A MESSAGE OF RIGHT WORLD ORDER TO THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
The close of the Vatican II Council brought with it the promulgation of Gaudium et Spes, or the Constitution of the Church in the Modern World. The document set out the goal for the proper organizations of societies around the globe meaning domestic societies, or those within countries, and the international community which consists of multiple countries. The topics ranged from the family to an international order, and that is because these topics and everything in between are closely related. The disorder in one part of the world leads to disorders elsewhere, and the disorder in one domestic society, leads to disorder between countries and of the entire international community itself.
Liberalism is social re-ordering or re-engineering. It has been under considerable criticism these last few years. That critique has greatly increased, and increased to the point that leading thinkers are calling for regime change. Liberalism facilitated the rise of and the protection of an elite which I repeatedly have called the plutocratic class, which means the rich. This has allowed for increasing disorder in Liberal societies because this elite has proven to be concerned more, or primarily with, their private interests than the public good in many instances. These private interests are the accumulation of wealth and the concentration of power, or personal gain. This breaks solidarity within society. This branches into international arenas in the form of investments, social policy, and more. Love of money is at the root of much of what this elite does, and the love of money is the root of all evil. Indeed, as I have said before, wealth is often to the soul what radioactive carbon at Chernobyl was to the bodies of all those workers. These topics are forbidden topics of discussion, and when one calls the rich to account, there is likely to be a strong response to the contrary. However, we must talk about them because disorder has resulted and that is affecting the international community. The plutocracy is called to act morally.
Right ordered and rightly understood economics directed to the good of the person and the family are essential to any stable, peaceful, and itself right-ordered, society. This is why economics is discussed so much by the Church and in Gaudium et Spes. Humans are body and soul and properly caring for the body is one of the conditions of the common good, which is the sum total of all those conditions that make it more efficacious for humans to live their vocation and achieve their destiny which is salvation. Material needs must be adequately met – neither indulged nor starved – as must the spiritual needs also be met, which is presentation of and the opportunity to live the Truth of the Catholic Faith. Development of the person and peoples is the material and spiritual betterment of people to live with human dignity or as a rational person made in the image and likeness of God so as to be able to achieve their end or destiny.
On January 15 Pope Francis issued this statement to the Executive President of the World Economic Forum. The WEF was beginning its annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland and would draw about 3,000 executives, members of the media, government officials, business leaders and more. Francis used terminology that Catholics should understand, have been defined in countless encyclicals and the Catechism, and are in accordance with sound Catholic doctrine and teaching.
Francis reminded the WEF and attendees of their moral duty to rightly order the world as the world grows closer together and states become more interdependent. The heart of that future was be justice, and economic justice is central. Businesses are to be “guided not simply by the pursuit of fair profit, but also by high ethical standards.” Wealth is to be shared and not concentrated. The goal is “integral development of humanity in solidarity” and “authentic development.” With the growth of the economic and financial interests, the need for international structures and cooperation is more necessary to control and guide these interests as the world is more interdependent. The common good is at issue. Again, all of this is a matter of morality.
Francis’ message is an important one and is in keeping with the tradition of the Church. Unfortunately, the firestorm surrounding another document kept this message from being heard and understood by many.