As part of my “Pope watch,” I note that the Pope has taken a well-earnt break from advocating open borders, to attacking the money system. At first, I was pleased, but something does not feel right about the depth and intensity of the critique:
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2019/09/22/pope-francis-money-is-the-devils-dung-2/
“Pope Francis returned to his criticisms of the economy Sunday, saying that money is “dishonest wealth,” also known as “the devil’s dung.” Speaking in Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican, the pontiff told the tens of thousands of pilgrims and visitors to beware of riches in reference to the gospel reading of the day. “The key to understanding this story lies in Jesus’ invitation at the end of the parable,” the pope said. “‘I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.’” “This seems a bit confusing, but it is not,” he added. “‘Dishonest wealth’ is money, also called ‘the devil’s dung,’ and in general, material goods.” “Wealth can drive people to erect walls, create divisions, and discriminate,” Francis continued. “Jesus, on the contrary, invites his disciples to change course: ‘Make friends with riches,’” he said. “It is an invitation to learn how to transform goods and riches into relationships, because people are worth more than things and count more than the wealth they possess. Sunday’s speech was not the first time that Pope Francis has used colorful language in speaking about money, or even for the reference to “the devil’s dung,” a quotation from Saint Basil the Great. “It is not easy to talk about money,” Francis said in an address to the Italian Confederation of Cooperatives in 2015. “Money is the devil’s dung of the devil! When money becomes an idol, it rules over a person’s choices. And then it ruins a person and condemns him, turning him into a slave.”