Catholics and Libertarianism

Jeffrey Tucker June 3, 2014 at 10:08 pm

It’s sad to have to point this but, as it turns out, people who favor free markets have thought about the poor for many hundreds of years, so saying “the poor” doesn’t actually amount to a refutation of the libertarian view. It’s not like libertarians hear points like this and think, omg, I can’t believe that I could have completely forgotten about poor people! Capitalism and freedom and the like can NEVER work because they completely screw the poor. Thank goodness for this great thinker for pointing out this otherwise forgotten point!

To be fair, this journalist might be completely mis-rendering the paper in question, so it might be a good idea to see what it actually says, but somehow I doubt it is actually much more sophisticated than this article suggests. And it really is demoralizing that a prince of the Church would drag down the debate to this level.

I know that I’m supposed to write a long article explaining how markets have lifted up the poor for, oh, 100,000 years. But somehow it is just exhausting to do this, when, actually, and I hate to say this, the REAL point of a paper like this and arguments like this is to please prevailing elite opinion at the NYT and elsewhere. This is why careerists like this say things like this.

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/06/03/catholic-libertarian-popes-top-adviser-says-theyre-incompatible/

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Patrick Hatten June 3, 2014 at 11:20 pm

Didn’t this come about during some dull conference in D.C.? About half the speakers were connected to unions. Of course they’re going to hate free markets. But I guess libertarianism is becoming a real threat since there is such a backlash.

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Toni Sopocko June 3, 2014 at 11:59 pm

Stuff like this is posted to let the sheep know how they SHOULD be thinking. There’s a group on FB called “Libertarian Catholics” that I belong to. We see NO contradiction between libertarianism and Catholicism.

Actually, I haven’t been a Catholic in a long time, though I was raised one and attended Catholic schools from K thru 12. But I am a Christian, and the one thing I know for sure is that God gave us free will. For a reason.

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Rollo McFloogle June 4, 2014 at 12:14 am

As a practicing Catholic myself, it’s a shame that a lot of the leadership in the Church worships the idol that is the state. A servant cannot serve two masters.

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Danny Chadwick June 4, 2014 at 12:21 am

I was raised Mormon, but I’ve always had a great affinity for Catholicism because I always thought they have all the best stuff in terms of history and ritual. I get discouraged when I see stuff like this because it seems like those who espouse these positions just don’t know their own history.

The Papacy itself is the oldest functioning political institution in Europe, perhaps in the world. It has witnessed the rise and fall of all of the nation states of the continent. Surely, one would think in that thousand plus years, that institution and its occupants could look back and see that it is these states are the true bringers of poverty. Alas, it is not the case.

How is it that we see these plain truths and those who inherit the mantels of such offices cannot? I can’t help but think that they must be able to discern such truths, and they either willfully ignore them or reject them in favor of supporting the violent intervention that has been the standard operating procedure since time immemorial, and has produced the same result over and over and over again.

I’m not sure which is worse.

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Anonymous June 4, 2014 at 12:52 am

Yes…I gave up trying to explain to an immediate family member who works for the church, how socialism actually hurts the poor. Another line that I got sick of hearing was “Give unto Ceaser what is Ceaser’s and give unto God what is God’s” or words to that effect. When I pointed out the immorality in taxation and the simple switching of words from theft>taxation I was met with a shake of the head…..You know, the old “thou shalt not steal” is pretty black and white.

At the end of the day, because they work for the church they have an economic incentive not to understand, because if they chose to entertain the ideas of liberty, that would force them to see how decayed and degraded the church has become, along with the lunacy and socialistic Armageddon that springs from the mouths of those in high office.

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Daryl Dominic Tan June 4, 2014 at 1:43 am

I’m Catholic (though not a very devout one) and I recognize that my religion has contributed extensively to the Libertarian ideology as we know it today. The modern concept of ‘Rights’ evolved out of Natural Law philosophy espoused by the likes of St Thomas Aquinas and St Augustine and given even more form and substance by the progenitors of the School of Salamanca, Francisco Suarez, Domingo de Soto and Father Francisco de Vitoria, who believed that every individual had natural rights. This was with regards to the indigenous peoples of South America when the Conquistadors were colonizing South America and committed horrifying atrocities in an attempt to stamp out paganism and tribal religions.

