Pope Benedict XVI and other world leaders are right that we do need a new "world political authority." But what does the Bible say about how it will come?
by Paul Kieffer
Just one day before the start of the G8 (Group of 8) summit meeting in Italy last month, the Vatican released the third encyclical published during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict's new encyclical is titled "Caritas in Veritate" ("Charity in Truth") and addresses the theme of international social responsibility for the general economic welfare of all mankind.
The papal letter took two years to produce and continues a theme that was a favorite of Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Its release the day before the summit meeting of the world's leading industrialized nations and Russia was apparently chosen to signal the Vatican's discontent with the way the new world economy, driven by globalization, is enlarging the gap between the planet's rich and poor.
According to Benedict, "the pernicious effects of sin are evident" in the world's current economic system. The pope singled out the desire to achieve profits above all else as a major problem in the global marketplace: "Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty."
Call for a "true world political authority"
The most remarkable aspect of the pope's message was his call for the establishment of a "true world political authority" to oversee the world's economy and work for the "common good" of all people instead of economic pursuits being determined largely by the interests of financiers and international big business.
A Vatican spokesman emphasized that the language of the encyclical is phrased in general terms instead of outlining specific steps that need to be implemented. Nevertheless, the language of the document is quite direct in places as seen in these excerpts (emphasis ours throughout):
