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Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Pope Leo XIV And St. Augustine's Contributions To Economics
Pope Leo XIV as missionary, Bishop and Cardinal, followed and lived according to St Augustine's ... More teachings. Picture of Cardinal Prevost by Franco Origlia, St Augustine painting by Botticelli at Ognissanti Church, Tuscany, Italy The election of Pope Leo XIV, a member of the Augustinian Order, has renewed interest in the teachings of St. Augustine (354-430). The Order of St. Augustine (OSA), although not formally founded until 1244, drew its inspiration from the rules for monastic life established by the saint. Augustine's numerous works cover mostly theology, philosophy, biblical exegesis, apologetics, and pastoral matters. In some of his writings, though, we can find principles helpful for business and economics. A recent well-researched article by Matthew Becklo captured what I have also heard from various Augustinians: The Pope is 'a man thoroughly drenched in Augustine's theology and spirituality.' Following St. Augustine, he understands that 'the Church isn't striving to create heaven here on earth; instead, it's striving to draw earth up into heaven.' With this caution in mind, what were St. Augustine's views regarding earthly policy? The State Noted Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter (1883-1950) writes in his History of Economic Analysis: 'The accomplished author of De civitate Dei and of the Confessiones—whose very obiter dicta reveal analytic habits of mind— [never] Augustine's view of the state is deeply rooted in his theology, particularly as outlined in his seminal work The City of God (De civitate Dei), where he describes two cities, the City of God and the Earthly City. The first comprises those who live according to God's will and love God above all else. It is eternal and governed by divine justice. Members of the second live according to self-love and seek worldly power. This 'city' is temporal and marked by pride, conflict, and disorder. 'City of God' - from miniature by St. Augustine (translated by Raoul de Presles), 15th century. ... More Upper enclosure represents saint who have been received in heaven. The seven lower enclosures represent those who are preparing themselves, through Christian virtues, for heaven, or who are excluding themselves by committing capital sins. SA: Also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, Bishop of Hippo Regius (present-day Annaba, Algeria). Latin - speaking theologian and philosopher of Roman region, 13 November 354 28 August 430. (Photo by) *** Local Caption *** Augustine's reflections on this Earthly City inform his views on political economy. Dino Bigongiari summarizes Augustine's view of the state thus: '[The immoral] are the ones whose needs have called into the existence the political State. The State is necessary because the people, with all their greed, with all their desires, would otherwise soon have exterminated themselves.' The State helps to maintain relative peace and order in a fallen world, but Augustine never saw it as a means of salvation. Those who follow St. Augustine's writings do not idealize the state. Salvation lies solely with God and the Church; love for God and neighbor must guide political economy. Some brief yet essential passages in Augustine address private property, business profits, economic value, and the relationship between law and justice. To continue, I will briefly elaborate on these ideas. Private Property It makes little sense to speak about private property in the 'City of God,' but here on Earth, we see evils such as conflict, war, and injustice. Private property (as Thomas Aquinas later argued) does not eliminate these evils but does help to mitigate them. Augustine urged detachment from material goods but did not advocate the abolition of private ownership. Private property, he argued, was not divinely ordained but a human construct—created and regulated by humans and the authorities of civil society for practical purposes. 'It is by human right,' he wrote, 'that we say this estate is mine.' God has given the earth to all, but human laws make private ownership useful and tolerable; after original sin, this better accords with humanity's fallen nature. Augustine wrote, for instance, in opposition to a heretical sect called the 'Apostolics': 'The people styled 'apostolic' are those who arrogantly claimed this title for themselves because they refused to admit married folk or property owners to their fellowship, arguing from the model of the many monks and clerics in the Catholic Church. But such people are heretics because they cut themselves off from the Church by alleging that those who, unlike themselves, marry and own property have no hope for salvation" (De haeresibus 40). Closely connected with private property is the reality of business and profit. Business, Augustine wrote, 'is like eating, a morally indifferent act, which can be good or bad depending on the ends and the circumstances." Pedro de Aragón, a 16th-century