The Catholic Church has long had a ideological infection in Latin America, one previous popes have called an apostasy. A theological disease called Liberation Theology, it is a blending of Marxism and Catholicism. It sees socialism as the only way to bring Christian values to society and eliminate poverty. Its followers fully embrace Marxist dogma that Capitalism is evil and government control of society is good.

President Obama went to a church that embraced an offshoot of Liberation Theology called Black Liberation Theology, A belief system that blends in racial justice into Liberation Theology’s social justice message. In the end, both are merely blame games meant to reallocate wealth in order to placate the masses. That the world becomes poorer, as its wealth creation machines are dismantled, is lost on Liberation Theologians. Wrapped up in short sighted solutions they are unable to grasp what Winston Churchill called socialism’s equal sharing of misery.

The new Latin American pope seems to be on steeped in Liberation Theology and embracing of its Marxist overtones. He warned the cardinals who voted for him the would regret putting him in the papacy and he is likely correct. Pope Francis has made many waves since his inauguration like embracing gays and chiding of church leaders who live ostentatious life styles but it is his economic message that is truly troubling. Decrying capitalism and blaming it for moral degeneration when in fact it is merely a tool, no more capable of having a moral compass than a screwdriver. He decries Free Market Capitalism by saying it assumes “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 naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.” A misstatement that is so divorced from the truth as to show how truly misinformed the pontiff is. As far back as Adam Smith it has been recognized that capitalism relies neither on a businessman’s virtue nor his vice, but (when properly applied) directs him towards the greater good because it is in his interest to do so. It is in fact socialism that relies on the inherent goodness of those in charge, naively assuming they will forgo their own self-interest to promote apolitical ends.  Something Francis ignores as he calls for people to accept “the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control.”

The nearly sainted Pope John Paul most be turning over in his sepulchre. The anti-communism crusader who, with Reagan and Thatcher, helped bring down the evil empire would be appalled at the recent statements advanced by Pope Francis. Having seen first hand how benevolent a state is when it is given the power to work for the “common good,” he deplored the exact policies this pope seems to advocate. Where Pope John Paul understood the short comings of capitalist societies were not inherent in their economics, but due to the rampant spiritual decay found in thie modern age; Francis seems to lay the fault for all the world’s evils on capitalism’s doorstep.

The fact is no system has lifted more people out of poverty and relies more on the equal allocation of moral law than capitalism. As the founder of capitalist theory recognized in his book the “Wealth of Nations” in the year of America’s birth, capitalism moves men to work for the betterment of their fellow man whether they like them or not. This was the essence of the “invisible hand” he famously referred to. Capitalism created the middle class and it gave the world the cures for diseases, devices for the handicapped and in some cases even sight to the blind. While not a cure all, it has done more to uplift the world than anything else in the history of humanity. In contrast, socialism has done more to tear down and enslave humanity than any other system in history.

Truth be told, most of the ills afflicting capitalistic societies comes from the liberal application of socialist policies within them. It is also true that the more a moral society is, the better capitalism works. In contrast strong moral beliefs usually run afoul of socialistic government policies. Similarly, all variations of Marxism visits destruction on those it purports to help. That is something Pope John Paul understood instinctively due to his experiences behind the Iron Curtain. Unfortunately the Catholic Church now seems to have a pope who is blind to the the destructiveness of the socialist path. A Pope so filled with compassion for the less fortunate that he is unable to see the real source of their miseries.

“The Conservative Mind”

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