The School of Salamanca has also contributed extensively to free market economics. Murray Rothbard has gone so far to describe the Scholastic Economists of the School of Salamanca as ‘proto-Austrians’.

The current pope, I feel, is appealing to the masses and simply jumping on the bandwagon in an effort to make Catholicism more accessible and appealing to the younger generation. It is no wonder the esteemed Judge Andrew Napolitano commonly describes himself as a Pre-Vatican II Catholic.

I am also inclined to share a passage I came across by Pope John Paul II that I think might be of interest to you guys:

“By intervening directly and depriving society of its [proper arena of] responsibility, the social assistance state leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending. In fact, it would appear that needs are best understood and satisfied by people who are closest to them and who act as neighbors to those in need.”

Libertarianism and Catholicism not compatible? What a load of hooey.

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Cathy Cuthbert June 4, 2014 at 3:01 am

When this pope was “elected” i knew he was going to be trouble. I suspect he may have been more involved in the murder and mayhem in Argentina than only looking the other way, which is despicable in itself.

I’ve always found the socialist American bishops an embarrassment, at best.

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Anonymous June 6, 2016 at 8:09 pm

I recently browsed through some portions of the catechism of the catholic church. As my text formatting wont show correctly, my responses to the statements are paragraphed underneath each numbered paragraph.

1880 A society is a group of persons bound together organically by a principle of unity that goes beyond each one of them. As an assembly that is at once visible and spiritual, a society endures through time: it gathers up the past and prepares for the future. By means of society, each man is established as an “heir” and receives certain “talents” that enrich his identity and whose fruits he must develop.3 He rightly owes loyalty to the communities of which he is part and respect to those in authority who have charge of the common good.

You owe no loyalty to a community. It is a social construct made up of individuals who each have their own agendas and lives to live. You may choose to be loyal to certain individuals, and maybe you choose to be loyal to your entire “community” but you do not owe it.

You owe no respect to authority. To give respect to someone who has/hasn’t earnt it is a choice, not an obligation.

The common good exists only in the sense that everyone has inalienable rights that should not be infringed. As these rights are widely respected as a whole, society benefits. If they’re not respected and some have their rights violated for the benefit of others, this cannot be for the common good. This is what the state does.

1882 Certain societies, such as the family and the state, correspond more directly to the nature of man; they are necessary to him. To promote the participation of the greatest number in the life of a society, the creation of voluntary associations and institutions must be encouraged “on both national and international levels, which relate to economic and social goals, to cultural and recreational activities, to sport, to various professions, and to political affairs.”5 This “socialization” also expresses the natural tendency for human beings to associate with one another for the sake of attaining objectives that exceed individual capacities. It develops the qualities of the person, especially the sense of initiative and responsibility, and helps guarantee his rights.

The state is as necessary to man as cancer is to the body. The state is a parasite. It is a legal monopoly on the use of violence and coercion within a certain geographical area. Nothing more.

The key word that should be examined in this paragraph, which I agree with, is Voluntary. There is nothing voluntary about the state. All interactions, relationships and social constructs should be voluntary.

1883 Socialization also presents dangers. Excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative. the teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which “a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.”

Intervention by the state in any form is a direct affront to personal freedom. The state should not support anyone, as any form of support it lends has been stolen at gunpoint from someone else. It is the responsibility of individuals to voluntarily assist their fellow humans. Aka, charity.

1884 God has not willed to reserve to himself all exercise of power. He entrusts to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of its own nature. This mode of governance ought to be followed in social life. the way God acts in governing the world, which bears witness to such great regard for human freedom, should inspire the wisdom of those who govern human communities. They should behave as ministers of divine providence.

In our current system, the leaders who are most fit to “govern” in communities are those who will be cast out by the mob, or crucified for telling the truth.

1885 The principle of subsidiarity is opposed to all forms of collectivism. It sets limits for state intervention. It aims at harmonizing the relationships between individuals and societies. It tends toward the establishment of true international order.

