Thousands of Phillipino citizens who gathered in Manila to greet Pope Francisco last January looked in unmitigated awe at the modest car in which he traveled to the Presidential Palace.
Some analysts pointed out that the Argentinian-born Pope lives in line with his position as theologian of the grass roots and as a firm supporter of the just distribution of the fruits of the earth and of human labor.
And indeed the Head of the Vatican State urges mankind to avoid capital ruling over people and calls for people to rule over capital. Further it is the Pope’s position that the economy should be humanized and made compatible with both solidarity and efficiency.
At a meeting in Rome with representatives of the international banking industry, the Roman Catholic Pontiff outlined the importance of fostering –in his own words-- the growth of an economy of honesty and the struggle against corruption”.
While in Manila, the Pope rejected all forms of corruption because –as he put it-- “it deviates resources earmarked for the poor”. His words were interpreted by many as his criticism of rampant corruption in the Phillippines, most of whose population are trapped in poverty.
The growth of inequality and poverty gets much of the the attention of the Roman Catholic Pontiff, since it holds an open threat to democracy, which should be –he said— both inclusive and participatory in a market with equity. In line with this philosophy, the Pope said in October last that the “state of social rights must be protected, above all the fundamental right to work”.
In this context, covering the current social and economic realities of our world, the Pope has voiced his deep concern over the growing problem of lack of job opportunities for the world’s youth.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper “La Vanguardia”, the Pope spoke about his concern about the fact that unemployment among the youth spills over fifty percent of the total. “It’s a very alarming fact”, he said.
The Roman Catholic Pontiff`s social and economic ideas attract widespread attention wherever he goes as was the case during his Latin American tour earlier this year.
In Bolivia, the Argentinian pontif renewed his criticism of those who have an unchecked wish for money and his rejection of the “new colonialism” embedded in the world’s economic and financial system.
The Pope said: “We want a change, a real change, a change of structures. This system does not hold itself up any longer.
His words have sparked a tough resistance from the ranks of those proponents and supporters of big capital. According to Grez Gutfeld, from Fox TV News, Pope Francisco is today “the most dangerous man on the planet Earth”.
Those defenders of big capital are opposed to leaders like the Pope who adhere to the beatitudes found in Matthew’s gospel that the mourners will be comforted and the hungry of the earth will be fed.
