re: #225 Ian G.

This really isn’t new. JPII and Benedict were critics of unregulated capitalism too, but they (Benedict especially) made the issue a back-burner one while going batshit crazy after gays and contraception. Francis seems to be flipping things on its head, and de-emphasizing the right-wing culture war stuff. Somewhere, Rick Santorum is sobbing, rocking back and forth, and sucking his thumb.

That’s the key point. He’s not saying anything new in terms of what the Catholic church has been saying for ages. The thing is, he’s making those statements in terms of public policy, which IS new, at least when compared to Benedict, JP II, and the cardinals and bishops in most countries. Matt Yglesias says as much over at Slate:

I remember very clearly having been an intern in Chuck Schumer’s office and attending with the senator, some of his staff, and a wide swathe of New York City political elites an event at St Patrick’s Cathedral to celebrate the posthumous award of the Congressional Gold Medal to Archbishop John O’Connor. His successor, Archbishop Egan, delivered an address that went on at length about O’Connor’s charitable work, but on a public policy level addressed almost exclusively the Church’s support for banning abortion, for discriminating against gay and lesbian couples, and for school vouchers. That was a choice he made about what he thought it was important for people to hear about. Pope Francis is making a different kind of choice.

Honestly, I hope the Pontiff keeps it up. If he keeps talking about poverty and economic inequality over the social conservative stuff, and if he pushes for similar emphasis from the bishops and cardinals, that could be interesting. The reactions from the far right in the States will be fun.