Hello Eudaimonia,
The phrase "People living in glass houses..." Let the Vatican divest itself and spread its wealth.
Regards,
O.A.

The problem isn't capitalism; it's looters and busybodies.
Get out of the way and remove the banking cartel. Restore the world's free market, transparent banking industry and watch the world wide standard of living improve.

Same mistake Pope Paul VI made. Populorum Progressio, all over again. Rand would say the same thing about Pope Francis' latest screeds as she did about that encyclical.

Just so you all know: Francis does not get that out of the Bible. He cannot conceive of anyone other than maybe a solo farmer, artist, artisan, or craftsman making an honest living. And he conflates private enterprise with the ancient Roman practice of hiring private agents--the publicani--to collect Rome's taxes for them. Those agents routinely collected tax where tax was not due, even by trumping up evidence. One such publican, Zacchaeus of Jericho, admitted as much and pledged to make four-fold restitution in every such case.

When he starts hanging the baby-rapers I'll listen...

I love this use of language. "Unfettered." When have we heard of unfettered socialism? Unfettered communism? Unfettered fascism? For that matter, when in the entire history of mankind has there ever been unfettered capitalism? Never. If it had happened, anyone to make such a statement as the Pope's would have been laughed at or recommend a visit to a shrink.

I think Ayn Rand is correct and the pope is incredibly wrong

"So you think that money is the root of all evil? . . . Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?

When you accept money in payment for your effort, you do so only on the conviction that you will exchange it for the product of the effort of others. It is not the moochers or the looters who give value to money. Not an ocean of tears nor all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into the bread you will need to survive tomorrow. Those pieces of paper, which should have been gold, are a token of honor—your claim upon the energy of the men who produce. Your wallet is your statement of hope that somewhere in the world around you there are men who will not default on that moral principle which is the root of money. Is this what you consider evil? ( http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/mon... ) "

The pope really has no excuse for his ignorance.

Atlas Shrugged was supposed to be a warning, Not A Newspaper!

This from a man living like a prince in what is arguably the most fabulous palace in the world, housing countless priceless works of art, while he proclaims that anyone who earns 100 bucks should divest him/herself of most of to give to the poor. I don't think that's what Christ had in mind...

When I hear things like that, I thank God I'm an Atheist. :)

Ayn Rand had some harsh writings about Pius XII (I think it was him) and his Populorum Progressivo.

Perhaps, more precisely, the Pope is the "Dung" of christianity

The poor pope’s only frame of reference is what most call crony-capitalism and what is best named by Stossel as crapitalsim. From that perspective, unfettered pursuit of money is the dung of the aristocracy of pull.

So is unfettered Catholicism the crusades and the other horrors brought on by their craziness?

The pope is an anachronism is 2015. Pretty useless except to the people who are snookered into believing in his religion

What does he call unfettered 'State' capitalization of business? Seems to me, That's evil by definition.

Since the church is the oldest organization of looters, that isn't surprising.

Later in the article, it said this: "Quoting a fourth century bishop, he called the unfettered pursuit of money “the dung of the devil”,..."

I absolutely do not agree that capitalism is dung of the devil, but I would agree that pursuit of money that_you_have_not_earned would qualify as that sort of excrement. Unfortunately, from other remarks that Frank has made he does seem to think that Capitalism = dung. (There are some statements where he has said that he is not opposed to Capitalism but only to greed...but I am not sure I buy this.)

The pope has made a personal choice to live in a communal, socialist Jesuit organization. This cannot help but influence how he thinks a 'good' economic system is constructed. He should be able to do better than that!

Jan

What's sad is that he and many people just don't get it. This Pope is nice man but that's it...he is a man. Not infallible. He also heads a religion that has groomed its robotic followers that faith equals blindly supporting the Roman church, it's oft perverted teaching and that all other churches of the Christian faith will burn in hell, not to mention other religions. They have been told that the books of Ms. Rand and the like are evil because there is no altruism. No, the problem is not capitalism. And the problem is not faith. It is humans perverting religion, and everything else like they are at Old Country Buffet to suit themselves. Humans are going to be their own undoing. Altruism in and of itself is not even a problem, if done as the Bible teaches. In secret, in private...do not let the right hand know what the left is doing. That is giving at it's finest, because the gift is freely and not FALSELY given like Governments and Religions would guilt you into doing for the "public good". This is obviously also a Pope that did not suffer much during WWII, other wise he would realize that under "Unfettered communism, socialism and fascism" his precious Roman Catholicism is not even allowed to exist without certain quid pro quo to that government.

When the pope sells all the Vatican's stolen/expropriated art works, i'll begin to believe his contrition.

Meanwhile, the pope is now targetted by the sanhedrin (the jewish religious tribunal) for recognizing Palestine : http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/447...
Everyone's got his pet peeves...

The pope has no clue what "unfettered capitalism" might be, as we the living have never seen anything but fettered capitalism!

It looks like the Pope is the reincarnation of King Canute and his command to halt the tides. Capitalism is the result of natural forces and is not an invention that can be turned on or off by edict. Societies that embrace capitalism are simply using this force, they did not invent it.

Interesting, but both Ayn and Karl (and many others) correctly identified and enumerated that religion is an evil manipulator long ago, and overwhelming evidence supports it.

Please do pit ctholicism against capitalism. I love this. He will drive from rich countries catholicism to the ignorant masses in South America et al. where it will become just like islam (like it used to be), and later irrelevant.

Let's face it: The Pope is a socialist who believes capitalism is immoral. Morales just gave him a crucifix with a hammer and sickle on it. He accepted the gift and said not a word about it. Why won't the mainstream media call him out on this? Because most of them agree with the Pope, that's why! Or they agree with him on the moral issue but disagree on the economic issue and are afraid to address the fact that the Pope is consistent and they are not.

So when will he apologize for the crimes against the Jews and the Reformation Protestants?--Oh,
well, what can you expect from a mystic/altruist?

That Marxist pope is full of his own poop.
In the next world he and the devil can get into a chimpanzee feces flinger fight.