The Wall Street Journal-20080112-Socialism- Capitalism and the Church
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Socialism, Capitalism and the Church
Robert A. Sirico is correct that true liberation for a society occurs when the state is separated "not only from the Church, but also from the culture and commercial life of the nation" ("Liberty Theology," op-ed, Dec. 31). What he is describing, economically, is capitalism. I also agree with him that Catholics (and I would add all religious authorities) are, fundamentally, socialist. This is why, as he states, there is much intellectual confusion between Catholics and the socialism of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, for example.
However, I disagree with him about the church being "in as good a position as any institution to provide leadership and assume a teaching role in [capitalism]" because all the church can do is preach selflessness, or altruistic ideas. These ideas are incompatible with the ideal of capitalism, which demands that the individual be selfish (i.e., looking to profit). Again, this exemplifies why there is so much confusion within the church about its support of socialist dictators.
If the church or any well-meaning politician wants to raise the standard of living for society, all they have to do is get out of the way, because free individuals in a free country do not need leadership; they just need to be left alone.
Edward Ortiz Jr.
San Diego
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The church wasn't much concerned when it was in cahoots with dictators. But now that loyalty is shifting away from the church -- because all it has done is preach instead of helping to materially change the lives of its parishioners -- suddenly it has become alarmed lest its power base evaporate along with the money. The church has no one to blame but itself.
Karl Kettler
Flemington, N.J.
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Although it is true that, as Father Sirico puts it, the "linking of the Gospel to the socialist cause" (liberation theology), has been rejected repeatedly by current and past pontiffs, capitalism has hardly been embraced by the church as the answer to the world's troubles with respect to "power and morally corrupting effects." In fact, though Father Sirico may have missed it, the Catholic Church leaves no room for doubt on these issues: "The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modern times with communism and socialism. She has likewise refused to accept, in the practice of capitalism, individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2425).
Indeed, Pope John Paul said it best in Centesimus Annus, 49: "People lose sight of the fact that life in society has neither the market nor the State as its final purpose, since life itself has a unique value which the State and the market must serve."
When I travel throughout Latin America, I see poverty and government corruption, yes, but I also see neighbors speaking across fence lines, gathering in streets in the evenings to share their lives, cultural traditions being handed down to children to shape their future, and, of course, the religious values that the U.S. has driven out of public schools, holidays and political discourse. If the U.S. wishes to purport itself as the beacon of hope of what Latin America should be, it should start by cleaning its own house before sounding triumphant about capitalism. Americans could learn a lot from Latin Americans when it comes to living a good quality of life.
William Jorge Castillo
Miami
(See related letter: "Letters to the Editor: Compassionate Capitalism" -- WSJ January 18, 2008)
