“Upright men and women are needed, both in politics and in the economy, people sincerely concerned for the common good.”
So says the Pope, in remarks made yesterday about his just-released “Encyclical Letter.”
The letter itself is an extraordinary document. In it, the Pope makes a plea for an economy that is not neutral to morality, but rather guided by it. As he says, “…the canons of justice must be respected from the outset, as the economic process unfolds, and not just afterwards or incidentally.”
The Pope goes on to argue that profit is not a good enough motive to drive the economy:
“Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty.”
The letter is revolutionary because it adds legitimacy to a vision of economic justice that seems so necessary to so many people, but that has yet to reach the “tipping point.” In calling for a moral economy, the Pope recognizes capitalism’s incredible power to innovate in any direction it chooses. Right now, it is innovating almost exclusively toward maximum profit, resulting in an ever-increasing divide between global rich and poor. We should be encouraging prosperity, the Pope argues, but for all people, not just a select few.
A lot of Catholics around the world have worked tirelessly toward the vision of economic justice that the Pope outlines in his letter. Hopefully, the Pope’s decision to dedicate an entire encyclical (just the third of his 4-year Papacy) to the importance of a moral economy will energize and magnify the voices of progressive Catholics. And it may also impact the direction of Catholicism in general. If Sonia Sotomayor is confirmed, she’ll be the sixth Catholic out of nine Justices. About a quarter of the U.S. senators are Catholic.
But the Pope’s moral authority extends beyond Catholics. It’s clear that in order for the economy to begin to work for everyone, we need a sea change in politics and in culture. The Pope doesn’t have a direct say on politics (although the Catholic Church is certainly a major economic actor and has its own politics) but he has a profound impact on culture. Pope John Paul II became a beloved figure among Catholics and non-Catholics alike, influencing the global debate on issues such as the compatibility of science and religion.
Pope Benedict seems to be trying to use his “bully pulpit” to shape the world economy toward compassion. I wonder if the Pope is aware of some of the good actors in the economy who have already made looking out for the common good a non-negotiable piece of their business models. Our online catalog here at EthixMerch is filled with companies--like Unionwear, Norco, Pedline, Garyline, Gill-Line, King Louie and DLX--who actively pursue the common good through basic rights on the job (health benefits, a living wage, safe conditions and collective bargaining rights) for their workers. These companies are almost uniformly small, and probably unknown to likes of Pope Benedict. But they are the ones clawing at the grassroots of our economy, planting seeds of justice while the Pope rains down much-needed words of encouragement that will reach millions.
It will be fascinating to see what changes occur as a result, both inside and outside the Church.
