Bp. Barron says "Catholic social teaching is what is traditionally called ‘distributive justice’" vs. "On the contrary! This understanding of distributive justice comes out of the socialist movements of the 1830s..40s, congealed into pseudo dogma by Msgr. John A. Ryan"
“A cornerstone of Catholic social teaching is what is traditionally called ‘distributive justice’—which is to say, the equitable allocation of goods within a society.”
On the contrary! This understanding of distributive justice comes out of the socialist movements of the 1830s and 1840s, congealed into pseudo dogma by Msgr. John A. Ryan of the Catholic University of America, and has been condemned repeatedly by the Catholic Church. See this short article:
https://www.catholic365.com/article/12015/the-democratic-religion-or-the-great-reset.html
True distributive justice relates to proportionality of input and outtake in a common endeavor, at least according to Aristotle, Aquinas, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Compendium of Catholic Social Doctrine. As was made clear in § 22 of Rerum Novarum, distribution on the basis of need is grouped under “distributive justice” by default; it is an expedient that applies only in “extreme cases.”
A succinct explanation of the difference between charity, justice, distributive justice, and social justice can be found in our new book, “Economic Personalism: Property, Power and Justice for Every Person.” If His Excellency would like a complimentary copy, I would be more than happy to send him one on request, or he can download the free e-book from the website of the Center for Economic and Social Justice, https://www.cesj.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/C-EconPersonalism_Web-NOblanks.pdf
It’s a fairly short book and has a study guide in the back. If he has any questions, we here at CESJ are more than ready to discuss any issue he wants to raise with respect to economic or social justice.
It should be noted that CESJ’s “Just Third Way” received the personal encouragement of Pope Saint John Paul II during a private audience with CESJ representatives and members of Polish Solidarity.
Bishop Barron says all the right things regarding separation of powers. Except, spreading out wealth within a society to make an economy both more just and more efficient is inherently at odds with a democratic distribution of power. To distribute equally requires a dominant central authority rather than a separation of powers, with its competing views and checks and balances as we find in the present US Constitutional republic. Barron nevertheless rightly perceives a balance between government intervention and the natural flow of the economy. Now in danger of morphing into a Marxist autocracy. Egalitarian distribution of goods is a Marxist concept that was never fully realized in the USSR. It looked wonderful on paper ignored in reality. When the State becomes the ultimate arbiter human rights are inevitably compromised in favor of power. The present American model is the best for approaching Bishop Barron’s ideal, that is when Govt doesn’t enforce distribution based on perceived inequalities. As has been the process since the Obama regime. A regime rather than an administration due to forced policies on the populace. Furthermore, forced distribution of wealth and goods suffocates religious, humanitarian charity removing from people realization of their humanness. Distributive justice morally speaking requires exercise of free will. Our goal mustn’t be to create drones. A degree of imperfection needs to be acknowledged within a more perfect ordering of government. [https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2021/01/05/why-we-need-a-distribution-of-power/]
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