Benedict on Profit and the Equal Distribution of Goods
Over the past few Sundays, we have heard a strong social justice message, from the prophet Amos as well as from the Gospel. I thought I would share this reflection from Pope Benedict from three years ago, the last occurrence of these cycle C readings. In his remarks, he teaches clearly that serving the poor has a social as well as a personal dimension, and that the ordering of the economy matters:
“Christ did not enrich us with his wealth, but with his poverty, that is with his love that motivated him to give himself completely to us. This could open up a vast and complex field of reflection on the theme of wealth and poverty, even on the world stage, in which two rationales regarding economics come face to face: the logic of profit and that of the equal distribution of goods, and one does not contradict the other, provided that their relationship is well-ordered. Catholic social doctrine has always sustained that the equal distribution of goods is a priority. Profit is naturally legitimate and, in a just measure, necessary for economic development.
John Paul II wrote in “Centesimus Annus”: “The modern business economy has positive aspects. Its basis is human freedom exercised in the economic field, just as it is exercised in many other fields (No. 32). However, he adds, capitalism is not considered the only valid model of economic organization (No. 35). The crises of hunger and the environment are denouncing, with growing evidence, that the logic of profit, if it prevails, increases the disproportion between rich and poor and a harmful exploitation of the planet. When the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails on the other hand, it is possible to correct the course of action and orient it toward proportional and sustainable development.”
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The day has finally come…I wasn’t quite sure if it would ever come…but here it is. MM, you’ve finally posted something with which I don’t disagree. This quote from the Holy Father is a great challenge to American businessmen like me, but one that we ought to strive to live in our companies. We must remember that our businesses must be profitable to survive, yet that goal must never be reached at the cost of violating the human dignity of our employees or by forgetting the universal destination of goods. At the end of time, we must all render an account of what we did with the resources and responsibilities that God has given us.
Thankfully, it is quite easy not to “forget the universal destination of goods” while screwing the poor! Conscience soothed!
As I have noted before, now that the Cold War is over and the West has won, the only major force in the world standing against the juggernaut of global capitalism/consmerism is the Catholic Church armed with its social teaching based on Gospel values. As we see in the quote from the Pope, however, the Catholic idea is not to destroy capitalism, since it is emminently practical and preserves human freedom in some important ways; the goal is simply to establish human solidarity and community as always more important than the simple rule of the market.