The Pope speaks on the global financial crisis

[Homo Aestheticus]

"The global financial crisis is proof that the pursuit of money and success is pointless...."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7654878.stm

[adamdavid80]

"The global financial crisis is proof that the pursuit of money and success is pointless...."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7654878.stm

Money, okay (though that's easy to say when your home and board is arranged for life...in the vatican)....but success?  Should we aim to fail?  What the hey?

(and, boy oh boy, am I looking forward to M's comments here)   

[Homo Aestheticus]

Money, okay (though that's easy to say when your home and board is arranged for life...in the vatican)

True... (and don't forget his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo)

Also, I wish he would elaborate on the 'success' issue.

[Lethevich]

A Catholic leader spouting this is just hypocritical given the wealth on display in their centres of power.

[karlhenning]

Thanks for empowering Eric, Sara.

I see the subject header, and I note who started it.  Enough said.

[Jay F]

Doesn't the pope get his slippers at Prada?

And doesn't the Vatican own the Watergate complex?

[scarpia]

But I thought you could pay cash for a place in heaven with an indulgence?  I suspect the Pope is concerned about market volatility in the indulgence futures market.  I expect any day the SEC will announce a temporary ban on short-selling of papal indulgences.

[Josquin des Prez]

So the Pope is a... communist? Interesting.

[ezodisy]

"The global financial crisis is proof that the pursuit of money and success is pointless...."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7654878.stm

yeah right. You think for one second that the Holy See's financial advisors aren't shorting the fuck out of the market? It's the same as the Church of England, which I think I posted about last week. It's just more hypocritical nonsense as all moralsim tends to be.

[Brian]

(and, boy oh boy, am I looking forward to M's comments here)   

Preview of M's post: who cares what this man thinks? He is no economic expert, and not much of a philosophical one either. Must we now ask Angelina Jolie or Wayne Gretzky what they think about the financial crisis? It makes about as much sense as this babble.

Of course, I could be selling him short. After all, this is the guy who must pass his Popemobile through the eye of a needle.

[Catison]

The issue here is a classic in Catholic theology.  Pursuing happiness through money is not sustainable.  Money offers temporary happiness, and the greedy return to money to find their self worth.  It is this definition of success he is speaking against.  Success does not mean wealthy, it means leading a balanced life (one point of that balance being a life in the Church, of course).

He is definitely not telling people to be communist or to turn down success when it is justified.

[adamdavid80]

The issue here is a classic in Catholic theology.  Pursuing happiness through money is not sustainable.  Money offers temporary happiness, and the greedy return to money to find their self worth.  It is this definition of success he is speaking against.  Success does not mean wealthy, it means leading a balanced life (one point of that balance being a life in the Church, of course).

He is definitely not telling people to be communist or to turn down success when it is justified.

But why wait til the hard times to say this?  When the money's rolling in and everyone's doing great, there were no MAJOR speeches by the Pope denouncing this.  No, if you were a succesful hedge fund manager for the past 10 years, your local church knew it, and knew to hit you up for donations.  It's kind of gross.

[Josquin des Prez]

He's just taking the opportunity to show that the values preached by Christianity were always spot on.

[scarpia]

He's just taking the opportunity to show that the values preached by Christianity were always spot on.

Such as torturing or burning people alive if they do not accept Catholic orthodoxy.  They there's that whole "the sun revolves around the earth" thing.

[ezodisy]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

[DFO]

I wont to buy Inmobiliare from the Vatican, but the present financial turmoil made me
change mi mind.(Michael Corleone)

[Catison]

Such as torturing or burning people alive if they do not accept Catholic orthodoxy.  They there's that whole "the sun revolves around the earth" thing.

You're knowledge of Church history exceeds all!

[adamdavid80]

You're knowledge of Church history exceeds all!

explain?  Did those things never occur?

[Catison]

explain?  Did those things never occur?

Sure they occurred.  But it is equivalent to saying that Germany will forever have no opinion because of Hitler.  And besides, these events are usually taken completely out of context in order to denounce the Church outright.  What need is there to educate yourself when you can so easily dismiss?

[adamdavid80]

Sure they occurred.  But it is equivalent to saying that Germany will forever have no opinion because of Hitler.  And besides, these events are usually taken completely out of context in order to denounce the Church outright.  What need is there to educate yourself when you can so easily dismiss?

Valid perspective.