From: "Frederick [FN] Noronha * ???????? ???????? "
<[email protected]>
I don't think the Church has a job in supporting capitalism,
"moderate" or otherwise. There was a time when the Church also made
the mistake of thinking it could ride the tigers of colonialism and
slavery. History proved it wrong. FN
***The Church has competence in all human issues. The Church does not have a
"job" of supporting capitalism,
but of criticising capitalism in the light of the Word of God.
Regarding colonialism and slavery:
The Church always opposed racial slavery. St.Paul fought against slavery,
not just by denouncing it, but by permeating the society with Christian
vision and mission. In his lettr to Philemon, Paul tells him to accept back
his "slave" Onesimus and to treat him as a brother in the Lord (cf.Phlm
1:16: "no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother"). God
is the Judge and he will judge the oppressors (cf.Col 4:1). The Church has
changed all these institutions. Missionaries fought against racial slavery
and genocide. There is another type of slavery: This was tolerated. The
Catholic Church has been accused of being either silent or approved of
slavery.another grave scandal before 1890. Even though repugnant to our
modern sensitivity, servitude is not always unjust, such as penal servitude
for convicted criminals or servitude freely chosen for personal financial
reasons. These forms are called just-title servitude. The Thirteenth
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which brought an end to racial slavery
in the U.S., does allow for just-title servitude to punish criminals:
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime
whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the
United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Also the 1949
Geneva Conventions allow for detaining power to use the labour of war
prisoners under very limiting circumstances. However, such circumstances are
very rare today.
During biblical times, a man could voluntarily sell himself into slavery in
order to pay off his debts (Deut. 15:12-18). But such slaves were to be
freed on the seventh year or the Jubilee year (Lev. 25:54). The Church
tolerated just-title servitude for a time because it is not wrong in itself,
though it can be seriously abused. The Popes did, however, consistently
oppose racial slavery which completely lacks any moral justification. Now we
usually think of slavery in terms of innocent people who were unjustly
captured and reduced to "beasts of burden" due solely to their race. This
was the most common form in the U.S. before the Thirteenth Amendment. This
form of slavery, known as racial slavery, began in large-scale during the
15th century and was formally condemned by the Popes as early as 1435,
fifty-seven years before Columbus discovered America (1492). In 1404, the
Spanish discovered the Canary Islands. They began to colonize the island and
enslave its people. Pope Eugene IV in 1435 wrote to Bishop Ferdinand of
Lanzarote in his Bull, Sicut Dudum:
...They have deprived the natives of their property or turned it to their
own use, and have subjected some of the inhabitants of said islands to
perpetual slavery, sold them to other persons and committed other various
illicit and evil deeds against them... We order and command all and each of
the faithful of each sex that, within the space of fifteen days of the
publication of these letters in the place where they live, that they restore
to their earlier liberty all and each person of either sex who were once
residents of said Canary Islands...who have been made subject to slavery.
These people are to be totally and perpetually free and are to be let go
without the exaction or reception of any money...
He does condemn together this particular case of slavery along with "other
various illicit and evil deeds." A century later, the Spanish and Portuguese
were colonizing South America. Unfortunately the practice of slavery did not
end. Pope Paul III in 1537 issued a Bull against slavery, entitled Sublimis
Deus, to the universal Church. Pope Paul not only condemned the slavery of
Red Indians but also "all other peoples." In his phrase "unheard of before
now", he seems to see a difference between this new form of slavery (i.e.
racial slavery) and the ancient forms of just-title slavery. Popes Gregory
XIV (Cum Sicuti, 1591), Urban VIII (Commissum Nobis, 1639) and Benedict XIV
(Immensa Pastorum, 1741) also condemned slavery and the slave trade. In
1839, Pope Gregory XVI issued a Bull, entitled In Supremo. Its main focus
was against slave trading, but it also clearly condemned racial slavery.
Colonialism is a historic process of discovery (Age of Discovery). The
Church has spread Christian vision and civilized the whole world. It is her
duty. But there were voices against all abuses of slavery. Antonio de
Montesinos, a Dominican friar on the island of Hispaniola, was the first
member of the clergy to publicly denounce all forms of enslavement and
oppression of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Theologians such as
Francisco de Vitoria (1483-1560) and Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566) drew
up theological and philosophical bases for the defense of the human rights
of the colonized native populations, thus creating the basis of
international law, regulating the relationships between nations.
It has several dimensions: trade, religion, western civilization, culture,
languages, openness to the world, beginnings of globalization. The world has
also benefitted, in spite of abuses of human rights. English, Portuguese,
Dutch and French have given their own contribution for our Indian
civilization. Today globalization has its strong points. The Church is
defending the human dignity, even when the issues are economic and political
in nature. The Church has competence to deal with these issues. Ethical
aspect has to be considered in its scientific aspect. Ethical and scientific
cannot be separated. The Church has Pontifical Academy of Sciences for
assessing scientifically the issues. When the Holy Father writes
encyclicals, he consults the competent people and gives his contribution to
building up the society. Pius XII has spoken with knowledge and authority to
all kinds of professionals, politicians, journalists, oncologists,
ambassadors ... The Church has not failed, but always triumphed, even when
facing the Cross. Jesus has promised it: "And I tell you, you are Kephas,
and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not
prevail against it (Mt 16:18).
Regards.
Fr.Ivo
2009/8/14 isouza <[email protected]>:
Capitalism should be moderate.
Otherwise, social justice is not met in human relationships...
http://medieval-goa.notlong.com/