Augustinian theologian, expounded: 'It is not business, but businessmen, who can do evil.' Augustine stressed that true poverty is in the heart. The Theory of Value There is a chapter in The City of God titled 'The distinctions among created things and their different ranking by the scales of utility and logic.' Augustine's reflections here had an immense influence on later economic thought. In the divine order and in the order of nature, 'living things are ranked above inanimate objects; those which have the power of reproduction, or even the urge toward it, are superior to those who lack that impulse. Among living things, the sentient rank above the insensitive, and animals above trees. Among the sentient, the intelligent take precedence over the unthinking: men over cattle.' But in the earthly order, utility—usefulness for man—is the main determiner of value. In Augustine's words: 'There is another gradation which employs utility as the criterion of value. On this other scale we would put some inanimate things above some creatures of sense…. For instance, would not anyone prefer to have food in his house rather than fleas?' The Late Scholastic notion of just price was also influenced by Augustine's theory of value, which states that the value we place on goods depends on the utility we derive from them. Since our needs and desires are subjective, utility is subjective as well. According to Schumpeter, Aquinas relied on Augustine once again when arguing, 'The just price of things is not fixed with mathematical precision, but depends on a kind of estimate, so that a slight addition or subtraction would not seem to destroy the equality of justice.' Augustine himself acknowledged that it is common to try to buy low and sell high, but emphasized that fairness is the moral course to follow in any transaction. For instance, he speaks favorably of a man who paid the fair price for a book even when the seller was offering it at a lower price. Justice and Law Augustine developed the notion that unjust laws are not true laws: a law, to be such, has to fulfill certain requirements. As we know, few things are more important for an economic system that leads to integral human development than the institutions of justice and the rule of law. 'Without justice,' Augustine wrote, 'there is no realm, nor province, nor city, nor hamlet, nor house, nor family, nor even a band of robbers and highwaymen that can last.' In Book IV of The City of God we read: 'If justice is taken away, then, what are kingdoms but great robberies? For what are robberies themselves, but little kingdoms? The band itself is made up of men; it is ruled by the authority of a prince, it is knit together by the pact of the confederacy; the booty is divided by the law agreed on. If, by the admittance of abandoned men, this evil increases to such a degree that it holds places, fixes abodes, takes possession of cities, and subdues peoples, it assumes the more plainly the name of a kingdom, because the reality is now manifestly conferred on it, not by the removal of covetousness, but by the addition of impunity. Indeed, that was an apt and true reply which was given to Alexander the Great by a pirate who had been seized. For when that king had asked the man what he meant by keeping hostile possession of the sea, he answered with bold pride, 'What you mean by seizing the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, whilst you who do it with a great fleet are styled emperor.'' A dictum of Augustine's was, "That which is not just seems to be no law at all' (On Free Will I.5). To be just, a law must derive from the law of nature in accordance with the rules of reason and usefulness to man. The just law must also be possible in the context of the customs of the country. It must be formulated by the one who governs the community, but it may not exceed his power as a lawgiver. The subjects should bear the burden of the law in accordance with proportional equality. Pope Leo XIV. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via) Pope Leo ... More XIV's economic teachings will likely follow and provide clarity to traditional Catholic Social Doctrine, but concrete economic policy recommendations will come from economists, not the Church Conclusion: The Church and Economics We should not exaggerate the Pope's influence on today's policy discussions. For instance, despite Pope Francis's more interventionist views, his Argentine compatriots elected Javier Milei, whose free-market views were the most radical in the country's history. During the electoral campaign, one of Milei's mentors even advocated breaking relations with the Vatican. And this was despite the fact that over 60% of the Argentine population is Catholic, compared to approximately 20% in the United States. This may give some indication of what influence we might expect Pope Leo's views to have. The Catholic Church's social doctrine, in which Leo XIV is very well versed, establishes that the concrete economic policy solutions is not a matter of dogma but of prudential decisions. The battle to choose the best policies is a task of the Earthly City. It is a great help, however, to have in the highest recognized moral pulpit someone who recognizes the autonomy of economic science and, at the same time, provides moral direction and clarity. Josh Gregor, jgregor@ contributed to this piece
