‘Caritas in veritate’ is a guide for politics and a manual for the economy, says Italian minister

Rome, Italy, Jul 24, 2009 / 10:08 am

At a recent congress in Rome on Pope Benedict XVI’s new encyclical, Caritas in veritate, Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finances, Giulio Tremonti, said the document constitutes “a true guide for politics,” as it reaffirms the centrality of the human person in society.  

 

During his remarks, which were published by L’Osservatore Romano, Tremonti said, “The old progressive dream of self-sufficiency” no longer works. What is needed is “an effort to promote the common good of society.” For this reason, Caritas in veritate constitutes “the first important document of analysis and reflection of the new world” in which ideologies understood as formulas for domination have been overcome.

 

Speaking about the last 20 years, Tremonti said this period has been marked by a “shift in paradigms.” “If the world is global, our thinking cannot remain the same. Our thinking cannot be only mercantile, but must also be civil.”

 

Amidst a global world, he continued, “the encyclical proposes positive opportunities related to the process of globalization; and at the same time, sheds light on the problems that arise from its improper management, if the interdependence between mankind and nations is not met with the ethical interaction of consciences and minds.”

 

Tremonti said this important document by Pope Benedict XVI “is not only a guide for politics but also a manual for the economy.  Caritas in veritate states that the authentic existence of the economy lies in ethics: such a principle sustains the inescapable importance of key values which are spiritual and not just material.”

 

Only by keeping this in mind is it possible to effectively and beneficially serve the common good, the Italian minister said.