Pope Francis Is Harmful for Global Economy
Adelina Marini, April 4, 2013
The conclave in the Vatican has selected on March 13th 2013 Argentinian cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to become the 266th pope. His official name is Francis and he is a jesuit. He has become especially famous with his humility, avoiding luxury and wealth, with his care for the poor. Precisely this quality of his is the subject of the column of a Croatian journalist, Zeljko Kardum, in the weekly magazine Globus. Usually, his column contains biting and ironic comments on some of the most important events of the past week. In the March 22 issue, Mr Kardum points out that Pope Francis undermines the global economic order. We offer you herewith a translation of that part of his commentary dedicated to Pope Francis.
"However, there is an ideological danger for the Croatian and global economic order that comes from Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Why is he potentially dangerous? Because through his behaviour and statements he wants to inject chaos in the functioning of global economy. Awful. All politicians, bankers, economists and fund managers preach that the exit from the crisis is only in the big numbers economic growth. This is a common concept. Growth can be achieved by more spending (of households or the state) that will thus boost production. Or through the theft of others' savings which will then be spend to boost growth. Or with a new debt, or the printing of money that cost nothing which you distribute to the citizens so that everyone can spend.
The spending growth is the key to success. Besides, it is important the citizens, firms, the state to buy what they do not need and what is beyond their means. That is why there are commercials, marketing, stylists and other professional pimps of spending, credits, monthly instalments, personal bankers and revolving cards.
And now appears some Argentinian troublemaker who put a white tunic on, became a head of some state, changed his name to Francis and is pulling the wheel of history to another direction!? He does not want to spend on anything he does not need!? He does not want to be driven in the official auto, but to travel with the rest in the bus. He does not want a golden but his old iron cross. He recommends the believers not to spend their money on expensive trips, but only on arriving at his mess and to give away money for the poor. He openly calls for humility and requires the same of his followers!? In short: not only that he does not want to spend on what he does not need, but he also wants to keep his purse tight for what he does need !? He claims that it is not important how much you have, but who you are! As if it is less important to have than to be?
At first glance, this is nice and attractive. But think about it, what if this undermining propaganda would succeed? Even only among the 1.2 billion of those who claim they are catholics. All economic "Nobelers" in the past 40 years, bankers, money-lenders, sellers of useless things and supporters of vanity will find themselves in a very nasty situation. How would Apple and Samsung be able to sell a third model mobile phone in only one year? Who would buy shares of Facebook? What will Nintendo base its profits on? Half of the successful global economy is based on selling things people do not need!? Should now, according to this papal logic, the Croatian state public procurement office cancel the competition for 1742 official cars from the German auto "holy trinity"?!
Or should the municipality bosses limit the use of limos for only official purposes? Or, God forbid, the deputy minister of the bankrupt state? They can even sell the government air plane! The government residences could be provided to scientists, hospitals and poor homeless people? Think only for a moment, what if everyone spent only as much as they have and share with the poor? Without indebting the future generations? Is this really the world we want to live in? Politicians of all countries unite! You should eradicate such ideas".