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In other places you may have seen or heard of this story regarding Pope Francis' verbal frontal assault on the ears, eyes, hearts, and minds of the über-rich meeting in Davos -- folks who live like kings and act like they are gods over the rest of us (to put it gently).
What follows is part of the article in the Los Angeles paper regarding the Holy Father's missive to Davos:
Never let it be said that Pope Francis doesn't know how to bring the battle to the battleground. In an address to the CEOs and assorted financial hangers-on gathered this week in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum, he admonished that "modern business activity," for all its virtues, often has led to "a widespread social exclusion."
He continued, "Indeed, the majority of the men and women of our time still continue to experience daily insecurity."
In the speech read by a proxy, he observed that the business community often fails to take into "the dignity of every human person and the common good. I am referring to a concern that ought to shape every political and economic decision, but which at times seems to be little more than an afterthought."
The pontiff's words largely replicate the critique of capitalism in his apostolic exhortation last November. ("Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless.") What was special this time around was the audience and its setting, the faintly ridiculous yearly financial glamorfest of Davos.
Please do read the entire article here: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-pope-francis-20140122,0,3908066.story#ixzz2rLZicUvU
[Although I disagree with some particulars of Pope Francis' economic critique (in particular, his understanding of taxation and governmental structure and purpose), it is gratifying to see the Holy Father sticking to his guns and underlining the main thrust of his argument regarding human dignity and our common accountability for our fellow man.]
Stop and pray for Pope Francis if you have not done so today. As the leading voice among all Christians on this planet, he deserves our prayers for divine guidance and holy protection over his person and the Living Message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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