Pope Francis is quickly becoming a progressive hero, or if you are a conservative, he is revealing himself to be a
disguised Marxist who managed to infiltrate the highest position in a traditionally conservative organization. Speaking out against climate change and preaching egalitarian values, it finally seems as if the Catholic Church is becoming more, well, Christian.
Of course, Francis is still rather backwards on certain social issues, like homosexuality and contraception; but still, a Pope speaking out against climate change and acknowledging evolution has to be a good thing.
This week, Francis made a call to action for climate change, saying in a papal statement: “Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.” He also spoke of the cost developing countries pay for fueling the massive consumption of developed nations, and called on developed countries “to help pay this debt by significantly limiting their consumption of non-renewable energy and by assisting poorer countries to support policies and programmes of sustainable development.”
This is quite a major statement; one that is surely infuriating climate change denying conservatives. Add the Pope’s outspokenness on inequality (a tweet from last year read: “Inequality is the root of social evil”), and it is clear that he believes in a more egalitarian society, where everyone, whether they live in Latin America or the United States, should have an equal opportunity. He is also directly calling out imperialistic actions of first world countries, which will no doubt anger promoters of American hegemony.
The latest from the pope has predictably infuriated the gargoyle of right wing radio, Rush Limbaugh: “He doesn't even disguise it folks in this encyclical...Every other word seems to be about how unfettered capitalism is destroying the world and how the rich countries have to give more money to the poor countries to make amends. I mean, that's -- call it what you want -- Marxism, socialism, what have you.”
Limbaugh clearly believes that socialism is evil, like most conservatives; but he isn’t wrong in his claim. Francis is indeed speaking like a socialist, or a Marxist; but he is also speaking like someone who Limbaugh claims to worship: Jesus Christ.
While Christian conservatives here in the United States embrace Christianity in the anti-science, anti-sex, anti-abortion kind of way, there is little reason to believe the son of God would support the religious right or its belief in unregulated capitalism. Capitalism creates inequality. This is more or less what Karl Marx argued a century and a half ago, and what Thomas Piketty has recently backed up with concrete data. Whoever denies this today is simply denying facts. Over the past forty years, as capitalism has become the main global force, and government policies became more lax (especially in America), inequality has increased rapidly. While the top one percent’s wealth has grown like never before, the bottom 95% of people have become less well off. The fact that the richest eighty people in the world own as much as the poorest 3.6 billion would have surely disturbed Jesus.
Here are some New Testament quotes to see what kind of social views the man (or the people who wrote about the man) really had.
Acts 2:
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things in common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Acts 4:
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Luke 14:13, 14
If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
That enough for you? These quotes don’t just come off as progressive, but borderline communist -- not in the twentieth century totalitarian sense, of course, but in the Marxist sense. One of Jesus’ most famous sayings condemns wealth outright: “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Now, with all this in mind, it seems like Pope Francis is just being a good follower of Christ. Fighting for a more equal and just society, and fight against wealthy individuals or nations who exploit poorer ones. Ayn Rand, believe it or not, understood the incompatibility with laissez faire capitalism and Christianity. She was an extreme opponent of socialism, communism and Christianity. In “Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal,” she wrote:
“No social system can stand for long without a moral base. Project a magnificent skyscraper being built on quicksands: while men are struggling upward to add the hundredth and two-hundredth stories, the tenth and twentieth are vanishing, sucked under by the muck. That is the history of capitalism, of its swaying, tottering attempt to stand erect on the foundation of the altruist morality. It’s either-or. If capitalism’s befuddled, guilt-ridden apologists do not know it, two fully consistent representatives of altruism do know it: Catholicism and communism.”
Yesterday, Pope Francis addressed the claims from conservatives that he is a communist, and rightfully said: “poverty is at the very center of the Gospel.” Indeed it is. The word communism obviously has a great deal of baggage, and the Pope would rather not be called a communist or socialist or Marxist. But when it comes down to it, his ideology has a lot more in common with these social systems (again, not in the 20th century totalitarian-communism sense) than it does with the capitalist system. The contradiction rests with the so-called Christian conservatives in America who believe in unfettered capitalism. At least Ayn Rand was consistent, and didn’t try to harmonize Christianity and capitalism when they are very much incompatible systems. But surely Rush Limbaugh, who is worth somewhere around $400 million, would rather ignore the preachings of Jesus. After all, if he truly believed in his savior's words, it is doubtful that he would be making money off the ignorance of others, as he does today.