Monday, July 13, 2009

Caritas in Veritate: An ideologue's nightmare

For liberals and conservatives alike, “Caritas in Veritate” is an invitation to think anew about their alliances and litmus tests.

Why should being pro-environment preclude being pro-life? Why can’t Republicans worry about economic inequality, and Democrats consider devolving more power to localities and states? Does opposing the Iraq war mean that you have to endorse an anything-goes approach to bioethics? Does supporting free trade require supporting the death penalty?

These questions, and many others like them, are the kind that a healthy political system would allow voters and politicians to explore.

But for now, at least, you’re more likely to find them being raised in Benedict XVI’s Vatican than in Barack Obama’s Washington.
Read the rest here.

Whether Catholic or not; Caritas in Veritate is a fascinating read and further proof that Pope Benedict XVI is a world class intellectual. I have noticed with no small amusement the disconnect between the left and right wings of the Roman Catholic Church, both of which are guilty of cherry picking which papal pronouncements they are going to pay real attention to while giving a "polite nod" to the rest.

1 comment:

Fr. J. said...

Ahhh, johnny, you never miss an opportunity to slam Catholics. At least here you manage a sideways half compliment. Keep working on that caritas, wont you?