Vatican
City, 16 May 2013
(VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received the credential letters
of four new ambassadors to the Holy See: Mr. Bolot Iskovich Otunbaev
from Kyrgyzstan; Mr. David Shoul from Antigua and Barbuda; Mr.
Jean-Paul Senninger from Luxembourg; and Mr. Lameck Nthekela from
Botswana. In the address he gave them, the pontiff urged them not to
forget the predominance of ethics in the economy and in social life,
emphasizing the value of solidarity and the centrality of the human
being.
“Our
human family,” the Pope said, “is presently experiencing
something of a turning point in its own history, if we consider the
advances made in various areas. We can only praise the positive
achievements which contribute to the authentic welfare of mankind, in
fields such as those of health, education and communications. At the
same time, we must also acknowledge that the majority of the men and
women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity,
with dire consequences. Certain pathologies are increasing, with
their psychological consequences; fear and desperation grip the
hearts of many people, even in the so-called rich countries; the joy
of life is diminishing; indecency and violence are on the rise;
poverty is becoming more and more evident. People have to struggle to
live and, frequently, to live in an undignified way. One cause of
this situation, in my opinion, is in the our relationship with money,
and our acceptance of its power over ourselves and our society.
Consequently the financial crisis which we are experiencing makes us
forget that its ultimate origin is to be found in a profound human
crisis. In the denial of the primacy of human beings! We have created
new idols. The worship of the golden calf of old has found a new and
heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an
economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.”
“The
worldwide financial and economic crisis,” the pontiff observed,
“seems to highlight their distortions and above all the gravely
deficient human perspective, which reduces men and women to just one
of their needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, human beings
themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods which can be
used and thrown away. We have started down the path of a disposable
culture. This tendency is seen on the level of individuals and whole
societies; and it is being promoted! In circumstances like these,
solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often considered
counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance and the economy.
While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of
the majority is crumbling. This imbalance results from ideologies
which uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial
speculation, and thus deny the right of control to States, which are
themselves charged with providing for the common good. A new,
invisible and at times virtual, tyranny is established, one which
unilaterally and irremediably imposes its own laws and rules.
Moreover, indebtedness and credit distance countries from their real
economy and citizens from their real buying power. Added to this, as
if it were needed, is widespread corruption and selfish fiscal
evasion which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The will to power
and of possession has become limitless.”
“Concealed
behind this attitude,” the Bishop of Rome warned, “is a rejection
of ethics, a rejection of God. Ethics, like solidarity, is a
nuisance! It is regarded as counterproductive: as something too
human, because it relativizes money and power; as a threat, because
it rejects manipulation and subjection of people: because ethics
leads to God, who is situated outside the categories of the market.
These financiers, economists and politicians consider God to be
unmanageable, God is unmanageable, even dangerous, because He calls
man to his full realization and to independence from any kind of
slavery. Ethics—naturally, not the ethics of ideology—makes it
possible, in my view, to create a balanced social order that is more
humane. In this sense, I encourage the financial experts and the
political leaders of your countries to consider the words of Saint
John Chrysostom: 'Not to share one’s goods with the poor is to rob
them and to deprive them of life. It is not our goods that we
possess, but theirs'.”
The
Pope asserted that “there is a need for financial reform along
ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to
benefit everyone. This would nevertheless require a courageous change
of attitude on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face
this challenge with determination and farsightedness, taking account,
naturally, of their particular situations. Money has to serve, not to
rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the Pope has
the duty, in Christ’s name, to remind the rich to help the poor, to
respect them, to promote them. The Pope appeals for disinterested
solidarity and for a return to person-centred ethics in the world of
finance and economics.”
“For
her part, the Church,” he reiterated, “always works for the
integral development of every person. In this sense, she reiterates
that the common good should not be simply an extra, simply a
conceptual scheme of inferior quality tacked onto political
programmes. The Church encourages those in power to be truly at the
service of the common good of their peoples. She urges financial
leaders to take account of ethics and solidarity. And why should they
not turn to God to draw inspiration from his designs? In this way, a
new political and economic mindset would arise that would help to
transform the absolute dichotomy between the economic and social
spheres into a healthy symbiosis.”
Finally,
Francis greeted—through the ambassadors—the faithful of the
Catholic communities present in their respective countries, urging
them “to continue their courageous and joyful witness of faith and
fraternal love in accordance with Christ’s teaching. Let them not
be afraid to offer their contribution to the development of their
countries, through initiatives and attitudes inspired by the Sacred
Scriptures!”
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