Haven't heard of the PCJP? Well, it's the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace - one of the lower ranking organs of the Roman Curia (the administrative apparatus of the Holy See / Catholic Church).
Yesterday, the PCJP issued a "Note" entitled "Towards Reforming the International Financial Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority." Although the only official version is in Italian, unofficial engish translations are available.
As a prefatory matter, the Holy See claims no special competence (let alone infallability) when it comes to matters of economics. Further, the PCJP's Note is not even part of "official" Church teaching, as it hasn't been propounded by the teaching authority of the Church (the Magisterium). That said, it certainly reflects the wisdom and learning of its drafters - individuals who have spent their careers examining issues of faith, justice, and economics. And for that reason alone, I suggest, it is worthy of consideration.
The Note supplies much food for thought. And in the days ahead, I hope to explore some of this on the Glom. In this post, I'd like to make a preliminary observation.
The Note, quite sadly, doesn't hold a candle to past pronouncements hailing from the Catholic Church on economic matters. Its language often lacks clarity and precision. It meanders and comes across disjointed at times. It speaks in broad generalities - and rarely backs up its conclusory statements with either reasoning or authority. It doesn't really offer insights that are particularly penetrating or even fresh. In short, it comes across as a bit stale, and really doesn't pack much of a punch. Compare the Note to Pope Leo XIII's inestimable encyclical Rerum Novarum, and you'll see what the Church is capable of. Whether you agree with him or not, Pope Leo's encyclical is sharp, crisp, and impactful. You know where he's coming from, where he's headed, and exactly why.
TrackBack URL for this entry:
https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8345157d569e20162fbe8651d970d
Links to weblogs that reference PCJP Weighs in on the Financial Crisis:

Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
