In his first major publication, Pope Francis last week came down on capitalism and income inequality to the predictable applause of the mainstream media.
This led syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer to joke on PBS’s Inside Washington Friday, “The Pope is a Democrat. He ought to run for the presidency” (video follows with transcript and commentary):
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: The new Pope is shaking things up. This week in his first major publication, Pope Francis is talking about income inequality. The Pope asks, “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it’s news when the stock market loses two points?” How would you answer that, Charles, if the Pope was sitting right here?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: I’d say the Pope is a Democrat. [Laughter] He ought to run, he ought to run for the presidency. I mean, look, this is a traditional position of the church. There are arguments inside of the Church, there are Catholic intellectuals who write in defense of capitalism. But he’s from that tradition of the social gospel. And it is the original message to clothe the naked and to feed the hungry.
And he’s not just a man who preaches it. He is a man who lived it in his own life, in the humility of his own life. And I think there’s incredible authenticity behind it. So, I think it’s going to have a lot of influence, and I think it will unfortunately set back the movement in the Church at least recognizing how capitalism and the free market allows for the flourishing of individuals in a way that socialism and of course communism never did. So, I do not know how that’s going to affect that argument, but I credit him with sincerity and an incredibly good heart.
It's also fascinating to watch media members that hate religion and have been mocking the Catholic Church for years suddenly love the Pope because he's made some comments that fit with their political ideology.
The hypocrisy would be laughable if it weren't so predictable.