Subsidiarity which is defined as: an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Political decisions should be taken at a local level if possible, rather than by a central authority

Subsidiarity is no moral principle because it still advocates the initiation of force, just at the local level. All relationships should be voluntary. If people want to form a community and live by a set of rules, be governed by some form of authority, that’s great…..but it must be voluntary or it is nothing more than a smaller case of cancer.

1888 It is necessary, then, to appeal to the spiritual and moral capacities of the human person and to the permanent need for his inner conversion, so as to obtain social changes that will really serve him. the acknowledged priority of the conversion of heart in no way eliminates but on the contrary imposes the obligation of bringing the appropriate remedies to institutions and living conditions when they are an inducement to sin, so that they conform to the norms of justice and advance the good rather than hinder it.

A paragraph that I can agree with. The state (collectivism) is a cancer and we must do everything we can to wake people to the realisation of this. The appropriate remedy to the state, is complete dissolution with voluntary social institutions appearing in its place.

1889 Without the help of grace, men would not know how “to discern the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil, and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse.”13 This is the path of charity, that is, of the love of God and of neighbor. Charity is the greatest social commandment. It respects others and their rights. It requires the practice of justice, and it alone makes us capable of it. Charity inspires a life of self-giving: “Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.”14

Agreed. “It respects others and their rights”. – The right to not have your wealth stolen from you and redistributed.

1890 There is a certain resemblance between the union of the divine persons and the fraternity that men ought to establish among themselves.

1891 The human person needs life in society in order to develop in accordance with his nature. Certain societies, such as the family and the state, correspond more directly to the nature of man.

1892 “The human person . . . is and ought to be the principle, the subject, and the object of every social organization” (GS 25 # 1).

+and their god given rights.

1893 Widespread participation in voluntary associations and institutions is to be encouraged.

Yes

1894 In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, neither the state nor any larger society should substitute itself for the initiative and responsibility of individuals and intermediary bodies.

Yes

1895 Society ought to promote the exercise of virtue, not obstruct it. It should be animated by a just hierarchy of values.

Society must start to call things by their true names for this to occur – Taxation is theft, war is murder, the state is the embodiment of violence and coercion.

1896 Where sin has perverted the social climate, it is necessary to call for the conversion of hearts and appeal to the grace of God. Charity urges just reforms. There is no solution to the social question apart from the Gospel (cf CA 3, 5).

The solution is called “Voluntarism”.

1897 “Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions and to devote themselves as far as is necessary to work and care for the good of all.”15
By “authority” one means the quality by virtue of which persons or institutions make laws and give orders to men and expect obedience from them.

As long as being part of this society is voluntary, which it currently, is not.

1898 Every human community needs an authority to govern it.16 The foundation of such authority lies in human nature. It is necessary for the unity of the state. Its role is to ensure as far as possible the common good of the society.

Again, voluntary or it is nothing more than the violation of some individuals rights for the benefits of others.

1899 The authority required by the moral order derives from God: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

This literally means that we should bow to who ever holds the guns. Bullshit.

It is right in one sense though, if you try to resist serfdom, the state will kill you.

1900 The duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority and to treat those who are charged to exercise it with respect, and, insofar as it is deserved, with gratitude and good-will.

Key word here – Deserved. Whilst the system is one of violence and coercion, the leaders deserve nothing.

Pope St. Clement of Rome provides the Church’s most ancient prayer for political authorities:18 “Grant to them, Lord, health, peace, concord, and stability, so that they may exercise without offense the sovereignty that you have given them. Master, heavenly King of the ages, you give glory, honor, and power over the things of earth to the sons of men. Direct, Lord, their counsel, following what is pleasing and acceptable in your sight, so that by exercising with devotion and in peace and gentleness the power that you have given to them, they may find favor with you.

A wish that will never be granted.

1901 If authority belongs to the order established by God, “the choice of the political regime and the appointment of rulers are left to the free decision of the citizens.

The sheep will vote for those who promise to feed them the most. The fact that they’ll eventually be slaughtered by the recipient of their votes doesn’t occur to them.
The diversity of political regimes is morally acceptable, provided they serve the legitimate good of the communities that adopt them. Regimes whose nature is contrary to the natural law, to the public order, and to the fundamental rights of persons cannot achieve the common good of the nations on which they have been imposed.

