Entry 27: Francis Vs the idolatry of money

(source: http://www.truthdig.com/tag/pope_francis)

Wednesday, October 22nd

It’s been a while since I’ve put any effort into writing, but I am motivated to continue, especially with the first part of the  Synod of the Family that has just come to  a close with the dramatic address the Pope this past weekend. While it became clear during the week that many in the Church still have problems with what has been said and done during this Synod, others are calling this proceedings of the past two weeks as revolutionary for the Church, and are eager to see the direction in which this Synod  will be heading next year. What has become obvious after this experience, is Pope Francis’ desire: It’s clear that he’s not interested in undermining the tradition  or the doctrines of our faith; neither is he interested in keeping things the way they are just because some of the faithful, or some of the Church leaders don’t like change.He seems bent on earnestly trying to strike a common ground between  the more conservative elements of the  Church, and the more liberal ones. A tall order for any pontiff!

 Another striking detail of the work of the Synod in the past few weeks was to hear how many times Evangelii Gaudium was quoted. The principle reason for this I believe, is that the main goal of this Synod was to reflect on how to make the Church more pastoral towards families and couples living divorces.Evangelii Gaudium turned out to be a brilliant guideline for those pastoral investigations the Church wanted to undertake. Again, many will disagree with this and argue  ‘the Church is already pastoral’.  This complacency and desire for the status quo is exactly what Francis is speaking out against in EG. It's almost as if he's asking " If we think we’re already being pastoral enough, then we’re not challenging ourselves anymore, are we?"

 Of course, as I’ve explored in previous entries, challenging us is exactly what Francis does in this exhortation, and he does so at many levels. Up to this point in, it seems that  Francis has been specific about the challenges of the world,  but perhaps not as specific about his (challenging!) criticism towards capitalism, speaking in broad terms about how the quest and desire (and greed) for wealth has caused much injustice in our world. In this section, he tries to go a little deeper into that statement by openly criticizing trickle down economic theories (This idea that economic benefits “provided to businesses and upper income levels (people) will benefit poorer members of society by improving the economy as a whole” (Source: Wikipedia)). Many will even go as far as to say that it this economic theory “can generate an economic growth that will inevitably bring greater justice…in the world” (EG 54) It’s a lovely idea, and probably one that does work effectively in certain parts of the world. However, as Francis points out, while the economy makes the rich richer, “the excluded and marginalized are still waiting” ( EG 54)  

 As I’ve expressed before in this blog, much of what Francis is saying is echoed  by many in the world. More and more groups today are raising their voices against the injustices that they claim are caused by the system, and against what Francis calls, the”globalization of indifference”. Indeed, many are realizing that what threatens our world more than anything else, is that indifference towards others, towards action, towards the greater good.  But standing up and saying something is unfair is not the same as feeling compassion for those who suffer, and acting upon that compassion. This is why Francis suggests that when we feel the pain of others,  attending to their needs becomes our responsibility. Unfortunately, the culture we live in (a culture of prosperity) leads us to a contrary path of apathy that deadens us. (E.G. 54)

 That the society is apathetic is nothing new for most people. But we don`t always explore the causes of that apathy. Sure, it`s easy to just blame it on a ‘generational thing’, or to accept it as a norm of our modern society, but this does not explain why so many people simply don`t care about the suffering of others. Francis tries to explain that apathy by looking at our relationship with money (E.G 55). Again, he is channeling an attitude that is very common today, especially among some younger people in the West who are angry at the fact that  they are  part of a culture that uses the poverty of others to build up wealth for a select few. Francis of course goes a little further than that: –he usually does!- He suggests that  our obsession with money ( he calls it the idol of our society)  has lead our market economy to deny the primacy of the human person in order to ensure a sound profit,  reducing human beings to their basic needs of consumption and nothing more. (Ibid)

   If the wealth  (the idolatry of money) was at least well balanced and shared, I think Francis and anyone who criticizes the system would become strong proponents of it. What seems to be happening in our world is the opposite: The minority grows richer and stronger, and the majority poor are more and more removed from that prosperity and the security it  brings (EG 56)  From that point on, the Pope goes into a territory that I said I’d try to avoid, but to ensure my faithfulness to his ideas, I’ll try to follow him down the rabbit road of economic theory! :  Francis believes that the imbalance in our world, that growing gap between rich and poor, is “the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation” (EG 56).  That autonomy  appears to be important. The less government control there is, the more an economy can thrive. The problem that Francis sees is that, the more autonomy the market has, the less governments can regulate its activities, and protect the right of its citizens against the system. What then happens is that  “ A new tyranny is born, invisible and often virtual, which unilaterally and relentlessly imposes its own laws and rules”. I think I’ll pull myself out of this mess before I go to deep into a domain of knowledge that is too foreign to me to even attempt an analysis. I'll only stay close to Francis' argument by saying that his biggest problem with the system is that he sees it as beingtoo powerful. "It  tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits" (56) and so long as jobs are created, our leaders don't seem to mind that the environment, and the safety and protection of working people and  of the poor are second in importance to the vitality of the economy. This indeed does not seem like the kind of message that would be read with great attentiveness by world leaders, but this won't stop Francis from saying what he feels needs to be said!
More to come!!

54. In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase; and in the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us.

No to the new idolatry of money

55. One cause of this situation is found in our relationship with money, since we calmly accept its dominion over ourselves and our societies. The current financial crisis can make us overlook the fact that it originated in a profound human crisis: the denial of the primacy of the human person! We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs alone: consumption.

56. While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by those happy few. This imbalance is the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. Consequently, they reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control. A new tyranny is thus born, invisible and often virtual, which unilaterally and relentlessly imposes its own laws and rules. Debt and the accumulation of interest also make it difficult for countries to realize the potential of their own economies and keep citizens from enjoying their real purchasing power. To all this we can add widespread corruption and self-serving tax evasion, which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The thirst for power and possessions knows no limits. In this system, which tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.d” but the outcast, the “leftovers”.