOVE!

Yes, and there are nations where the difference between the incomes of occupations is not as large as in the US. In some countries in Europe an individual can live well even with a relatively unskilled profession.

We need the classes of individuals moved “closer together” and the impact of each person’s contribution to society valued.

Norway and Sweden do an excellent job of this. There is a very high standard of living but the gap between folks is not as marked as it is in the US.

 

[estesbob]

One more reason for Catholics to abandon “trickle down wealth” economics.

Actually its one more reason for Catholics to actually learn what the Church teaches rather than develop a theology based on their personal interpretation of 140 character or less “tweets”

 

[ringil]

Actually its one more reason for Catholics to actually learn what the Church teaches rather than develop a theology based on their personal interpretation of 140 character or less “tweets”

And they could twist Catholic Social teaching as a affirmation of free-market, hyper-capitalist economies.

 

[estesbob]

And they could twist Catholic Social teaching as a affirmation of free-market, hyper-capitalist economies.

Without a doubt. The Church has a fullness of teaching on Social justice going back 2,000 years. That is where we should look for guidance-not trying to parse every speech, tweet of offhand comment by the Holy Father desperately looking for some way to claim he supports our political view.

 

[ringil]

Without a doubt. The Church has a fullness of teaching on Social justice going back 2,000 years. That is where we should look for guidance-not trying to parse every speech, tweet of offhand comment by the Holy Father desperately looking for some way to claim he supports our political view.

That’s true, but in the US both political exptremes do it and it’s an incorrect reading of the Church’s teaching

 

[ishii]

I’m not talking some differences in income, but gross inequalities. I’m also talking about working but living in poverty due to the low minimum wage.

LOVE!

What about people who are using the minimum wage job as a stepping stone to something better - i.e. using the low-paying job as the “first rung on the ladder” ? I worked jobs like that. Should they get other peoples’ money too? How would you differentiate?

Ishii

 

[TMC]

So for all those quibbling about the English translation of the Pope’s tweet - you realize that the English version was provided by the Vatican, right? Its not like it was merely translated by the Press. The Vatican is telling us that “Inequality is the root of social evil” is the English version of his statement (which was probably originally Spanish, not Latin). My understanding is that the other modern language translations are consistent with that. I am guessing that the Pope’s personal staff is probably in a better position to provide the English (and Spanish and etc) versions of the tweet than random internet posters.

 

[ProVobis]

So for all those quibbling about the English translation of the Pope’s tweet - you realize that the English version was provided by the Vatican, right? Its not like it was merely translated by the Press. The Vatican is telling us that “Inequality is the root of social evil” is the English version of his statement (which was probably originally Spanish, not Latin). My understanding is that the other modern language translations are consistent with that. I am guessing that the Pope’s personal staff is probably in a better position to provide the English (and Spanish and etc) versions of the tweet than random internet posters.

That may be but no translation is perfect. Some less so than others. I don’t see the inconsistency as intentional; it’s just that not everyone agrees to the same translation.A few months ago I made that observation. That said, Latin is still the one which is official. Otherwise you end up with Catholics worshipping Mary. (Yes the word “worship” actually appears on the Vatican web site as a translation of “colere” in one of the documents.)

 

[Robert_Sock]

What about people who are using the minimum wage job as a stepping stone to something better - i.e. using the low-paying job as the “first rung on the ladder” ? I worked jobs like that. Should they get other peoples’ money too? How would you differentiate?

Ishii

I do not see any problems with using a lower paying job as a stepping stone for better employment, but the lower ranking jobs should still have a decent minimum wage. I’m not understanding how such workers would be getting other peoples money.

LOVE!

 

[Ender]

So for all those quibbling about the English translation of the Pope’s tweet - you realize that the English version was provided by the Vatican, right?

No, I didn’t. Can you reference a source for this assertion? Regardless, however, that translation is not accurate. The word “social” is no part of the Latin phrase.

Ender

 

[TMC]

No, I didn’t. Can you reference a source for this assertion? Regardless, however, that translation is not accurate. The word “social” is no part of the Latin phrase.

Ender

Haven’t you even looked at the Pope’s twitter feed? The English version is right there.

Are you saying that the Pope and his personal staff do not understand what he meant by the Latin and mistranslated his own statement?

 

[JimG]

I’m not talking some differences in income, but gross inequalities. I’m also talking about working but living in poverty due to the low minimum wage.

LOVE!

I worked a lot of minimum wage jobs and some below minimum wage jobs. (My first ‘real’ job paid 75 cents/hr.) But I did not live in poverty, since I lived with my parents at the time. Now, of course, if the minimum wage jobs in question had to pay enough to keep a family man out of poverty, they would have to have paid at least ten times as much, but the company would have to pay me the same amount too. I would have been one rich kid!

Teresa Bloomingdale, who was married to a lawyer and raised ten children, had a saying: “Never deprive your children of their poverty.”

 

[Thorns]

Is the pope tweeting about gay marriage?

 

[JimG]

Is tweeting the root of social discord?

 

[gracepoole]

Is the pope tweeting about gay marriage?

:ehh:

 

[FollowChrist34]

Is tweeting the root of social discord?

Ita est, mi frater, tweeting est radix omnium civium discordias **