All regimes are just varying degrees of collectivism.

1902 Authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself. It must not behave in a despotic manner, but must act for the common good as a “moral force based on freedom and a sense of responsibility.

This contradicts 1899 due to the presence of the word freedom. Freedom implies choice, which when it comes to the state, is absent.

A human law has the character of law to the extent that it accords with right reason, and thus derives from the eternal law. Insofar as it falls short of right reason it is said to be an unjust law, and thus has not so much the nature of law as of a kind of violence.

This paragraph perfectly elucidates why the state is immoral. Reason tells us that the state is a legal monopoly on the use of force within a certain geographical area. This is unjust, there is no voluntary association with the state, and thus, it is a kind of violence.

1903 Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it. If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in conscience. In such a case, “authority breaks down completely and results in shameful abuse.

The common good – the preservation of individual freedoms and rights. The state doesn’t do this. It violates individual freedoms and rights at every turn and cannot exist without doing so. Unjust laws, taking measures contrary to the moral order – all symptoms of the state. Hence, I cannot and will not give my sanction to the state.

1904 “It is preferable that each power be balanced by other powers and by other spheres of responsibility which keep it within proper bounds. This is the principle of the ‘rule of law,’ in which the law is sovereign and not the arbitrary will of men.

If the issue of the immorality of the state is removed, then this is the most effective form of the state as employed by the founders of the United States of America. However, it should be noted that is lasted for barely 100 years and the president now rules as a dictator through executive order.

1905 In keeping with the social nature of man, the good of each individual is necessarily related to the common good, which in turn can be defined only in reference to the human person:

Do not live entirely isolated, having retreated into yourselves, as if you were already justified, but gather instead to seek the common good together.

Agreed – Through the non-aggression principle.

1906 By common good is to be understood “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.”26 The common good concerns the life of all. It calls for prudence from each, and even more from those who exercise the office of authority. It consists of three essential elements:

1907 First, the common good presupposes respect for the person as such. In the name of the common good, public authorities are bound to respect the fundamental and inalienable rights of the human person. Society should permit each of its members to fulfill his vocation. In particular, the common good resides in the conditions for the exercise of the natural freedoms indispensable for the development of the human vocation, such as “the right to act according to a sound norm of conscience and to safeguard . . . privacy, and rightful freedom also in matters of religion.

You cannot do this with a state, especially a democratic state where 51% of people decide how 49% will live.

1908 Second, the common good requires the social well-being and development of the group itself. Development is the epitome of all social duties. Certainly, it is the proper function of authority to arbitrate, in the name of the common good, between various particular interests; but it should make accessible to each what is needed to lead a truly human life: food, clothing, health, work, education and culture, suitable information, the right to establish a family, and so on.

To make accessible does not mean to provide. It simply means, in polite parlance, to stay the fuck out of the way. No one is entitled to food, clothing, health, work, education etc, unless they work for it.

1909 Finally, the common good requires peace, that is, the stability and security of a just order. It presupposes that authority should ensure by morally acceptable means the security of society and its members. It is the basis of the right to legitimate personal and collective defence.

The state violates the security of the individual and in most societies, restricts a persons ability to defend themselves using appropriate means. A collective defence should be voluntary, e.g. a militia, otherwise it requires theft to fund.

1910 Each human community possesses a common good which permits it to be recognized as such; it is in the political community that its most complete realization is found. It is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society, its citizens, and intermediate bodies.

It is the role of the rapist to defend and promote the good of the rape victim. Doesn’t make much sense.

1911 Human interdependence is increasing and gradually spreading throughout the world. the unity of the human family, embracing people who enjoy equal natural dignity, implies a universal common good. This good calls for an organization of the community of nations able to “provide for the different needs of men; this will involve the sphere of social life to which belong questions of food, hygiene, education, . . . and certain situations arising here and there, as for example . . . alleviating the miseries of refugees dispersed throughout the world, and assisting migrants and their families.

