Actually, I think we would enthusiasticaly support the call to serving our fellow men in our day-to-day vocations, working for the common good, being charitable in our dealings with all of our neighbors, etc. (think Jer. 29:4-8 -ish thoughts). As I understand it, it’s just an exhortation to “do all things to the glory of God” as Paul instructed us, and “love our neighbor as ourself” as did Christ. The idea of “vocation” is solidly within the Reformed tradition, so I would say, “hear, hear!” to that exhortation (but, of course, “pish posh” to the idea that there is something of salvific merit therein)!

Pure claptrap.

The Justice & Peace crowd sent B16 their contribution to the letter promoting that text. Three drafts later, B16 got tired of rejecting it, or was simply too nice, and let it stay in the final version. This is according to some stuff I’ve read from George Weigel.

That is not an excuse, and doesn’t show genuine leadership. But, I’m not familiar with all of the politics and pressures surrounding the man, and given what you said about it not being ex-c, I will not let those couple of paragraphs overwhelm the prominent message of the letter – which we must be boring your crowd with, ad nauseum.

(check out Istituto Bruno Leone, a free market think tank in Milan, they are the only free market think tank to have debated/reviewed the letter – if you’re interested on their take. Former Mont Pelerin Society guy founded the place)

I thought that was funny.

Again, wish we could do this over late night coffee. It’s been too long. (And sorry for the bad rapture joke.)

To continue, funny you mentioned Bastiat to “Mike”, as he was Catholic and might be a good free market/limited gov. example to look to when trying to understand Fr. Sirico’s editorial, or the encylcical itself – exhorting charity and truth to the modern world.

Scary, no – because with charity and truth you avoid dictatorships and oppresive regimes. You know this, but to apply it to this discussion, this encyclical also goes to why the Catholic Church was on the hit list of both the Third Reich and the Soviet Union.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Globalization–that is the world market–is precisely how we want redistribution to take place, freely, which it will in a truly free market. I’ll have to read it to see what “forms of redistribution governed by politics” means but, of course, free marketers believe in property laws and these can only be adopted by politics and if redistribution (again) takes place through the market governed by just property laws, is this not just what we desire? – Don Devine on Caritas in Veritae

More in email.

Ethan looks great by the way…

I find it interesting, though, that the next sentence of the quote above reads as follows (only adding fuel to our fire):

“Obviously [this global political entity] would have to have the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties, and also with the coordinated measures adopted in various international forums.” [source]

What I see here, regardless of what is written elsewhere, is a call for a single global political authority with the charter of managing the global economy and with the “obvious” authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties…” The Pope ought to appeal to individuals to deal charitably, to give generously, etc. But this agenda crosses that line of separation and calls for what would be the largest world political authority ever known to man. I don’t see what Fr. Sirico called a “largely classical liberal” position here. Seriously: a single, global, political entity with authority to “manage the economy”, redistribute wealth, and “ensure compliance” with its decisions…? B-grade rapture flick, anyone?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124718187188120189.html

And encyclical – http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html