Pope's Latest Encyclical Rooted In Moral Conservatism

For whatever reason a person decides to join the Catholic Church, one should not join because the political views of the Church aligns with ones own. It rarely happens completely. For the Catholic Church has been known to out-conservative the conservatives while simultaneously out-liberaling the liberals for many years. The latest encyclical from Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), does just that, but not without referencing Catholic doctrine from hundreds of years of carefully thought out philosophy, ie., The Catechism.

Democrats, of course, have taken it upon themselves to crow what they consider to be an endorsement of their irresponsible plans to socialize our economy and create a total welfare state. But with every seeming endorsement comes the exception. For instance, in Chapter 5, section(?) 57, of the encylical, The Pope warns of the dangers of socialization by invoking the principle of subsidiarity, (from Catechism, paragraph #1883) "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions..." This, of course, gives one hope that the Pope sees liberty and freedom as means of achieving economic prosperity and social justice for all, rather than a formation of a total welfare state (something the Church fought against for most of the last century, ie., Communism).

For a letter, it is a rather lengthy read. But if you find the time you should read it in full. Mainly it would seem that Pope Benedict is trying to get us to look beyond our usual party affiliations and issue alliances in dealing with today's problems.

In an article in the New York Times, Ross Douthat points out the links the Pope makes between seemingly unlikely topics. Here's a snippet:

But Benedict’s encyclical is nothing if not political. “Caritas in Veritate” promotes a vision of economic solidarity rooted in moral conservatism. It links the dignity of labor to the sanctity of marriage. It praises the redistribution of wealth while emphasizing the importance of decentralized governance. It connects the despoiling of the environment to the mass destruction of human embryos.

In other words, why should someone who is green on the environment necessarily be pro-death on abortion? etc...

Read the rest of his column by clicking HERE. And a big HAT TIP to Matt Kaufman who is now blogging for Focus On The Family in addition to his usual duties, for directing our attention to Douthat's column.

For a very in-depth look at the encyclical try clicking HERE for Roma Locuta Est.

See also THIS for clarification!