No, this requires violence and theft.

1912 The common good is always oriented towards the progress of persons: “The order of things must be subordinate to the order of persons, and not the other way around.”30 This order is founded on truth, built up in justice, and animated by love.

1913 “Participation” is the voluntary and generous engagement of a person in social interchange. It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good. This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person.

“Voluntary”.

1914 Participation is achieved first of all by taking charge of the areas for which one assumes personal responsibility: by the care taken for the education of his family, by conscientious work, and so forth, man participates in the good of others and of society.

Agreed.

1915 As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life. the manner of this participation may vary from one country or culture to another. “One must pay tribute to those nations whose systems permit the largest possible number of the citizens to take part in public life in a climate of genuine freedom.

There should be no state to restrict people from doing what they wish as long as it doesn’t infringe on others sovereignty. Voting is nothing but an advanced auction of stolen goods. The less people that vote, work for the state, have any participation in this system, the better.

1916 As with any ethical obligation, the participation of all in realizing the common good calls for a continually renewed conversion of the social partners. Fraud and other subterfuges, by which some people evade the constraints of the law and the prescriptions of societal obligation, must be firmly condemned because they are incompatible with the requirements of justice. Much care should be taken to promote institutions that improve the conditions of human life.

Refer to 1903.

1917 It is incumbent on those who exercise authority to strengthen the values that inspire the confidence of the members of the group and encourage them to put themselves at the service of others. Participation begins with education and culture. “One is entitled to think that the future of humanity is in the hands of those who are capable of providing the generations to come with reasons for life and optimism.

You’re entitled to think what you will. Only by using reason and evidence will you come to any semblance of truth.

1918 “There is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (⇒ Rom 13:1).

Go downstairs and read my book on Romans 13.

1919 Every human community needs an authority in order to endure and develop.

As long as its voluntary to be a part of.

1920 “The political community and public authority are based on human nature and therefore . . . belong to an order established by God” (GS 74 # 3).

Everyone as different views on how things should be done, but everyone has rights that must not be infringed, regardless of these views.

1921 Authority is exercised legitimately if it is committed to the common good of society. To attain this it must employ morally acceptable means.

Violence, theft and coercion is not morally acceptable.

1922 The diversity of political regimes is legitimate, provided they contribute to the good of the community.

Again, individual freedoms and rights must not be infringed.

1923 Political authority must be exercised within the limits of the moral order and must guarantee the conditions for the exercise of freedom.

The existence of a state is a direct infringement of personal freedom.

1924 The common good comprises “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily” (GS 26 1).

Individuals rights and freedoms.

1925 The common good consists of three essential elements: respect for and promotion of the fundamental rights of the person; prosperity, or the development of the spiritual and temporal goods of society; the peace and security of the group and of its members.

Agreed, can be done voluntarily.

1926 The dignity of the human person requires the pursuit of the common good. Everyone should be concerned to create and support institutions that improve the conditions of human life.

Voluntary institutions.

1927 It is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society. the common good of the whole human family calls for an organization of society on the international level.

The state shouldn’t exist. This sounds a lot like a call for global government – enslavement on a global scale.

1928 Society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority.

Social justice is the preservation of individual freedoms and rights.

1929 Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man. the person represents the ultimate end of society, which is ordered to him:

What is at stake is the dignity of the human person, whose defense and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt.

1930 Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy.36 If it does not respect them, authority can rely only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church’s role to remind men of good will of these rights and to distinguish them from unwarranted or false claims.

Then the church needs to start doing its job.

1931 Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that “everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as ‘another self,’ above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity.”37 No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes of pride and selfishness which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behavior will cease only through the charity that finds in every man a “neighbor,” a brother.

Agreed. But they’ll legislate away every semblance of free speech anyway.

1932 The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”38

1933 This same duty extends to those who think or act differently from us. the teaching of Christ goes so far as to require the forgiveness of offenses. He extends the commandment of love, which is that of the New Law, to all enemies.39 Liberation in the spirit of the Gospel is incompatible with hatred of one’s enemy as a person, but not with hatred of the evil that he does as an enemy.

Agreed.

1934 Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.

