Fr Stan Lourdesamy on Vatican & Capitalism

Source: Axe (Bombay Catholic quarterly), vol 2.4 (1984)

 

Fr Stan Lourdesamy, an outspoken Bangalore-based Indian Jesuit,. explains why the Vatican is lukewarm on social justice issues.

"The efforts of the Vatican to quench the cry of oppressed people must be historically situated in its true political context. From 1976, the Vatican has been trying to discredit Liberation Theology (which is about the struggles of the poor against the forces of oppression) and has been pressing bishops to condemn particular theologians… The hierarchical church of which the Vatican is the apex cannot tolerate any initiative (like Lib Theo) that bypasses its authoritarian power structure.
It is suspicious of anything that springs from the life experience of the people… Their struggles have to be ignored.

 

The Vatican is much more at home with liberal capitalism.

It is a major shareholder in several national and multinational corporations of the West. The Catholic hierarchy, by way of properties owned and money at its disposal, is a rich church among poor people of the Third World. Given this economic base, it has to function according to the logic of capitalism… For this reason the Vatican can only point out general facts about mass poverty, injustice or inequality but cannot name those responsible.

It is ready to find fault with socialism but cannot censure the capitalists for exploiting the working classes… "