Free markets, the rule of law and private property are part of the solution, not the problem Social encyclicals are not mere commentary on economic and political arrangements. Indeed, Laudato si’ conveyed a deep moral and theological message. The encyclical points to each and every human person and their relationships with God and his creation, writes Philip Booth, pictured right.But the political-economy aspects are still part and parcel of the document and there was certainly little comfort for those who believe in the case that has been made in Catholic Social Teaching for a broadly free and virtuous economy.However, there was also little in it for Christian democrats or social democrats who believe in material progress even if under different institutional arrangements. Th