God Gives Us Abundance, But the Financial System Blocks Its Distribution

In the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, Jesus says (6:25- 33): "Do not worry about what you will eat or what you will wear... Look at the birds of the air: they do not labor, they do not sow or reap, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.... Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Does this mean we no longer need to work or extend any effort? Commenting on this passage, Louis Even wrote:

"The absence of material worry does not mean, obviously, that we should neglect material things or refrain from producing what is necessary. No, it means that once we have done what is reasonably possible, what we are capable of doing with the means at our disposal, we should at least be guaranteed the essentials — especially when those essentials are not lacking, and are far from lacking. The truth is, necessities are not lacking. Our heavenly Father, our Creator, has placed on earth everything needed to meet the needs of all humanity." 

The problem is that we need money to obtain food, clothing, and all the necessities of life. For those who have money, there is no issue — they can choose from the available production what suits them. But for those without money it's another story. Production is abundant, but distribution is blocked because of a defective and contradictory money system, in which money, instead of being a tool of service, has become a tool of domination — a tyrannical god that plunges all nations into debt and causes many to die of hunger (see page 25).

The Catholic Church cannot remain indifferent to such situations as world hunger and debt which endanger the salvation of souls. This is why, especially since Pope Leo XIII in 1891, the Church has developed a set of principles known as the social doctrine. If applied, these principles would lead to the happiness of all peoples (see page 4).

The Church speaks clearly against the current financial system. On November 5, 2016, for example, Pope Francis spoke of a "basic terrorism that is born of the global control of money on earth, and threatens the entire humanity", adding that "the entire social doctrine of the Church and the magisterium of my predecessors rejects the idolatry of money that reigns instead than serves, which tyrannizes, and terrorizes humanity."

We too — you and I — cannot remain indifferent in the face of such misery. To make these principles a reality in society, the Church calls upon all people of goodwill to seek solutions to put these principles into practice. Louis Even founded our movement to promote the solution of Economic Democracy proposed by Scottish engineer Clifford Hugh Douglas, which, to our knowledge, best applies the principles laid out by popes over the years (see page 12).

The problem with the capitalist system is not free enterprise nor private property, but the fact that capitalism has been corrupted by the financial system. What the Church truly desires is for all people to be genuine capitalists — that is, owners of social capital. This is what Economic Democracy teaches: that each human being is a co-heir of a common capital — natural resources and the advancements of previous generations —and that this inheritance should be represented by a social Dividend: a periodic sum of money distributed to every citizen.

Economic Democracy is a wonderful solution that fills us with hope. It is our duty to make it known to all.