Charity in Truth: A Wake up Call for World Leaders and Civil Society, says Cardinal Martino

07-07-2009

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(07 Jul 09 - RV) Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, presented Pope Benedict XVI's third encyclical 'Charity in Truth' to the press Tuesday.

He told Philippa Hitchen that the new encyclical stresses that the economy is a human entity and as such needs moral and ethical rules, along the lines of those laid down in Populorum Progressio:

"Pope Benedict XVI intended to publish this encyclical two years ago in 2007 to commemorate Paul VI's Populorum Progressio, although the date has passed, there is constant reference to it in the encyclical of Benedict XVI. The encyclical expresses admiration for what Paul VI had foreseen and in a way Benedict XVI completes what Paul VI first started, with the experience of what has happened in the last 40 years and especially with globalisation. The encyclical refers also refers to the recent economic crisis especially stressing that the economy is important but because it is a human activity it must respect moral and ethical rules".

"Would you say that this encyclical is addressed in particular to world leaders, to those perhaps attending the current G8 summit".

"Yes we hope that this encyclical will be received with interest by all political leaders, because the important entities that make up the economy are, the markets the governments and civil society. The market cannot be left without regulation, we saw what happened with the crisis and so they need to be controlled, by whom? By governments!. So governments need to have a clear perception of what regulations need to be set up and also the need of civil society to intervene"

http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=300631