Over a month has passed since the release of Pope Francis’ Evangelii Guadium – the first major ‘apostolic exhortation’ of his papacy. Elected less than a year ago, much has already been written in both Catholic and secular circles about the importance of his leadership He enjoys approval ratings any political leaders would envy. Mainstream media analyzed Evangelii Gaudium for its significance as a statement of public policy. The Pope is a head of state as well as a religious leader (his official titles are “Bishop of Rome” and “Sovereign of the Vatican City State”), and though the Vatican’s statehood is widely perceived as a ceremonial relic, the Pope has the ear of world leaders. Therefore is Evangelii Gaudium – in addition to serving as a spiritual guidance for Catholics and non-Catholics alike – a relevant foreign policy document? The judgments Pope Francis renders in three areas– free market economics, women’s rights, and interfaith dialogue – make a strong case that the answer is yes.
POINTING A FINGER AT THE INVISIBLE HAND
“Trust in God; All others bring data” is a common quote at economics conferences. Pope Francis doesn’t bring data in critiquing absolute adherence to free-market capitalism. In fairness, Adam Smith didn’t either. Instead (as John Cassidy in the New Yorker and others have noted) Francis writes a moral take-down of “trickle-down economics” as an “…opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, (and) expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.” This language seems directed at those in public life – many Catholics among them – who see themselves as “free market fundamentalists” and view capitalism with an uncritical faith. Not content to stop there, Francis identifies an imbalance in public decision-making that “is the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. Consequently, they reject the right of the states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control. A new tyranny is thus born…”
“Crude,” “naïve,” “new tyranny”; these are tough words from a Pope. Some expressed concern that Francis’ statements about state action were a thinly veiled endorsement of communism. They should recall that the “new” tyranny Francis speaks of refers back to the “old” tyranny – namely, communism – that his predecessor John Paul II spent much effort resisting. His real target is political ideologies that assume the weight of irrefutable religious dogma and are not critical assessed for their effectiveness in addressing real-world problems. Many economists have already pushed back against Francis’ critique of free-market policy, arguing that it has lifted many out of poverty in the last century. Still, the vehemence of Francis’ rejection of the free-market “absolutes”, in terms unusually strong and specific for a religious leader, have resonated outside the Catholic Church. He raises a point many secular leaders have made in recent years: that extreme economic inequality ultimately threatens social stability. “We can no longer trust in the unseen forces and the invisible hand of the market,” Francis writes. “Growth in justice requires more than economic growth, while presupposing such growth.” Francis does not suggest how that “presupposed growth” should occur; that thorny question is left to economists and policymakers. However, while“99 percenters” argue that “the invisible hand is giving us the finger,” Francis points a finger squarely at it. The timing and content of his statements are significant support to those arguing that growing inequality is an overriding policy concern. They add weight that is likely to help keep the topic at the center of political dialogue.
‘WORD-SMITHING’ WOMEN’S RIGHTS
What Francis offers on women’s rights may be the most problematic part of the document for those outside the Catholic Church (and many in it.) While the overall tone of his writing is often accessible, here the Pope reverts to some legalese: “Demands that the legitimate rights of women be respected, based on the firm conviction that men and women are equal in dignity, present the Church with profound and challenging questions which cannot be lightly evaded.” To the consternation of many, Francis states unequivocally that women cannot be priests; but he quickly shifts again to a tone of openness: “To speak properly of our own rights, we need to broaden our perspective and to hear the plea of other peoples and other regions than those of our own country.”
While this language remains progressive from the perspective of Church history, with it, the pontiff creates two problems. First, the extraordinary rhetoric he devotes to restraining rampant capitalism is absent here, making the implicit point that women’s rights are a second-order issue in comparison. Second, it becomes more difficult for the Catholic Church, with its firm foothold in the wealthy West, to advocate for the defense of human rights when they are threatened elsewhere in the face of the inequality it both preaches and practices in its own ranks. Pope Francis takes pains to press for the expanded role of women in the Church, which moves the Church’s internal debate forward. Still, the document ends up highlighting the degree to which it remains mired in the past on sexual equality and how that, in turn, undermines its moral authority elsewhere.
REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE
“Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities,” Francis writes. It is a clear and profound message that remaining hermetically sealed in one’s faith community is not the path to political stability or spiritual enlightenment. The Pontiff goes further: “Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalizations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.“ Here, the Pope spiritually “excommunicates” from Islamic faithful those Muslims who use the Koran to justify terrorist goals. Calling for open dialogue between faiths is not only a message aimed at individual spiritual health of the world’s billion-plus Catholics, but also a pledge against “weaponized” Catholicism. The Pope affirms that religion does not exist to pursue radical political goals in deadly fashion. He’s also clear, however, that the world has far to go in progressing toward this goal. In fact, Francis uses some of his most pointed language to rebuke a common post-Cold War argument for the global triumph of democracy and free markets and cite the persistence of societal dangers: “We are far from the so- called “end of history”, since the conditions for a sustainable and peaceful development have not yet been adequately articulated and realized.”
Overall, the Pope’s message looks forward hopefully. He projects an understanding that the moral authority he projects must be maintained. In an era of polarization that message, and his emphasis on active engagement in the world, resonates in religious and secular communities alike.
