Sees a Choice Between Egoism and Love
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 2, 2007 (Zenit.org).- In the Church's social doctrine, there is no contradiction between seeking profit and maintaining an attitude of Christian solidarity, says the director of the Vatican press office.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said this on the recent edition of the Vatican program Octava Dies, when commenting on Benedict XVI's appeals for social justice.
On Sept. 23, the Pope said, "The choice is necessary between the logic of profit as the ultimate criterion of our actions and the logic of sharing and solidarity."
Father Lombardi explained that "profit is naturally legitimate and, in just measure, necessary for economic development."
"But at the same time," he said, if this criterion crushes "the equal distribution of goods, it increases the disproportion between rich and poor, and leads ‘to a ruinous exploitation of the planet.'"
The Vatican spokesman continued: "The logic of profit and that of solidarity do not contradict each other, but a tension exists between them, and their relationship must be well ordered.
"In the great documents of the Church’s social doctrine, these principles are elaborated and developed, and applied to today’s situation, offering a precious contribution for the continual evaluation of the trends and models of modern economy and its consequences on the human condition and on the environment."
From a Gospel point of view, Father Lombardi affirmed, "in the end, it is a decision between egoism and love, between justice and dishonesty, and between God and Satan, because if everything is sacrificed to the search for wealth and material success, it becomes an idol, that takes the place of God in our life."
"Loving God and our brothers does not lead us away from life," he concluded, "but it is the foundation for healthy and constructive economic relations."
ZE07100208 - 2007-10-02