What does the Church say about capitalism and socialism?
Both can be evil, said Saint John Paul II, when, at their extremes, instead of our needs, they serve only our lusts.
Worldliness.
John Paul II’s views on materialism and capitalism were deeply rooted in his Christian personalism, focusing on the human person as the central point of analysis and evaluation. He strongly condemned consumerism, seeing it as a threat to human freedom to live according to love rather than material desires. The holy Pontiff supported economic liberty, viewing it as essential for human creativity and service to others. However, he criticized the materialist mistake of consumerism, similar to that of communism, where people are reduced to mere objects of material things. He emphasized the importance of economic liberty being circumscribed within a strong juridical framework and serving human freedom in its totality, highlighting the primacy of “person over things” and “being over having.” John Paul II likened consumerism to a form of slavery, stressing that it should not corrupt the human vocation.
And other figures in the Church?
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