The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace gets taken to the woodshed

                                     Papal Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

Although the MSM rhapsodized over it, Benedict has taken steps to ensure that nothing like that celebrated document on the world financial crisis gets out the Vatican door again.  Never, ever, ever.  Details from Sandro Magister here.

Not my Favorite Pontifical Council

Beginning Monday in Rome, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace will sponsor a two day council on the Church's social doctrine on the theme "Justice and Globalization: From ‘Mater et Magistra’ to ‘Caritas in Veritate’".

Here is one of the more interesting portions of Pope John XXIII's "Mater et Magistra"  (full text here:)

Personal Initiative and State Intervention

53. And in this work of directing, stimulating, co-ordinating, supplying and integrating, its guiding principle must be the "principle of subsidiary function" formulated by Pius XI in Quadragesimo Anno. "This is a fundamental principle of social philosophy, unshaken and unchangeable. . . Just as it is wrong to withdraw from the individual and commit to a community what private enterprise and industry can accomplish, so too it is an injustice, a grave evil and a disturbance of right order, for a larger and higher association to arrogate to itself functions which can be performed efficiently by smaller and lower societies. Of its very nature the true aim of all social activity should be to help members of the social body, but never to destroy or absorb them."