New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz Catholic News New Zealand Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:30:18 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cathnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-cathnewsfavicon-32x32.jpg New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz 32 32 70145804 Occupy Wall St protests spread - an economic crisis born of greed https://cathnews.co.nz/2011/10/14/occupy-wall-st-protests-spread-an-economic-crisis-born-of-greed/ Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:29:17 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=13389

Limitless Greed + Inequality + Market Volatility + Unemployment = An Occupied Wall Street. The small protest known as Occupy Wall Street has grown over the past 4 weeks. Occupy Wall St protests have spread across the United States and are now going world-wide. There is even a group planning a week-long protest at Civic Square in Read more

Occupy Wall St protests spread - an economic crisis born of greed... Read more]]> Limitless Greed + Inequality + Market Volatility + Unemployment = An Occupied Wall Street.

The small protest known as Occupy Wall Street has grown over the past 4 weeks. Occupy Wall St protests have spread across the United States and are now going world-wide. There is even a group planning a week-long protest at Civic Square in Wellington, starting on Saturday. The Occupy Wellington group is also planning to protest in front of the Reserve Bank from November 5 to 30.

Occupy Wall St protesters are speaking out mainly against economic inequality and corporate greed. Usually, in a recession, income inequality shrinks, but in the present crisis this is not happening.

In the United Sates, in 2005, the richest 1 percent of households earned as much each year as the bottom 60 percent put together; they possessed as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent; and with each passing year, a greater share of the nation's treasure has been flowing through their hands and into their pockets. The analysts, Ajay Kapur, Niall Macleod, and Narendra Singh, coined a term for this state of affairs: plutonomy.

According to The New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS), only twenty years ago New Zealand was one of the most equal countries in the western world. Now it is considered one of the most unequal countries in the developed world.

"Inequality increased faster here than in any other OECD country. Most of this increase is due to larger rises in overall incomes for the top 20 per cent of income earners."

In March 2009 Pope Benedict, speaking at a General Audience in Saint Peter's Square said that the basis of the current economic crisis is "human greed". "This economic crisis was born from greed" said the Pope. He then reminded of the French 8th century theologian and Benedictine priest Ambroise Autpert who criticised the wealth of the monasteries at the time. Ambrose Autpert "condemned greed and covetousness, considering them to be the root of all evil. In the light of today's world economic crisis, his thinking is very current" said the Pope.

Pope Benedict recognized the dangers when he wrote, "The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner."

The church has a lot to say about greed, but its voice is barely heard above the cry of the pitch-men and pitch-women hawking the most recent version of the Prosperity Gospel. From Oprah to the slick televangelists, the message that God wants us to be rich and will reward us here and now if we only want it badly enough and focus on it single-mindedly is devilishly successful.

 

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Occupy Wall St protests spread - an economic crisis born of greed]]> 13389 Income inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz/2011/06/28/income-inequality-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/ Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:00:40 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=6289

On 2 June Archbishop John Dew was one of the Church Leaders invited to speak at the launch of the Closer Together: Whakatata Mai information programme. This is a project of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services of which the Catholic Church is one of the six member churches. The project is targeted specifically Read more

Income inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand... Read more]]> On 2 June Archbishop John Dew was one of the Church Leaders invited to speak at the launch of the Closer Together: Whakatata Mai information programme. This is a project of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services of which the Catholic Church is one of the six member churches.

The project is targeted specifically at reducing poverty by addressing income inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand. The aim is to keep working for a just and compassionate society in New Zealand, giving priority to the poor and vulnerable members of our society.

If we were able to reduce inequality in New Zealand we could see the following changes:

  • 40,000 fewer people with obesity (which causes diabetes and heart disease); half the amount of depression and mental illness;
  • 2,000 fewer pregnancies meaning fewer abortions, and fewer young children and young mothers struggling with social problems;
  • 4,000 fewer people in prison (half the current rate of 8,000); double the rate at which we recycle waste.

Archbishop John said "I encourage you to look at the website www.closertogether.org.nz There is plenty of good information and also suggestions as to what we can do to reduce inequality and build a better society.

Remember Pope Benedict's words in Deus Caritas Est, 14: Unless this Eucharist passes over into concrete acts of love it is intrinsically fragmented"

Archbishop John dew is the Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Wellington New Zealand

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