archives

St. Ambrose, one of the Fathers of the Church, and mentor to St. Augustine, said, "God has ordered all things to be produced so that there should be food in common for all, and that the earth should be the common possession of all. Nature, therefore, has produced a common right for all, but greed has made it a right for few." St. Ambrose, Duties of the Clergy, 1. 132. The implications of this teaching which is echoed in the most recent Catholic Catechism are very rich. "The right to private property, acquired by work or received from others by inheritance or gift, does not do away with the original gift of the earth to the whole of mankind. The universal destination of goods remains primordial, even if the promotion of the common good requires respect for the right to private property and its exercise." Catechism 2403.

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome

Violence against Christians worldwide, in hotspots ranging from Iraq to India, has emerged as a key concern during the Synod of Bishops on the Bible meeting Oct. 5-26 in the Vatican.

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI canonized four new saints, including the first-ever saint from India: St. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (1910-1946), a Poor Clare sister whose given name was Anna Muttahupadathu. The canonization threw a spotlight on the current drama in India, concentrated especially in the eastern state of Orissa, where dozens of Christians have been killed and tens of thousands driven from their homes in violence fomented by Hindu radicals.

I don’t have an MBA and I’m not very smart about the U.S. and global economic crises, but it seems to me that the Wall Street “fluid” and bank fluidity are two different liquids. Wall Street liquid is “oil”, and bank liquid is water — and the two don’t mix.

Banks trade on trust, clear water honesty: Wall Street trades on distrust, “oily” business. When banks get in the "business" of mixing oil with water, they become murky and are rightly distrusted.

Interview with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo
October 12, 2008

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas, is the only Catholic cardinal in America’s Bible Belt, which gives him a unique perspective during this Synod of Bishops on the “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” On Sunday, DiNardo celebrated Mass at his titular church, St. Eusebius, and later in the afternoon he sat down for an interview at the North American College.