Criticism of Pope Francis unfair
The Catholic Church and the pope need no defense from me. I, however, was bemused — perhaps I should say amused — by the sophistry permeating the 5/30/13 commentary by Bonnie Erbe.
Ms. Erbe assails Pope Francis for his pronouncements urging world-wide industrial leaders to be fair in their treatment of the working masses. Furthermore, Ms. Erbe describes the pope and the church as hypocrites due to the pope’s pronouncements and the church’s wealth. To avoid the hypocrisy label, Ms. Erbe suggests that the pope and the church shun any and all forms of pageantry, and she also suggests that the church dispose/sell its vast wealth and disperse the funds among the world’s poor.
It is true that the church has priceless artifacts in the form of paintings, sculptures, magnificent cathedrals, land and a large amount of gold. What would the dollar value be of these majestic items? How does one place a dollar value on priceless items? For the sake of debate, assume the church’s wealth to be $250 billion. Furthermore, assume that amount to be equally distributed over the five billion people who are the most economically challenged. Simple arithmetic shows that each would receive $50 — hardly a life-changing amount.
My graduate degree is neither in economics nor history. I, however, recall recent history depicting Russia’s grand experiment in the early 1900s. During that era, the Bolsheviks confiscated the wealth of the upper classes and purportedly dispersed it over the hoi polloi. This social experiment was an abysmal failure which exposed millions to many years of deprivation and suffering.
Ms. Erbe’s commentary explicitly exposes her naïveté in her suggestion that wealth redistribution is a panacea for the world’s poor. In my opinion, Pope Francis’ pronouncements urging free societies and fair treatment of the working masses are a better path for all.
America has shown that capitalism, along with judicious trade unions, can be a model for all. Capitalism has shown that wealth can be created, and coupled with rational unions, works best for all. After all, this model created the largest middle class our world has ever known.
Alex Bezjak is a resident of Uniontown.