Conservatives are dismayed by his calls for increased foreign aid, the redistribution of wealth, and a United Nations with “real teeth.” Liberals are wondering why the pope had to ruin such lovely sentiments by bringing up the evils of abortion, euthanasia, and birth control. Prominent voices on both sides think the pope is hopelessly naïve and unrealistic. Reading Charity in Truth for partisan purposes can yield moments of agony and ecstasy for left and right alike.
Charity in Truth tells us that the Catholic faith creates “breathing-space” for human beings first of all by rescuing us from determinism and the denial of free will and action. The good of eternal life taught by the Catholicism is a “higher good” that liberates us from the relentless accumulation of wealth. And finally, the pope employs terms such as “integral human development” and the “common good” that promote a myriad of social activities outside state control
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