D.G. Mathews: Sin-based system

Regarding the Sept. 24 letter “The pope and ‘capitalists’ like me”: Thank you for printing the attack on Pope Francis. The letter represented precisely what the Holy Father and those who have been victimized by unregulated and out-of-control capitalism are up against.

Like the writer, I have enough investment in the stock and bond market to live a comfortable life; I am a “capitalist.” But I also know that capitalism is essentially an anti-Christian system based on self-interest and greed. It is safer to base an economy on human sin than human benevolence because the former is more reliable.

The letter is a good example of that. It assumes that poverty is the result of sloth and incompetence. Personally, I know more lazy capitalists than I do lazy poor people. I also know more resentful capitalists than poor people, and I don’t envy the criminals who caused the economic disaster that befell us about seven years ago.

I am sure that Pope Francis will pray for those who believe they are the model of responsibility and moral rigor but ignore the Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount. We all need prayer; some more than most.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 4:59 PM with the headline "D.G. Mathews: Sin-based system."