Pope attacks mega-salaries

VATICAN CITY, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said in the first peace message of his pontificate that huge salaries and bonuses are symptoms of an economy based on greed and inequality and called again for nations to narrow the wealth gap.

In his message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, marked around the world on Jan. 1, he also called for sharing of wealth and for nations to shrink the gap between rich and poor, more of whom are getting only "crumbs".

Anger at multi-million payouts for executives has swept across the globe as the economic crisis has deepened and the gap between the super-rich and the poor has widened.

But last month, Swiss voters rejected a proposal to cap the salaries of top executives at 12 times that of a company's lowest wage, heeding warnings from industry leaders that the measure could harm the country's economy.

He attacked the "widening gap between those who have more and those who must be content with the crumbs", calling on governments to implement "effective policies" to guarantee people's fundamental rights, including access to capital, services, educational resources, healthcare and technology.

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Dr Bobus

Dec 14, 2013

I wonder whether Fr Sobrino would include his own Jesuits as a contemporary sinful structure. I think it bears consideration.

Knights4Christ

Dec 14, 2013

www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm
The emphasis on earthly things is more explicit in early liberation theology than in recent works. Still, as late as 1991, Jon Sobrino defined sin as unjust social structure, or "that which deals death." Examples of sinners for him were oligarchies, multi-national corporations, various armed forces and "virtually every government." He even went …More

www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm

The emphasis on earthly things is more explicit in early liberation theology than in recent works. Still, as late as 1991, Jon Sobrino defined sin as unjust social structure, or "that which deals death." Examples of sinners for him were oligarchies, multi-national corporations, various armed forces and "virtually every government." He even went so far as to restate the Beatitudes in earthly terms, changing "Blessed are the meek," etc. to "Happy are the meek" (1991: 366, 70).
www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/LIBERATE.TXT

Dr Bobus

Dec 14, 2013

The policy to guarantee access to capital is what produced the sub prime mortgage crisis that caused the recession of 2007/8.
And the question of how much a CEO should make is not easily answered. Should a CEO be paid more who's managing $1 billion in assets than one who is managing only $200 million?
How about Alan Mulally, who is thought by many to have saved Ford Motor Company? His work benefited …More

The policy to guarantee access to capital is what produced the sub prime mortgage crisis that caused the recession of 2007/8.

And the question of how much a CEO should make is not easily answered. Should a CEO be paid more who's managing $1 billion in assets than one who is managing only $200 million?

How about Alan Mulally, who is thought by many to have saved Ford Motor Company? His work benefited retirement plans and, acc to some Ford Dealers, saved their businesses. How much is he worth?

rhemes1582

Dec 14, 2013

With respect to the last bit
{ calling on governments to implement "effective policies" to guarantee people's fundamental rights, including access to capital, services, educational resources, healthcare and technology.}

The Church is upside down! The Holy Catholic Church was once this great and bright lighthouse, that guided all men and nations to safe harbor. Since the 2nd vat council she has given control of the light to the world, and now SHE, the Church herself ,asks the world to Guarantee peoples fundamental rights: with the instruments of the world THAT REJECT CHRIST and His Church.

The Leaders of our Holy Church are upside down, and blind in their mistaken utopia.
Man does NOT serve man.
Man SERVES God.

Gloria.TV – News Briefs

Dec 14, 2013

In Germany, most of the church’s top officials drive high-powered Mercedes, BMWs or Audis.

Other German clergymen have been chastised for lavish expenditures. Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich’s archdiocese spent around $11 million renovating the archbishop’s residence and another $13 million for a guesthouse in Rome.

Carsten Frerk, who specializes on church finances in Germany, said German bishops’ reluctance to follow Francis’ new course is no surprise.

“The German Catholic Church is one of the country’s wealthiest and largest organizations and its top officials expect a certain lifestyle,” said Frerk, who has published two books on the German churches’ wealth and what he describes as their opaque financing. “But they are wary of the extent of their wealth becoming broadly known because it might lead to fewer donations.”

There are 23 million German Catholics who have declared their faith and by law must pay 8 to 10 percent of their incomes to their respective churches. That brought the Catholic Church $7.1 billion in tax revenue in 2012.

www.huffingtonpost.com/…/german-catholic…