Monday, October 24, 2011

Misunderstanding How The Vatican Works - The World Bank Thing

I commented at some length here on this today at Vatican Pontifical Council Issues Global Banking and Finance Paper - Ignorant Reaction Takes Place (UPDATE)

However there is a related issue as I see tweets, headlines , blog posts saying the Vatican and even the Pope is calling for the a World Super Bank.

The Pope no doubt is the absolute Monarch of the Holy See. However as Monarch Pope Benedict realizes the Catholic Church is one huge big place. The Church has varied LEGITIMATE factions and views from a to z. It is true that Popes have agendas and the Vatican and Holy See bears the mark of that. However it would be very untrue that everyone in important parts of the Vatican are mirror images of Pope Benedict.

Again the Church is a worldwide Church that has many different life experiences and cultures in it. That in many ways is expressed in the make up of the Curia. Thus we see Cardinal Turkson of Ghana place his stamp ( or a world view he represents that is valid in the Catholic tradition) on Catholicism today.

Now no doubt Pope Benedict agrees with some aspects of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace urges major economic reform. But on the other hand he might not personally agree with every doted "i" and crossed "t" . Besides making sure it does not contain some heresy it's not really Pope Benedicts job to veto every piece of Catholic thought coming out of the Vatican that is not his. Again maybe he thinks a world bank there as envisioned would be a grand thing. On the other hand maybe not.

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