CST in 140 Characters or Less: Heinrich Pesch on Capitalism

January 11, 2016 By Keith Michael Estrada

“Capitalists are usurers in the broadest sense of the word.”* Heinrich Pesch, SJ (1854-1926) 58 characters [Tweet this] A German Jesuit Priest who was influenced by Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, Heinrich Pesch, SJ, would become a towering figure in Catholic economic thought with his work on Solidarism – an alternative to the individualism (capitalism) and collectivism of his time. Although Pesch would reject the particular socialism of his day – much like Leo XIII – he managed to make a list of... Read more

CST in 140 Characters or Less: Bishops of Peru on Socialism

January 8, 2016 By Keith Michael Estrada

“Christians ought to opt for socialism … a socialism that is both humanistic and Christian.”* The Roman Catholic Bishops of Peru (1971), 92 characters [Tweet this] The full quote, is found in Enrique Dussel’s History and the Theology of Liberation. Dussel quotes and notes the following: This is not to suggest that the Christian cannot be in- volved in efforts to implement socialism in Latin America. The whole question of socialism has been opened up once again by certain Latin American bishops: Candido Padim,... Read more

USCCB: Archbishop Wenski on President Obama’s Gun Control Measures

January 7, 2016 By Keith Michael Estrada

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released comments from Archbishop Wenski yesterday on the President’s newly announced measures on gun control. The USCCB provides: “For a long time now, the bishops of the United States have called for reasonable policies to help reduce gun violence,” said Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, January 6, following the announcement by President Obama of measures... Read more

Materialism and Fallacious Thinking: Only the First is Exclusive to Atheism

January 6, 2016 By Keith Michael Estrada

On January 4 I posted “If You Want Atheism, Destroy Creation, Embrace Capitalism“. I didn’t expect too many people sympathetic to atheism to show interest in the piece, as it was directed to theists. If you check out the “combox”, you’ll see that all but one person (not including myself) support or defend atheism to some degree, if not identifying as atheists altogether. A lot of our atheist friends were offended or seemed confused by the language in the article.... Read more

Catholic Worker Inspirations: Dom Hélder Câmara on Capitalism

January 6, 2016 By Keith Michael Estrada

The Servant of God Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara (February 7, 1909 – August 27, 1999) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, in Brasil, and is currently in the early stages of the canonization process, just like Dorothy Day. Some conservative and (ultra-)traditionalist groups have expressed their unhappiness at the thought that Dom Hélder Camara would even be considered for sainthood. Why is this? He was no conservative in today’s understanding of the word. Perhaps if we consider conservatism as... Read more

Breaking: North Korea Tests Hydrogen Nuclear Bomb

January 5, 2016 By Keith Michael Estrada

“If there’s no invasion on our sovereignty we will not use nuclear weapon,” the North Korean government has said. CNN has the latest here. Hong Kong (CNN) In summary: North Korea says it has conducted a successful underground hydrogen bomb test, a first for the nation A hydrogen bomb is more powerful than plutonium weapons, which is what North Korea used in its past nuclear tests The U.S. says it may take days to confirm the claim Countries in the... Read more

Breaking: Obama Announces Executive Action on Guns

January 5, 2016 By Keith Michael Estrada

They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. – Isaiah 2:4 [Tweet this] Emotion paused President Obama’s announcement today, where he made public the series of executive actions he is to take to curb gun violence. The Washington Post reports: The package, which Obama plans to announce Tuesday, includes 10 separate provisions, White House officials said. One key provision would... Read more

#Oregonstandoff: Where Patriotism and Terrorism Lack Distinction

January 5, 2016 By Keith Michael Estrada

Only two days into the occupation of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the #Oregonstandoff is trending on social media and the event even has its own Wikipedia article. It wouldn’t surprise me of our readers haven’t heard of the occupation – there are better things to do and there is plenty of things going on in the world. Here’s a quick summary: On January 2, 2016, armed members of several rump militias, including the Citizens for... Read more