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Freedom and authority in the Catholic Church: Pope Leo XIV's ecclesiological manifesto — housed in the library of Sydney University - ABC Religion & Ethics
In 2002, a scholar at the University of Sydney made a request to Fisher Library for what then seemed to be an unremarkable dissertation. Entitled 'The Office and Authority of the Local Prior in the Order of Saint Augustine', the dissertation was published in 1987 as part of a doctoral degree in Canon Law at the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. In the September of the year before the request, its author, Fr Robert Francis Prevost, an Augustinian friar hailing from Chicago, had been elected Prior General of his order after years of pastoral work in Peru, so his views on the order's governance would have been topical. Fisher Library had the foresight to procure a copy that has now resurfaced after its author's unexpected election as Pope Leo XIV. This precious volume — now in the Rare Books and Special Collections of Fisher Library — is the only copy of the thesis located in the southern hemisphere and one of only a handful of copies worldwide. Unlike previous popes, whose elections were preceded by widely diffused writings, this thesis is the only significant work published by the pope prior to his election. Thus, it gives us crucial insights into the pope's vision for the church and its leadership. Meeting the challenges of the modern age From its opening pages, this thesis explores the challenges that modernity poses for the Catholic Church. While Prevost recognises that the church cannot embrace all modern values, he is not antagonistic towards them. As the world has changed, so the church must adapt. Old notions of authority and obedience are no longer sustainable in an age defined by human subjectivity — which he terms 'personalism' in a tacit nod to the ethics of Pope John Paul II: Values have changed, there is a new understanding of the dignity of each person, and a new age of personalism has been born. Obedience as blind submission to the will of another is no longer accepted, and authority at all levels has been challenged, with claims that promote the values of human liberty and democracy but do not accept or understand the Church's standpoint on authority and obedience. As Prevost reminds us, this emphasis on freedom resonates with the opposition to authority expressed in the gospels. But for there to be true freedom, there must be authority, and this authority is established by Jesus himself: Authority is placed at the service of the good of others, this is true; not, however, because and in as much as it is derived from the community, but because it is received from above for governing and judging, originating in a positive intervention on the part of the Lord. From this premise, the future pope introduces the main theme of his thesis — namely, an exploration of the juridical authority and responsibilities of the local prior in the Augustinian order following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Every page is imbued with the spirit of the Council, and indeed the three apostolic duties ( munera ) described in Lumen Gentium , the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church produced by the Council, provide the structural glue for how Prevost articulates the responsibilities of the local prior: munus docendi (duty to teach), munus sanctificandi (the duty to sanctify) and munus regendi (the duty to govern). A theology of listening For Robert Prevost, the local prior is one of the most important authority figures in the Augustinian order despite his limited jurisdiction. This is because the decisions of the local prior have the greatest consequences for how Augustinian life is concretely experienced in actual communities. To a certain degree, Prevost's emphasis on local leadership anticipates Pope Francis's vision of a synodal church that listens to the voices of peripheries. Indeed, some of Pope Leo's first pronouncements after his election reflect his desire to build on Pope Francis's vision. But Prevost's thesis reveals that these statements were made not out of political convenience, but are the result of decades of sustained theological reflection. The source of the future pope's 'theology of listening' is Augustine's understanding of authentic Christian community: Theologically, an Augustinian community is an attempt to reconstitute the conditions of the first Christian community as described in the Acts of the Apostles and as adopted by Augustine in his Rule. In this community, authority is service, and that service is rendered within a context of listening to what the Spirit is saying in His people so that His projects can be carried out freely and willingly. The Prior then is called to listen, so