1935 The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it:

Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God’s design.

Through charity and brotherly love, not by edicts and acts of violence by the state.

1936 On coming into the world, man is not equipped with everything he needs for developing his bodily and spiritual life. He needs others. Differences appear tied to age, physical abilities, intellectual or moral aptitudes, the benefits derived from social commerce, and the distribution of wealth.41 The “talents” are not distributed equally.

They’re not, and shouldn’t be.

1937 These differences belong to God’s plan, who wills that each receive what he needs from others, and that those endowed with particular “talents” share the benefits with those who need them. These differences encourage and often oblige persons to practice generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods; they foster the mutual enrichment of cultures:

I distribute the virtues quite diversely; I do not give all of them to each person, but some to one, some to others…. I shall give principally charity to one; justice to another; humility to this one, a living faith to that one…. and so I have given many gifts and graces, both spiritual and temporal, with such diversity that I have not given everything to one single person, so that you may be constrained to practice charity towards one another…. I have willed that one should need another and that all should be my ministers in distributing the graces and gifts they have received from me.

Again, charity – Voluntarism.

1938 There exist also sinful inequalities that affect millions of men and women. These are in open contradiction of the Gospel:

Their equal dignity as persons demands that we strive for fairer and more humane conditions. Excessive economic and social disparity between individuals and peoples of the one human race is a source of scandal and militates against social justice, equity, human dignity, as well as social and international peace.

The state, attempted central planning of a market economy and the level of productivity one exerts are the cause of economic inequality.

Some have more than others because they provide more value to society than others.

A rich man who has gained his wealth through being of value to others has served he fellow human beings.

A rich man who has gained his wealth through using the state as a weapon is morally devoid.

1939 The principle of solidarity, also articulated in terms of “friendship” or “social charity,” is a direct demand of human and Christian brotherhood.45

An error, “today abundantly widespread, is disregard for the law of human solidarity and charity, dictated and imposed both by our common origin and by the equality in rational nature of all men, whatever nation they belong to. This law is sealed by the sacrifice of redemption offered by Jesus Christ on the altar of the Cross to his heavenly Father, on behalf of sinful humanity.

Charity is charity because it is voluntary. Free will.

1940 Solidarity is manifested in the first place by the distribution of goods and remuneration for work. It also presupposes the effort for a more just social order where tensions are better able to be reduced and conflicts more readily settled by negotiation.

No one should stop someone from working if they please to, regardless of how much they will earn. This is their choice.

Another key word “Negotiation” – something the state does not do.

1941 Socio-economic problems can be resolved only with the help of all the forms of solidarity: solidarity of the poor among themselves, between rich and poor, of workers among themselves, between employers and employees in a business, solidarity among nations and peoples. International solidarity is a requirement of the moral order; world peace depends in part upon this.

Voluntarism.

1942 The virtue of solidarity goes beyond material goods. In spreading the spiritual goods of the faith, the Church has promoted, and often opened new paths for, the development of temporal goods as well. and so throughout the centuries has the Lord’s saying been verified: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well”:47

For two thousand years this sentiment has lived and endured in the soul of the Church, impelling souls then and now to the heroic charity of monastic farmers, liberators of slaves, healers of the sick, and messengers of faith, civilization, and science to all generations and all peoples for the sake of creating the social conditions capable of offering to everyone possible a life worthy of man and of a Christian.

1943 Society ensures social justice by providing the conditions that allow associations and individuals to obtain their due.

The state should not exist, nor should it interfere with people going about their lives.

1944 Respect for the human person considers the other “another self.” It presupposes respect for the fundamental rights that flow from the dignity intrinsic of the person.

Yes.

1945 The equality of men concerns their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it.

Yes.

1946 The differences among persons belong to God’s plan, who wills that we should need one another. These differences should encourage charity.

Charity being voluntary.

1947 The equal dignity of human persons requires the effort to reduce excessive social and economic inequalities. It gives urgency to the elimination of sinful inequalities.

Eliminate the state, your 99% there.

1948 Solidarity is an eminently Christian virtue. It practices the sharing of spiritual goods even more than material ones.

Sharing is voluntary.

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