Pope Francis Denounces 'New Tyranny' Of Capitalism In His First Major Document Of Papacy

In an 84-page "apostolic exhortation," the first major document written by Pope Francis since he was chosen eight months ago to lead the Catholic Church, the pope set his sights on global poverty and inequality, denouncing the "new tyranny" of unfettered capitalism and calling on politicians across the world to guarantee their citizens "dignified work, education and healthcare." The New York Times writes that the "Evangelii Gaudium" -- "The Joy of the Gospel" -- released on Tuesday, lays out a sort of modus operandi for the Church in how to operate in the modern world, with the Gospel as a compass for what the pontiff described as "a new phase of evangelization, one marked by enthusiasm and vitality".

The first pope to be selected from outside of Europe in over 1,300 years extended his call to fight global injustice beyond politicians, pointing at the responsibility of the rich to share their wealth. "Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills," he wrote. "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"

The pope, who has said he intends to shift the church's focus from the debate over contraception and gay marriage to that of global inequality and poverty -- and has made headlines with his defense of undocumented immigrants -- wrote that the Vatican and its hierarchy "also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion," saying "I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security."

He wrote that a "globalization of indifference has developed" in part due to the "new idolatry of money." "The current financial crisis can make us overlook the fact that it originated in a profound human crisis: the denial of the primacy of the human person! We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs alone: consumption."

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