Pope Francis Condemns Predatory Market Capitalism, Supports Universal Health Care

My verdict on Pope Francis remains out, especially until such time as he institutes a thorough house cleaning of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy to sack all bishops and cardinals who participated in the conspiracy to protect sexual predator priests.  That said, Francis' latest lengthy announcement in a 224-page document, titled in Latin Evangelii Gaudium, cannot be good news for Republicans who claim to be loyal Catholics.  Francis makes it clear that unbridled capitalism and the kicking of the poor and unfortunate to the curb are NOT Catholic values.  Paul Ryan - who has already been condemned by the sleazy and morally bankrupt U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops for his attacks on the social safety net - in particular should be chastened by Francis' pronouncements - unless, of course his claims to being a god-fearing Catholic are just a pile of bullshit.  Francis' edict also calls for universal health care, something that is anathema to today's GOP and its Christofascist/Tea Party base.  Here are highlights from the National Catholic Reporter on Francis' edict:

Dreams can be powerful things, especially when articulated by leaders with the realistic capacity to translate them into action. That was the case 50 years ago with Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, and it also seems to be the ambition of Pope Francis' bold new apostolic exhortation, "The Joy of the Gospel."

In effect, the 224-page document, titled in Latin Evangelii Gaudium and released by the Vatican Tuesday, is a vision statement about the kind of community Francis wants Catholicism to be: more missionary, more merciful, and with the courage to change.

In particular, Francis calls for a church marked by a special passion for the poor and for peace.

The theme of change permeates the document. The pope says rather than being afraid of "going astray," what the church ought to fear instead is "remaining shut up within structures that give us a false sense of security, within rules that make us harsh judges" and "within habits that make us feel safe."

Francis acknowledges that realizing his dream will require "a reform of the church," stipulating that "what I am trying to express here has a programmatic significance and important consequences."

Though he doesn't lay out a comprehensive blueprint for reform, he goes beyond mere hints to fairly blunt indications of direction:

• He calls for a "conversion of the papacy," saying he wants to promote "a sound decentralization" and candidly admitting that in recent years "we have made little progress" on that front.
• He suggests that bishops' conferences ought to be given "a juridical status ... including genuine doctrinal authority." In effect, that would amount to a reversal of a 1998 Vatican ruling under John Paul II that only individual bishops in concert with the pope, and not episcopal conferences, have such authority.
• Francis criticizes forces within the church who seem to lust for "veritable witch hunts," asking rhetorically, "Whom are we going to evangelize if this is the way we act?"
• He cautions against "ostentatious preoccupation" for liturgy and doctrine as opposed to ensuring that the Gospel has "a real impact" on people and engages "the concrete needs of the present time."

The pope's toughest language comes in a section of the document arguing that solidarity with the poor and the promotion of peace are constituent elements of what it means to be a missionary church.

Francis denounces what he calls a "crude and naïve trust" in the free market, saying that left to its own devices, the market too often fosters a "throw-away culture" in which certain categories of people are seen as disposable. He rejects what he describes as an "invisible and almost virtual" economic "tyranny."

Specifically, Francis calls on the church to oppose spreading income inequality and unemployment, as well as to advocate for stronger environmental protection and against armed conflict.

Andrew Sullivan goes on to note as follows:

Here’s a representative passage:

Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.

This is a Pope attacking Reaganomics! I’d also note that among the long-held tenets of Catholic social theory is universal healthcare. How to achieve universal healthcare is up for grabs among Catholics; but the moral need for universal healthcare isn’t.

Mr. Boehner and Mr. Ryan, are you listening??    Indeed, Francis' vision would seem to be the antithesis of the agenda of today's GOP both at the state and national levels.