[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 69 (Thursday, May 16, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3561-S3562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INEQUALITY
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed
in the Record the English translation of remarks made this morning by
Pope Francis, who addressed the new nonresident ambassadors to the Holy
See.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
english language translation of pope francis' address for the new non-
resident ambassadors to the holy see: kyrgyzstan, antigua and barbuda,
luxembourg and botswana (16 May 2013)
Your Excellencies,
I am pleased to receive you for the presentation of the
Letters accrediting you as Ambassadors Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary to the Holy See on the part of your
respective countries: Kytgyzstan, Antigua and Barbuda, the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Botswana. The gracious words
which you have addressed to me, for which I thank you
heartily, have testified that the Heads of State of your
countries are concerned to develop relations of respect and
cooperation with the Holy See. I would ask you kindly to
convey to them my sentiments of gratitude and esteem,
together with the assurance of my prayers for them and their
fellow citizens.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our human family is presently
experiencing something of a turning point in its own history,
if we consider the advances made in various areas. We can
only praise the positive achievements which contribute to the
authentic welfare of mankind, in fields such as those of
health, education and communications. At the same time, we
must also acknowledge that the majority of the men and women
of our time continue to live daily in situations of
insecurity, with dire consequences. Certain pathologies are
increasing, with their psychological consequences; fear and
desperation grip the hearts of many people, even in the so-
called rich countries; the joy of life is diminishing;
indecency and violence are on the rise; poverty is becoming
more and more evident. People have to struggle to live and,
frequently, to live in an undignified way. One cause of this
situation, in my opinion, is in our relationship with money,
and our acceptance of its power over ourselves and our
society. Consequently the financial crisis which we are
experiencing makes us forget that its ultimate origin is to
be found in a profound human crisis. In the denial of the
primacy of human beings! We have created new idols. 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.
The worldwide financial and economic crisis seems to
highlight their distortions and above all the gravely
deficient human perspective, which reduces man to one of his
needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, human beings
themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods which
can be used and thrown away. We have begun a throw away
culture. This tendency is seen on the level of individuals
and whole societies; and it is being promoted! In
circumstances like these, solidarity, which is the treasure
of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed
to the logic of finance and the economy. While the income of
a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority
is crumbling. 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. A new, invisible and at times virtual, tyranny is
established, one which unilaterally and irremediably imposes
its own laws and rules. Moreover, indebtedness and credit
distance countries from their real economy and citizens from
their real buying power. Added to this, as if it were needed,
is widespread corruption and selfish fiscal evasion which
have taken on worldwide dimensions. The will to power and of
possession has become limitless.
Concealed behind this attitude is a rejection of ethics, a
rejection of God. Ethics, like solidarity, is a nuisance! It
is regarded as counterproductive: as something too human,
because it relativizes money and power; as a threat, because
it rejects manipulation and subjection of people: because
ethics leads to God, who is situated outside the categories
of the market. These financiers, economists and politicians
consider God to be unmanageable, unmanageable even dangerous,
because he calls man to his full realization and to
independence from any kind of slavery. Ethics--naturally, not
the ethics of ideology--makes it possible, in my view, to
create a balanced social order that is more humane. In this
sense, I encourage the financial experts and the political
leaders of your countries to consider the words of Saint
[[Page S3562]]
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'' (Homily on Lazarus, 1:6-PG 48,
992D),
Dear Ambassadors, there is a need for financial reform
along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an
economic reform to benefit everyone. This would nevertheless
require a courageous change of attitude on the part of
political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge with
determination and farsightedness, taking account, naturally,
of their particular situations. Money has to serve, not to
rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the
Pope has the duty, in Christ's name, to remind the rich to
help the poor, to respect them, to promote them. The Pope
appeals for disinterested solidarity and for a return to
person-centred ethics in the world of finance and economics.
For her part, the Church always works for the integral
development of every person, In this sense, she reiterates
that the common good should not be simply an extra, simply a
conceptual scheme of inferior quality tacked onto political
programmes. The Church encourages those in power to be truly
at the service of the common good of their peoples. She urges
financial leaders to take account of ethics and solidarity.
And why should they not turn to God to draw inspiration from
his designs? in this way, a new political and economic
mindset would arise that would help to transform the absolute
dichotomy between the economic and social spheres into a
healthy symbiosis.
Finally, through you, I greet with affection the Pastors
and the faithful of the Catholic communities present in your
countries. I urge them to continue their courageous and
joyful witness of faith and fraternal love in accordance with
Christ's teaching. Let them not be afraid to offer their
contribution to the development of their countries, through
initiatives and attitudes inspired by the Sacred Scriptures!
And as you inaugurate your mission, I extend to you, dear
Ambassadors, my very best wishes, assuring you of the
assistance of the Roman Curia for the fulfilment of you
duties. To this end, upon you and your families, and also
upon your Embassy staff, I willingly invoke abundant divine
blessings.
Mr. SANDERS. I don't usually comment much on religious matters, but I
was very impressed by what the Pope had to say today. In his remarks
Pope Francis called for a revamping of the global financial system, a
system which he pointed out benefits the few, values money over human
dignity, and continues to widen the gap between the rich and everybody
else.
While acknowledging the advances modern society has made in health
care, education, technology, and other areas, the Pope expressed his
concern for the least amongst us. The Pope said:
We must also acknowledge that the majority of the men and
women of our time continue to live daily in situations of
insecurity, with dire consequences . . . fear and desperation
grip the hearts of many people, even in the so-called rich
countries; the joy of life is diminishing; indecency and
violence are on the rise; poverty is becoming more and more
evident. People have to struggle to live and, frequently, to
live in an undignified way.
The Pope went on to say this in his rather brief remarks:
One cause of this situation . . . is in our relationship
with money, and our acceptance of its power over ourselves
and our society . . . The worship of the golden calf of old
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.
The Pope continued:
The worldwide financial and economic crisis seems to
highlight their distortions and above all the gravely
deficient human perspective, which reduces man to one of his
needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, human beings
themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods which
can be used and thrown away. We have begun a throw away
culture.
He also said:
Solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often
considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance
and the economy.
Further quoting the Pope, and I hope everybody listens to this:
While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially,
that of the majority is crumbling.
Let me repeat that. This is what the Pope said today:
While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially,
that of the majority is crumbling. 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. A new, invisible and at times virtual,
tyranny is established, one which unilaterally and
irremediably imposes its own laws and rules. Moreover,
indebtedness and credit distance countries from their real
economy and citizens from their real buying power. Added to
this, as if it were needed, is widespread corruption and
selfish fiscal evasion, which have taken on worldwide
dimensions. The will to power and of possession has become
limitless.
This is from a speech Pope Francis made today. I think it is
important that we listen to the Pope on this issue. Frankly, I have
strong disagreements with the Catholic Church on issues of women's
rights, issues of gay rights, and a number of other issues. On this
issue of what is happening economically around the world--the power of
financial markets; the growing gap between the very rich and everyone
else; the need for government and for states around the world to step
in and protect the dispossessed; the need to understand that money unto
itself means nothing unless it is being used in a way that improves the
lives of all people--that is a message coming from the Pope. It is a
message worth thinking about and discussing.
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