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December 2nd, 2013
11:29 AM ET
Rush Limbaugh: Pope is preaching 'pure Marxism'By Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN) - Pope Francis: Successor to St. Peter ... the people's pontiff ... Marxist? That's what conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh suggests, calling the Pope's latest document "pure Marxism." Limbaugh blasted the pontiff on Wednesday, a day after Francis released "Evangelii Gaudium" (The Joy of the Gospel), a 50,000-word statement that calls for church reform and castigates elements of modern capitalism. Limbaugh's segment, now online and entitled "It's Sad How Wrong Pope Francis Is (Unless It's a Deliberate Mistranslation By Leftists)," takes direct aim at the pope's economic views, calling them "dramatically, embarrassingly, puzzlingly wrong." The Vatican issued the English translation of "Evangelii," which is known officially as an apostolic exhortation and unofficially as a pep talk to the worlds 1.5 billion Catholics. Francis - the first pope ever to hail from Latin America, where he worked on behalf of the poor in his native Argentina - warned in "Evangelii" that the "idolatry of money" would lead to a "new tyranny." The Pope also blasted "trickle-down economics," saying the theory "expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power." READ MORE: Pope Francis: No more business as usual The Pope's critique of capitalism thrilled many liberal Catholics, who have long called on church leaders to spend more time and energy on protecting the poor from economic inequalities. But Limbaugh, whose program is estimated to reach 15 million listeners, called the Pope's comments "sad" and "unbelievable." "It's sad because this pope makes it very clear he doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to capitalism and socialism and so forth." In fact, Argentina was a battlefield between leftist socialists and right-wing security forces during much of Francis' early career in the country, where he was a Jesuit priest and later archbishop of Buenos Aires. Limbaugh, who is not Catholic, said he admires the faith "profoundly." He admired Pope Francis as well, "up until this," Limbaugh said. The talk show host also said that he has made numerous visits to the Vatican, which he said "wouldn't exist without tons of money." "But regardless, what this is, somebody has either written this for him or gotten to him," Limbaugh added. "This is just pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the Pope." Limbaugh took particular issue with the Pope's criticism of the "culture of prosperity," which the pontiff called a "mere spectacle" for the many people who can't afford to participate. "This is almost a statement about who should control financial markets," Limbaugh said. "He says that the global economy needs government control." "I'm not Catholic, but I know enough to know that this would have been unthinkable for a pope to believe or say just a few years ago," Limbaugh continued. In fact, Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, now pope emeritus, could be just as strong a critic of capitalism. In 2009, Benedict, in an official church document called an encyclical, said there was an urgent need for "a political, juridical and economic order" that would "manage the global economy." As Limbaugh notes, Benedict's predecessor, the late Pope John Paul II, was a noted foe of communism, after living under its oppressions in his native Poland. But even John Paul thought that unregulated capitalism could have negative consequences. In "Evangelii," Francis called for more of a spiritual and ethical revolution than a regulatory one. "I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: `Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs,'" said Francis, quoting the fifth-century St. John Chrysostom. Liberal Catholics defended Pope Francis on Monday, calling on Limbaugh to apologize and retract his remarks. "To call the Holy Father a proponent 'pure Marxism' is both mean-spirited and naive," said Christopher Hale of the Washington-based Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. "Francis's critique of unrestrained capitalism is in line with the Church's social teaching." Limbaugh is not the only conservative commentator to take issue with the Pope's views on capitalism. READ MORE: Sarah Palin 'taken aback' by Pope Francis's 'liberal' statements “I go to church to save my soul," said Fox News' Stuart Varney, who is an Episcopalian. "It’s got nothing to do with my vote. Pope Francis has linked the two. He has offered direct criticism of a specific political system. He has characterized negatively that system. I think he wants to influence my politics.” It doesn't sound like the criticism is slowing Francis down, however. He's started sending a Vatican contingent, including the Papal Swiss Guards, into Rome to deliver food and charity. soundoff (6,695 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 Next » |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Anyone who is as sure as Limbaugh is that they are right and others are wrong is an idiot.
Come on people. Rush is nothing more than a talk show entertainer. When cornered, he'll say "I'm just an entertainer!" People who believe in him are ...not very intelligent. Kind of like people who believe that WWE wrestlers "really" attempt to beat the crap out of each other every week! You just can't fix the willfully stupid.
And this pig is an expert on piggery.
The ever crazy Rush strikes again with an outrageous bit of garbage feeding his trolls.
limbaugh,who?
What an idiot!!!!
Thought so all along! Rush Limbaugh is the Anti Christ!
"He has offered direct criticism of a specific political system. " -- ummm, nope.
You're wrong Varney. Dead wrong. Economic system? Yes. Political system? No.
Oh I know you are throwing a red herring in there, just to stir the pot. But you are wrong ..... and you know it.
I'm proud to say I'm a fiscal liberal social conservative!
Ah yes, now I remember. Poor Rush, he is the drug addict who thinks he is much smarter than he is. He clearly knows nothing about Catholic social teaching and it doesn't appear that he knows much about economics or history either!
I admire the strengths of Capitalism as much as anyone. But when you know these people seemingly worship Ayn Rand even more than the pope–a woman whose fiction envisioned a prooductive utopia if all the the good capitalists of the world were dumped together in a remote mountain valley instead of eating each other within a week like they would in the real world–then you realize how unbalanced their views are.
Funny, when it is redistribute money to the poor it is that evil Marxism. When it is tax breaks for the wealthy, it's capitalism, regardless of the progressive or regressive nature of the tax code. This guy is full of dope and really should be dragged off the airwaves for propaganda and misinformation.
Rush: "The commies! They've come to take our money and our bacon!!! Eaaaagggghhhh"
Me: "No grandpa... The cold war ended over twenty years ago..."
Rush: "It's the pope! He's a commie! "
Me: "...he always gets like this when he forgets to take his meds..."
**A work of fiction, of course...
Lemme get my comment in here!
How can the right be Bible thumpers, yet be totally, utterly, and completely against everything the Bible teaches?
Hypocrisy.
Watch it. The hypocrites will tell you that you are going to hell. After all they do set the standards and have received special "Judging Rights" from God himself.
Limbaugh, as the drug dealer and addict he has proven himself to be, thinks he knows capitalism because money was his get-out-of-jail-free card. By definition alone, all drug dealers are also staunch right wing Capitalists!!!!!
"Oh. Rush, I apologize; I forgot you were there. You may go now."
This fat pig never knows when to shut his face. Figures he's a Republican
What? The Pope is a Republican?
As if Rush Limbaugh has ever actually read a book by Karl Marx...