And takes another swipe at capitalism:
Pope Francis strongly defends his repeated criticisms of the global market economy in a new interview released Sunday, rebutting those who accuse him of “pauperism” by saying he is only repeating Jesus’ message of caring for the poor.
“Jesus affirms that you cannot serve two masters, God and wealth,” Francis states in the interview, bluntly asking: “Is it pauperism?”
“Jesus tells us that it is the ‘protocol’ on the basis of which we will be judged, it is what we read in Chapter 25 of Matthew: I had hunger, I had thirst, I was in prison, I was sick, I was naked and you helped me: dressed me, visited me, you took care of me,” the pontiff continues.
“This is the touchstone,” he states, asking again: “Is it pauperism? No, it is the Gospel.”
“The Gospel message is a message open to all,” the pope continues. “The Gospel does not condemn the rich but idolatry of wealth, that idolatry that renders [us] insensitive to the cries of the poor.”
And then he said that leaders have to put the common good first:
We cannot wait more to resolve the structural causes of poverty, to heal our society from a disease that can only lead to new crises. Markets and financial speculation cannot enjoy absolute autonomy.
Without a solution to the problems of the poor we cannot resolve the problems of the world. They serve programs, mechanisms and processes oriented to a better allocation of resources, creation of work, [and] integral promotion of those who are excluded.
Good for Pope Francis, but here’s ‘our’ problem.
Of the 301 Republicans in Congress all but one is a Christian. That one is Jewish, Lee Zeldin of New York.
Of the 234 Democrats in Congress all but six are Christians. Those six include two Buddhists, two Muslims, one Hindu and one atheist.
All but one of those 535 people are Capitalists and that’s the problem.
Can you guess who the non-Capitalist is?
Spoiler Alert: There are actually 27 Jewish Democrats in Congress out of that 234. Sorry.