that together they can discern and implement what the Spirit inspires. This theology of listening as the Spirit welds the group into community provides a framework within which the Chapter's authority can be understood. As progressive this might sound, Prevost counterintuitively situates this theology of listening within an institutional understanding of power. On numerous occasions, he reiterates the point that a superior's authority is 'is received from God' through the ministry of the church. He relates that this power, following the Jesuit theologian Francisco Suárez (1548–1617), had been previously understood as a potestas dominativa (dominative power) that was grounded on natural law — like parental authority over children. According to this view, the local prior's power does not derive from Christ but is 'born radically from the will of those who profess the vow of obedience and who donate themselves to the religious institute with the promise and obligation to obey according to its Rule'. Paradoxically, the contractual account of authority used in the Tridentine Church might seem to us more in tune with secular modern individualism, but the future pope rejects this, arguing instead that a local prior's authority is jurisdictional ( potestas iurisdictionis ) and is ultimately derived from the church, which approves the foundation of a religious institute and its constitutions. He concludes, again following Lumen Gentium , that this authority must be considered a divinely bestowed gift or charism that is ministered through the church. This rare copy of Robert Prevost's doctoral dissertation is the only copy of the thesis located in the southern hemisphere and one of only a handful of copies worldwide. (Credit: University of Sydney Library, RB 5487.2) Thus, Fr Robert Prevost's emphasis on grassroots leadership, while reminiscent of Pope Francis's insistence on 'a shepherd that smells of his flock', is founded on a much more institutional ecclesiology. This also transpires in Prevost's meticulous reflections on the procedures and constitutional norms which the local prior must follow in governance. If the vision articulated in Prevost's doctoral thesis plays out, his pontificate will most likely be more predictable and steadier than that of Pope Francis, even as it builds on his predecessor's legacy. I suspect that this is precisely what the cardinal electors wanted when they voted for him. Daniel Canaris is Lecturer in Italian Studies at the University of Sydney. He is an intellectual historian who specialises in intercultural exchange in the early modern period.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- The Independent
Pope Leo accused of failing to ‘properly investigate' clerical abuse by Chicago victims group
Pope Leo XIV is under renewed scrutiny over claims that he mishandled priest abuse cases while serving as a leader in the Catholic Church in Chicago. On Tuesday, members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) held a news conference, claiming Leo exhibited a 'pattern of failure to properly investigate abuse claims' during his time as head of the Augustinian order in Chicago. 'It was his responsibility to follow the meager church protocols and laws put in place,' James Egan, a SNAP spokesperson, said. 'Given his record, it doesn't seem that he prioritized protecting children at all.' Leo XIV, formerly Robert Prevost, became the first American pope earlier this month. While he led the Augustinian order in Chicago, the Archdiocese faced numerous clergy abuse allegations. A 2023 report by the Illinois Attorney General found that more than 450 Catholic clergy in the state had abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950, with many cases occurring in the Chicago area. SNAP argues that Prevost's leadership did not go far enough to address the crisis with transparency. While some reforms were made, including background checks and abuse-prevention training, the group questioned how thoroughly the accused were investigated. In response to the news conference, Rev. Anthony Pizzo, current provincial of the Augustinians of the Midwest, defended Pope Leo XIV, saying he implemented child protection protocols in 2001 and remains committed to safeguarding children and supporting victims. SNAP also raised concerns about Prevost in a March lawsuit filed with the Vatican. The first case allegedly happened in Chicago in 2000, where Prevost allowed a priest, Rev. James Ray, accused of abusing at least 13 minors, to live near a school. The same suit also accused him of missteps while serving as a bishop in Peru. The Vatican has not issued a formal statement regarding these concerns, although it denied that Prevost approved housing for the accused priest. However, Ray told the Sun-Times on Tuesday that Prevost had permitted him to stay there. 'We are not going to comment on third-party conversations that a reporter from another newspaper claims to have had with another individual, at this time,' Michael Airdo, an attorney for the Midwest Augustinians, said in a statement, per the Chicago Tribune.
