If the Church recognizes that the market economy “is a powerful engine for generating wealth, freeing people from poverty and meeting social needs,” he said, it also knows that “without ethical guidance from political authorities, the market can be exploited for selfish motives, resulting in imbalances and injustices.”
He added that even though the government is charged with protecting the rights of workers and enacting public policy toward the common good, “the Church reminds us that government programs are not the only ways to serve the poor.”
“Sometimes, in fact, government may not be the best means,” he said in his column.
The archbishop explained that the Church teaches that works of charity are a personal duty for every believer. He also said that the Catholic principle of “subsidiarity” encourages the faithful to “seek solutions at the local and even the personal level.”
Archbishop Gomez then quoted Pope Benedict's 2009 encyclical, “God is Love,” which warned against a model of government that regulates and controls all aspects of society.
The Pope said that what's needed instead, is a system of governance that “in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need.”
Archbishop Gomez closed his article by noting that these “are some of the big questions that we are called to pray about this week and in the months ahead.”
“Let us ask Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of America, for the grace we need to set aside our self-interests and seek the justice required by Jesus Christ and his Gospel.”
Marianne is a journalist with a background in writing and Catholic theology. When not elaborating on the cinematic arts, she enjoys spending time with people, reading thick books and traveling anywhere and everywhere.