A faithful reader of The Vatican Lobby has requested that I briefly explain what I mean by "Catholic socialism." This reader feels that pushing these two terms together is oxymoronic, and he is certain that the Roman Catholic church expressly condemns all tenets of socialism. And he is not alone in thinking this way. Many Catholics believe as such, and they believe it because the church has said so numerous times.
Clever wordplay, however--as I have stated often--easily obscures the truth.
Socialism, as the word is commonly used today, usually implies some kind of belief in a "community of goods." It traditionally refers (especially in America) to Soviet-style Communism founded upon the atheistic thought of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin. The Catholic church has indeed spoken out against this ideology for more than a century, rightly condemning its godless and backward reasoning as destructive to humanity. However, this opposition to atheistic Communism by no means precludes the church from endorsing "Catholic social teaching" or what I like to call "Catholic socialism."
This unique ideology was born in an encyclical drafted by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 called Rerum Novarum ("On New Things"). In this document, which was distributed to bishops and congregations all over the world, Leo XIII addressed the condition of exploited workers and challenged the atheistic social model that was then sweeping across Europe with a social model of his own.
Rerum Novarum was immensely influential. It provided opponents of Marxism with a fully thought-out schema for organizing social and economic relations under a Christian regime. It marked the beginning of the so-called social gospel--that is, a move away from spreading only the news of "Jesus Christ and him crucified" to spreading the news of a Christian-esque political system--leading to the formation of the mighty Christian Democrat parties of Europe. In the end, Leo's encyclical expanded Christianity from being merely a spiritual message with a limited role in secular society to being a social system equipped to regulate all aspects of human existence. Several likeminded encyclicals appeared over the next hundred years, reaffirming and clarifying Leo XIII original vision. Together, these "social encyclicals" comprise the official body of Catholic social teaching.
TENETS
So what is this teaching all about?
Below I have listed and briefly described a few main tenets that more or less make up the doctrines of Catholic socialism:
- Human Dignity
- Solidarity and subsidiarity
The church also believes in the concept of subsidiarity--that affairs should be handled by the smallest or most localized authority first. The intervention of a centralized authority should only occur when no local authority is able to address the matter.
While this principle of subsidiarity fully comports with a federal system like the United States of America, the principle of solidarity--when put into practice--often results in a situation very much resembling the situation under communism. Since we are all "dependent" and interwoven" with each other, the church--and here, as always, there is some politburo, some hierarchy, some "boss" of the social order, regardless of the flowery rhetoric--politely orders that we distribute our excess to those in need.
Solidarity, to be blunt, completely (and intentionally) contradicts the American ideal of individual reward for individual work.
- Charity
Benedict XVI has given this tenet special prominence throughout his pontificate.
- Distributism
In proposing this idea, the church attempts to forge a "third way" between atheistic communism and unbridled capitalism. Hilaire Belloc, one of Catholicism's most rabid theorists, described the distributive idea more fully in his book The Servile State. The desire of Belloc and others like him was to return society to the pre-capitalistic days of medieval Europe, when distinguished and wealthy families built localized fiefdoms offering peasants a "cooperative" share in the family enterprise by allotting them land and right within that social order. The Roman Catholic church, of course, would provide the distributive world-system with the overarching "glue" needed to bind disparate economies together, as well the "lubricant" needed to make them cooperate in solidarity toward a common goal.
As one economist has put it, "Distributists refer to capitalism as 'neo-feudalism,' but in reality, what they propose is a return to pre-capitalistic, medieval life. Their antipathy for the division of labor—that basic Smithian principle that has brought so much prosperity to the world—is grounded in a Marxist understanding of 'worker alienation.' Indeed, distributism could be considered a kinder, gentler Communism, and we all know how well that worked." (See this article)
The distributist ideology is consciously socialist and anti-capitalist--that really goes without saying.
PROBLEMS
There are many day-to-day problems created by socialist ideology, all of which are well-known and none of which I care to dwell on here. The major problem with Catholic socialism, however, occurs when it meets globalization. As long as this ideology was limited to particular countries (most notably in Europe), there was not much Americans could say. But with the rise of international organizations and the Vatican's aggressive pelting of these organizations with arguments (disguised or undisguised) in favor of Catholic socialism, the situation becomes suddenly more serious.
Within the past two decades, the church has been consciously trying to forge a "new international order" (see John Paul II's World Day of Peace message, 2004) based on the tenets of Catholic socialism. This order uses the principles of human dignity--which are, by themselves, completely noble--to justify a grand coalition across national, ethnic, and religious boundaries in defense of "life." This order also uses the disparity between rich countries and poor countries to argue in favor of a "worldwide distribution of. . .resources." Most recently, this order has used the controversial climate crisis to justify a "global solidarity" (see Benedict XVI's World Day of Peace message, 2009) that, it is claimed, can "save humanity from. . .self-destruction" (see Benedict's message for 2010).
The church's ultimate goal is to unite the planet under the authority of Rome. People may think I am exaggerating in saying such a thing, but I urge my readers to think about it logically.
- The Vatican believes it is the world's only true spiritual capital--which of course gives it authority over all other spheres of human existence.
- The Vatican believes its message is the only message that will bring peace on earth (Pacem in terris, Pope John XXIII).
- The Vatican believes its duty is to "evangelize" the whole earth with this message, to bring its distinctive brand of social Christianity to all peoples and to thus reshape the contours of human relations.
- The Vatican believes that it will ultimately be successful, and that the whole earth--under the guiding hand of the Roman Catholic church--will eventually move into a messianic age distinguished by love and dignity for all.
CONCLUSION
This confluence between Catholic socialism and Rome's desire for global governance is the basis for my concern that the Vatican is "one of the most dangerous actors in world politics today." The fact that so many people are falling for this blended and innovative "gospel"--indeed, so many Americans--only aggravates my concern and causes me to post information on this blog every day in order to warn those who may not be aware.
[There is a whole separate Christian argument why Catholic socialism is wrong, but I will not go into detail here. Suffice to say, Christians are called to spread only the gospel of Christ's death and resurrection, and to wait patiently for the day when Jesus will establish His kingdom upon this earth with power. Until that day, according to the Bible, there will be no peace on earth. In fact, any claims to establish universal peace prior to the arrival of this kingdom are instantly suspect.]
I encourage my readers to go back through the archives of this blog--especially in the categories "Catholic Socialism," "Global Governance," and "Eco-Theology"--and to read the speeches and articles that I have posted over the past few months. Then venture outside this blog to read the many hundreds of other Catholic documents that speak to the topic (for one small example, see this 2009 policy paper released by CIDSE). Next, study the modern history of Europe, especially since World War II, and witness the practical results of policies promoted by Christian Democrats . Finally, compare the foundational aspects of American politics and economics with the Roman Catholic approach. You will find, I guarantee, that there is a stark difference between our model and the one preached by the Vatican.
If you are really diligent, go to this site and read all the speeches made by the Holy See's representatives to the United Nations. You will see immediately that the Vatican is not content to keep this ideology under a bushel, but is aggressively "evangelizing" the international community to accept it and implement it to the detriment of many.
