Main focus of Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Pope calls for ethic controls on the economy

Shortly before the G8 summit begins in Italy Pope Benedict has published his social encyclical entitled "Love in Truth" in Rome. In the document the pontiff condemns the blind quest for profit and uncontrolled consumerism and calls for ethic controls on the global economy, as well as a world order guided by morals. The European press takes stock of the encyclical penned by the head of the Catholic Church. 

Corriere del Ticino - Switzerland

According to the liberal daily Corriere del Ticino the social encyclical is of a surprisingly concrete yet at the same time utopian character: "The most astonishing aspect is the precision of the proposals on how to meet the global economic crisis. … But the utopian tinge of the document is also surprising. … The message of the Pope is particularly precise when it addresses entrepreneurs and bankers. … The agents of the financial world must rediscover the ethic foundations of their activities so as to avoid abusing the highly refined instruments that can be used to deceive savers. Honest intentions, transparency and the search for results are compatible with each other and should never be separated. When the encyclical deals with these points it transcends the scope of a purely theological document on the centrality of connections between the economy, public spirit, politics and ethics and becomes a fundamental reflection addressed to everyone - believers and non-believers alike." (08/07/2009)

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Le Monde - France

The daily Le Monde welcomes Pope Benedict XVI's new social encyclical: "Catholic social doctrine has been searching for social justice in the service of the 'common good' for more than a century. Benedict XVI does not seek to put it in a state of upheaval, but to rejuvenate it by taking globalisation into account. ... The Pope preaches a 'complete humanism' in stressing that humans 'are the first capital to be protected and valorised'. Like his predecessor Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI defends the market economy on the precondition that it should 'respect the common good'. ... The Pope concedes that globalisation has certain virtues as long as it does not neglect development or a better distribution of wealth. But above all he points out its malfunctions. ... In view of the crisis, the Pontiff is making a plea for truly regulated capitalism." (07/07/2009)

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Corriere della Sera - Italy

The crux of Benedict XVI's social encyclical is its call for reflection, writes the liberal-conservative Corriere della Sera. "The Pope's encyclical deals with many concrete points. ... and is consequently anything but a simplified recipe. The Pope gives voice to many people's dissatisfaction, developing it into an articulate argument. ... The encyclical seeks to win many economic and social players over to a vision of solidarity. Solidarity is the key word. The root of humanism, it seeks to bring the economy into the sphere of politics. ... Publishing the encyclical simultaneously with the G8 summit is a challenge to the poverty of ideas and perspectives. ... If it prompts our political and economic culture to reflect on the future, the encyclical will score a major success. This Pope not only wants to help people to believe, he also wants to help them reflect." (08/07/2009)

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Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany

"Pope Benedict's document is called 'Caritas in Veritate', Love in Truth - and is a disappointment," writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. It lacks the visionary power that Paul VI injected into his social encyclical 'Populorum progressio' and the prophetic intensity of Pope John Paul II's document - and this at a time when these qualities are more needed than they have been for a long time. … No pontiff has been this out of touch with the world since Pius XII, who failed to understand the post-war modern age. Being unworldly, not copying every latest trend, this is certainly a quality that suits the Christian churches. … But the limitations of this non-political Pope are becoming increasingly visible: in his Regensburg speech and his conduct towards the traditionalist Pius brothers. Or now, for example, when a word about the new things of this world is called for - and instead all that has come forth is a weak concoction of what has already been said." (08/07/2009)

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