There are a seeming endless amount of accounts of who or what is to blame for the current economic crisis. Is it the US government for allowing the collapse of Lehman Bros? Or was it the rating agencies who rated high-risk packages of sub-prime mortgages as if they were a rock solid investment? Or is it perhaps the very structure of the corporation that encourages short-term profits over long-term sustainability?
Into this debate, if mostly indirectly, enters the voice of Pope Benedict XVI. His latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), is an exposition of the social doctrine of the Catholic Church as it relates to contemporary issues. This extensive document brings Catholic teaching to bear on globalization, technology, development, politics and economics.
