In an address earlier today, Pope Francis made comments that are sure to shake Catholic free market enthusiasts down to their boots.  The Pope pointed to technological and other forms of progress that have accompanied modernity, but he also said “we must acknowledge that the majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences.”  He identified not just the prevalence of poverty, but also widespread fear, desperation, violence, indecency, and a diminishing sense of the joy of life.

The Holy Father argued that money is playing too dominant a role in shaping our lives and our society.  He stated that the financial crisis is rooted in “the denial of the primacy of human beings.”  Pope Francis argued, “The worship of the golden calf of old (cf. Ex 32:15-34) has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.”

He attacked the commodification of human life, where “human beings themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods which can be used and thrown away.”  He highlighted the way solidarity is seen as counterproductive when it comes to finance and the aims of the economy.

He attacked economic libertarianism and the economic inequalities it creates, saying, “This imbalance results from ideologies which uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and thus deny the right of control to States, which are themselves charged with providing for the common good.”  He likened this to tyranny and “a rejection of God.”

Against those who would argue for private charity alone, the Pope said, “I encourage the financial experts and the political leaders of your countries to consider the words of Saint John Chrysostom: ‘Not to share one’s goods with the poor is to rob them and to deprive them of life. It is not our goods that we possess, but theirs.’”  Political leaders are charged with ensuring that each person has their fundamental needs met, with the integral development of all of their citizens.  Francis stated, “The Church encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples.”

A central point was that “there is a need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to benefit everyone.”  The personal acts of solidarity with the poor and vulnerable displayed by Pope Francis are now joined by a clear, direct call for structural changes to protect the poor and promote their integral development.  Proponents of Catholic social teaching cannot help but be inspired by this clarion call to action.