The Other Side of the Edge…..
Pope Francis should “Re-distribute” a couple of his Stained Glass Windows….
By Joe Facinoli

Open “infallible” mouth, ….insert one, far too human, papal foot.

Recently, Pope Francis publicly insisted, before the Secretary General of the United Nations, and other assembled officials of that highly revered and august (not) organization, that they should endorse the policy of, what he termed “…the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the State,….”

At that moment, the Holy Father showed himself to be nothing more than an opportunistic, “wolf”-like politician, dressed so distractively, and not sheepishly, in a priest’s clothing.

By espousing this basic tenet of Socialism, or even Marxism, and by using his “bully pulpit” as perhaps none other before him, he displayed the arrogance and naivety of so many other, and lessor, disingenuous religious and political leaders, or even that of an American “Progressive” politician.

And that’s a shame, as nearly 1.8 billion worldwide Catholics will listen, to some degree of intensity, to his every word.

The Pope went on to say that the “trickle down” theories of economics were “unproven and naïve”. And that the “inherent injustices of Capitalism” (his words), leads the world to an “economy of exclusion and inequality” (his again).

Excuse me? It’s called freedom, …and freedom of choice.

And now who’s naïve?

In its best form, Capitalism is what runs the world’s economic engines, and what all the world’s economies aspire to be like, and a part of.

And if that freedom is not available, or those choices do not exist somewhere, then it is indeed our obligation to assist in affecting those necessary changes.

But giving the poor and supposedly downtrodden of the world a simple handout, …by taking from those who work the hardest, and most successfully, at keeping this globe spinning, …we accomplish nothing more than the most short-sighted of goals and philosophies.

Has His Holiness forgotten the brilliant lesson from the old Chinese proverb (which could have easily come from his “Master”), regarding handouts and fishing??

“Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day, …Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.”

By taking from the rich, and highly successful, and giving to the poor, and less successful, …in one simple stroke, you destroy the motivations of both.

Again, …now who is naïve???

The “People’s Pope” has railed consistently against the “Idolatry of Money” (his words), and has called Capitalism… “the new Tyranny”.

But I have a question. When Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, assumed the mantel of the Bishop at the Holy See in the Vatican, and thus became Pope Francis, was he also elected the head of the International Monetary Fund? Or of the World Bank??

I might have missed that.

Or, for that matter, has he ever been a CEO of a major company, or even a small business? Or its CFO? Or ever created, or had to meet, a payroll or a budget?

That might have gotten past me too.

Naivety and pomposity comes in a multitude of forms, and Francis seems to be showing many of them, …with this one address, and single suggestion.

He has overstepped is area of expertise, his skill set, his proficiency and competency, …and perhaps his worth.

And if nothing else, he does Catholics, and all true clerics (not the ones on TV), a large and genuine disservice, by wandering into a region beyond his well-earned life’s knowledge.

One can’t really blame him, too much, because he certainly cares, and he has brought the Papacy back to a position of respect, …by being real, and humble, and human.

But he is very disappointing, when he moves past these natural attributes.

He needs to stick to doctrine, and working with the world’s corporate and economic leaders, not dictating to them, …if he truly wants to achieve his noble goals.

Punishing those same people and entities, no matter what is thought of them, accomplishes nothing in the long run, toward that end, and will have the opposite of the desired result.

Here’s an idea: How ‘bout, if Pope Francis is really serious about “re-distribution”, he starts by voluntarily paying taxes, on all the property his organization owns and controls around the world? Huh???

What would be wrong with that? Paying their “fair share”, …right??

In Baltimore (my home town), for example, the property tax rate is $2.248 per $100 of assessed value. So, if the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, on North Charles Street, is worth a mere $1 million (and it’s surely much more, --very big place), that would be $22,480 per every single year, that the Catholic Church could “contribute” to the downtrodden economy of our fair town.

Not bad, right? And what about St. Patrick’s Cathedral, in Manhattan? Whoa!!! What would that baby be worth, every year to NYC, …huh??

And there are over 17,000 Catholic parishes around the U.S. Not all of them worth as much as some of the more prominent ones, but with tens of thousands of buildings, schools, and facilities, and millions of acres of real estate, even a little “redistribution” of that value, …would go a long way.

And it wouldn’t make the Pope look like such a hypocrite.

Oh, …so you say the Church couldn’t afford that, and that they wouldn’t be able to do all the good things they do now, within the communities, and for all the charities they run, and the deserving parishioners they help???

And that paying taxes would have a negative effect on all of that, and move in the opposite direction of all this good and honorable work?

Well, …now you’re talking “real” life stuff, there Bunkie, …and welcome to that wonderful world, …of making profits so that bills and payrolls can be paid, and positive happenings can keep “happening”.

And in case you missed it, …Bunkie, …businesses, and Capitalism, are no different than churches, like that, but even moreso.

And business, …and running of same, is NOT the Pope’s business !!

Keep separate, …the church and the state. More people will be helped, will succeed, thrive, and even live (or stay alive), that way.

But they will never learn.

Those who achieve power, in a certain role or field, assume that position gives them the “authority”, or right, to dictate to everyone, on everything, and that we should listen.

Especially regarding the social and economic well-being of the less fortunate, and how to help them.

Too often, too many of them turn to Socialism, without really even knowing the deleterious effects that this seemingly benign, and well-intentioned idea actually has.

Mr. Churchill instructed: “Socialism is like a man standing in a bucket, and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”

I love that one, …because it’s so true, and so perfectly describes it.

Perhaps The Good Father would consider selling a couple of those magnificent, and oh so expensive, stained glass windows, found throughout the Vatican?

That might “re-distribute” a little something, …to the world’s poor.

Just a thought.

Joe Facinoli

--Joe can be reached at: joefacinoli@gmail.com
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© Copyright 2014, Joe Facinoli