21-05-2025
- Sport
Inside the Roman gym where the future pope kept a high heart rate and a low profile
ROME -- The Omega gym in Rome has long been frequented by residents of the up-market Prati district, as well as priests, nuns and monsignors from the nearby Vatican City. And also, to the delight of gym staff, the man who would become pope. Robert Prevost came to the Vatican from Peru in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world. Cardinal Prevost broke a sweat at Omega for two years until, earlier this month, he was elected Pope Leo XIV. 'When the name of the pope was announced, my phone rings and my son tells me, 'Dad, it's Robert! Robert, our member!'' Francesco Tamburlani, the owner of the gym, said in an interview. 'I heard the gym staff behind him cheering. ... This moved us, filled us with joy.' A typical workout for someone of Prevost's age, 69, was a mere warm-up for the little-known American cardinal, according to Valerio Masella, his personal trainer. Although it is hard to define an age group for personalized programs, Prevost's plan was more befitting of men aged 50-55. Masella would train him two or three times a week in sessions lasting up to an hour. So, how much does the pope bench? Masella can't speak to his papal power, since Prevost was focused on posture and cardiovascular capacity. He ran on his favorite treadmill that faces a mural featuring famous local landmarks, among them St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. 'We would start off slow and then go pretty strong, I must say. Especially a lot of resistance on the exercise bike, a very strong climb,' Masella said. Throughout their two-year training, Masella never knew Prevost was a cardinal, nor did he hear him utter a discouraging word. 'I don't think I've ever heard him make a comment about anything that wasn't positive. He was always positive about everything -- the weather, the city, the people, also for me, he said he liked the gym.' A Vatican spokesperson didn't reply when asked for comment. A sporting pope isn't new. Pope John Paul II, who was elected at the age of 58, was an avid skier and mountain trekker. Chicago-born Prevost's game is tennis. On May 15, he met top-ranked player Jannik Sinner, who gave him a racket and offered to play during an off day at the Italian Open. Leo had said earlier in the week that he would be up for a charity match when it was suggested by a journalist. After Prevost took over the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops in 2023, he said in an interview with the Augustinian Order that his new job had left him little free time to practice his game. While the Mediterranean climate makes tennis possible year-round, the papacy will likely leave him even fewer chances to step onto a court. Tamburlani, the Omega owner, says the Holy Father is welcome back any time he wants to squeeze in a workout. After all, his membership's still active. 'This would make us so happy,' he said. 'We would organize our gym to guarantee his safety and his privacy. We would just need a sign.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pope Leo says family based on ‘union between a man and a woman,' defends dignity of unborn
Pope Leo XIV has affirmed traditional Catholic doctrine regarding marriage, saying that it is founded on the "stable union between a man and a woman." The pope, who was elected to lead the Catholic Church on May 8, was making his first major remarks as pontiff during a private audience with the Vatican's diplomatic corps on Friday, where he also stressed the inherent dignity of the frail and vulnerable, including the unborn, elderly and immigrants. "It is the responsibility of government leaders to work to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies," the pope said. "This can be achieved above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman." While Pope Francis also said the Church could not accept same-sex marriage, conservatives accused the late pontiff of sowing confusion among the faithful by being more welcoming than his predecessors to LGBTQ people and approving the blessing of individuals in same-sex relationships. Football Legend Lou Holtz Calls On Catholics To 'Defend And Encourage' Pope Leo Xiv Pope Leo, the first American to lead the Catholic Church and a member of the Augustinian order, reaffirmed the Church's position against abortion, called for protection of religious freedom and said he would continue to pursue inter-religious dialogue. Read On The Fox News App "No one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike," Leo said. The gathering with the Vatican's diplomatic corps is standard protocol following the election of a new pope and allows him to greet representatives of world governments ahead of his formal installation Mass on Sunday. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with many other world leaders, will attend the mass, the Vatican said. In emphasizing dignity for immigrants, Pope Leo noted that his own family had immigrated to the United States. His remarks could lead to friction with President Donald Trump, who seeks to deport millions of illegal immigrants from the U.S. Trump and Pope Francis also publicly clashed on immigration. Media Positions Pope Leo Xiv As Potential 'Counterweight' To Trump "My own story is that of a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate," Pope Leo told ambassadors at the Vatican. "All of us, in the course of our lives, can find ourselves healthy or sick, employed or unemployed, living in our native land or in a foreign country, yet our dignity always remains unchanged. It is the dignity of a creature willed and loved by God," he added. Pope Leo's father was of French and Italian descent, while his mother was of Spanish descent. Pope Leo called on attendees to keep in mind three essential words – "peace," "justice" and "truth" – and said that they represent the pillars of the church's missionary activity and the aim of the Holy See's diplomacy. Truth, for instance, he said, "does not create division, but rather enables us to confront all the more resolutely the challenges of our time, such as migration, the ethical use of artificial intelligence and the protection of our beloved planet Earth." "These are challenges that require commitment and cooperation on the part of all, since no one can think of facing them alone. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: Pope Leo says family based on 'union between a man and a woman,' defends dignity of unborn
