The pope is right

I am no papist. My issues with the Roman Catholic church are legion. However, in his latest encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis gets it right on the issue of capitalism, which he roundly condemns, in favour of a socialist model. In fact, at times his message reminds us of Marx’s slogan, “From each according to his ability, to each, according to his need,” published in his Critique of the Gotha Program and published in 1875.

In fact, in the Book of Acts we learn that not only did early Christians live a strict socialist regime under the guidance of St. Peter himself, but that God killed cheaters.

In Acts 4:32 we read, “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.” At the beginning of Acts Chapter 5 we learn that there was a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who sold a plot of land but secretly kept a portion of the proceeds. When Ananias made his donation to the group, Peter replied, "Why is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?" The disciple pointed out that Ananias was in his right to keep as much of his property as he might wish, but that he had lied to God. As he spoke this, Ananias died on the spot.

Later, when the same question was put to his wife, Sapphira, she lied as well, not knowing the fate of her husband. She also fell dead.

In Matthew 19:20-21 we read about the wealthy man who claimed that he kept the commandments, but asked, “What do I still lack?” to which Jesus replied, “Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” There is nothing ambiguous about this statement. Christ, who owned nothing and was homeless, repeatedly eschewed materialism. In Luke 16:13 he says, “You cannot serve both God and money.” In Matthew 4:42 Christ states, "When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them." Again, there is no ambiguity here. In Matthew 19:24 Jesus says, “And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

Christ lived off the charity of others and gave clear instructions on personal wealth. "Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven. For your heart will always be where your riches are." Matthew 6:19-21

There are other such examples in the gospels, but the underlying message is always the same. Followers of Christ are instructed to give to anyone who asks, to not save or hoard; they are told that personal wealth and devotion to God are incompatible (Luke 13:16). He sums it up best when he asks, in Mark 8:36, “What profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul?” So yes, the pope was bang on in his most recent encyclical, and Christians, if they want to follow Christ’s instructions, should live a modest socialist model, not a capitalist one.