--- George Pinto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Isn't the key issue in understanding the world today 'rich versus poor'? > Do you believe that both science and religion should primarily focus > on that issue? Why is the 'preferential option for the poor' > (liberation theology) rejected by the Catholic Church (the late JPII > and Cardinal Ratzinger) in favor of a 'preferential option for the rich > and powerful' (capitalism and Opus Dei)? >
Mario replies: George, I believe you are mistaken. Liberation theology was rejected by the Catholic Church because of it's Marxist-style ideology. I don't know about Pope Benedict XVI, but JP-II castigated "materialism" and capitalism, even though the Vatican itself wallows in the conspicuous wealth provided to it gratis by capitalism. The "preferential option for the poor" based on socialism has been an unmitigated disaster for the poor, and has been rejected as a failure wherever it has been tried, with just a couple of exceptions like Cuba, which is an economic basket case, and Venezuela, which is oil-rich. The siren song of Socialism just does not provide the incentives that create wealth in a sociaty, which can then be used to provide for those who cannot help themselves.
