Fr Joe Borg
A yes and five ‘Nos’
Italian Prime Minister Mario presenting Pope Benedict with a book he wrote. Photo: AFP
On more than one occasion I wrote that the economic crisis that has bogged down the world for so long cannot be solved if it is only analysed from the perspective of economic theories.
I had written about the importance of the ethical dimension. I did so as all human actions have an ethical dimension because they are human actions.
Political decisions and an ensuing political crisis or solution (our own political crisis is not an exception) would fit within this perspective. But that could be the subject for another piece another time.
Such a perspective would give a holistic view of the problem, something that would be lacking if the economic dimension is the one just analysed. Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti is one of those who believes that economic theories on their own will not get us out of the current problem.
One should not be surprised at his position, as Italy under Silvio Berlusconi is a clear example of how the crisis of values that permeated politics was then transferred and manifested in the economy.
Monti clearly stated that “it is precisely through the re-evaluation of the Christian roots of Europe that holds the secret to overcoming the serious situation experienced by the continent”.
In this endeavour he also sees an important role for the Church.
“The relationship between nations and the Church can be a bridge, an opening which knocks down the walls of national selfishness and cements the sense of belonging that means respect, responsibility and solidarity,” he added.
While others unjustly lambast the Church on every occasion that presents itself, Monti sees her as part of the solution.
No one can accuse Monti of being a closet papist. His great experience at the heart of the highest European institutions and now at the helm of the Italian state must have taught him that it is so very true that man does not live by bread alone.
Besides this ‘yes’ for Christian values as a possible solution to the economic crisis an interesting analysis was recently presented by Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, president of the Istituto per le Opere di Religione, popularly known as the Vatican bank, in the form of five ‘Nos’.
I base my summary on the report made by Salvatore Cernuzio for the Catholic news agency, Zenit.org.
Tedeschi tied the economic crisis to the crisis the institution of the family has been go-ing through in the past few decades.
His five ‘Nos’ are the following:
• No growth of the economy: The decrease in the number of children has affected the size of the population, which in turn has negatively affected the level of consumption and the growth of GDP.
• No saving: Banks have no liquidity because people are saving less. “In 1975-80 the rate of savings accumulation of Italian families was 27 per cent; today it is 4.5 per cent. Today all that is earned is consumed, there are no resources for financial markets.”
• No marriages: People are marrying at an older age as “a young couple cannot afford to buy a house”.
• No elderly: “Children are not born and the population ages and is of pensionable age. Economically this means an increase in fixed costs. Society has no more money to look after the elderly.”
• No work: “To be able to consume, we have moved the most important work to Asia. Half of what was first produced in the western world, today is imported because it costs less. By moving production, jobs have also moved.”
Both Monti’s and Tedeschi’s comments provide us with a lot of food for thought.
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Joe Xuereb
Feb 1st, 21:38
Quote: His great experience at the heart of the highest European institutions and now at the helm...........that it is so very true that man does not live by bread alone. Spare us the cliches please.
Quote: Political decisions and an ensuing political.............But that could be the subject for another piece another time Is this a promise? Is this a threat? Why keep us on tenterhooks? Or maybe a hot potato gets out of its depth?.
Quote: While others unjustly lambast the Church on every occasion that presents itself, Monti sees her as part of the solution. And I see it differently. Economically speaking, the Church is nothing if not a financial machine. What with all the properties, banks, opulence, campaigns, and the best of everything, always. Not to mention, in the past at least, popes and other aspirants to the cathedra showing more than a passing interest in inherited money, and not always for the benefit of the Church. For sure, I do not expect the Church as institution to operate from a Nissen Hut but it cannot have evolved in a way that Christ would have approved. None of this is to say that the economic crisis is the fault of the Church. But at a stretch, one could say that if you are not part of the solution, you could be seen as part of the problem. Seeing that Mario Monti chose to bring the Church into this and gave the Pontiff a signed copy of his book in order to ingratiate himself(?). Keep it in the family comes to mind(harking back to inheritance as quoted above).
Quote: “The relationship between nations and the Church can be a bridge, an opening which knocks..... Which knocks me sideway Im afraid. Nations from across the globe being bridged by Christian values (see quote below). Talk about setting oneself up to fail. Not all nations are Christian so forget about imposing Christian values(see quote below). That is, unless one does not mind a repeat of WWII when Christians had it in for the Jews. And those who should have spoken up preferred to shut up. And while mentioning WWII, this was a time when Italian families were traditional, with more children than the current one with hardly any. And they saved. And they loved their patria. And they were still largely churchgoers. And their Governments, if I am not much mistaken, were falling every twenty-four hours. And the country went to war. The whole based on traditional Christian values. The boom, the miracolo of the 1960s cannot have had much to do with Christian values. It was more to do with favourable market forces and the Italians knack for making money, sales talk, la bella figura. But like everything else, fortune and its vagaries go together and corruption is never far away.
Quote: Besides this ‘yes’ for Christian values as a possible solution to the economic crisis an interesting analysis was recently presented by Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, president of the Istituto per le Opere di Religione, popularly known as the Vatican bank, in the form of five ‘Nos’.
The family is indeed in crisis. Christianity being on the wane people are choosing not to marry in church, have as many children as the wife can carry, marry(or shack up) later as rents/mortgages are exorbitant. Bring back Christian values and everything will start to go according to the old plans. Some women, as we know, do choose to have as many children as possible and usually for selfish reasons. I think I would be hard-pushed to find a female these days who would be prepared to stay at home just producing babies. While the male goes out to work to provide and save at the same time. I do not think so.
R. Aquilina
Feb 2nd, 13:15
Everything is in crisis today just because God and his values are being left out...and I am not talking about the god of any religion but about the God from the Bible. Money, fun, sex and all the wordly things had come before love, peace and compassion...and before everything that God taught us.