Conservative critics pounced on Pope Francis’ remarks to a group of United Nations leaders in Rome last Friday in which the Pope called for “the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the State.”
Popular radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh called the Pope “a Marxist” and others chastised him for his lack of economic expertise. Fr John Zuhlsdorf, who hosts a popular conservative blog, wrote, “I wonder how many people are still listening to him seriously on this issue.”
Fr John Zuhlsdorf, who hosts a popular conservative blog, wrote, “I wonder how many people are still listening to him seriously on this issue.”
Zuhlsdorf also questioned the Pope’s economic perspectives because he is from Argentina. “I don’t mean this to be snarky, though I realise it could come off that way, given Argentina's track record, should anyone from Argentina tell anyone else anything about how to deal with economic issues?”
At Fox News, owned by Rupert Murdoch, executive vice president and former Vatican correspondent John Moody urged the Pope to “stick to doctrine [and] stay away from economic ‘redistribution.’”
Mr Moody questioned whether Pope Francis would be accused of hypocrisy because of the wealth of the Church and speculated why the Church should not voluntarily give up its tax-exempt status. “There is no doubt that the addition of tax revenue from the Church would be considerable, if hard to estimate,” Moody wrote on the Fox News website.
Sanctity of life vital alongside fighting poverty, Pope tells UN
Read Francis' address to the UN leaders
Above: Pope Francis and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Photo: CNS/L'Osservatore Romano via EPA
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