The Spiritual Consumption Tax

Fallibility is on public display again.

Isn't it wonderful that some things are irreducible? The Pope is answerable to God, and as such must remain infallible in his decisions, his pronouncements, his apprehensions, for he not only speaks the words of God, but must impress them upon the sinners, the wayward and the intransigent as much as the unquestionable faithful. His is an intrepid and courageous mission, this singular representative of the Most High.

As Keeper of the Faith, his divine mission is to excoriate the sinful among us - and we are legion - and give comfort to the meek and the mild, the unquestioning faithful. So when Pope Benedict XVI lavishes his attention on the corrupt, on meaningless commercialism, the needless consumer sumptuousness with which we to surround ourselves in sacrifice of the environment, and rather than share the goods of the world with those who have not, the world listens.

The Roman Church remains a spiritual inspiration to those of feeble faith, hauling them back into the fold when their spirit falters under the allure of availability of life's many purchasable treasures. "Reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our Earth, erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption."

Does no one ask what is the need of the Church to itself acquire and hoard countless treasures the like of which are not to be seen by its most humble practitioners? As an ancient purveyor of faith, the corporate interests of the Roman Church in assembling land and acquiring real estate, in extending itself as the protector of the world's artistic treasures, has few challengers. The extent of the Church's wealth indeed challenges its spiritual influence globally.

The Pope harangues his worshipful audience against the lure of "false idols", charging them with mortal sins, claiming, "In our personal lives and in our communities, we encounter a hostility, something dangerous; a poison which threatens to corrode what is good, reshape who we are and distort the purpose for which we have been created". His flock take their inspiration from Vatican City, from the excessive luxury and entitlements seen there.

Pope Benedict points out the corrupting and demoralizing influences of popular culture where television and the Internet conspire to expose innocents to physical violence, bloodshed, sexual exploitation, and how right he is. On the other hand, the Catholic Church has much to answer for, while it yet delays fully addressing, the common and blatant exploitation and sexual violation of children by sex-starved priests whom the Church quietly protects.

This man of God calls upon people to accept non-violence, sustainable development, justice and care for natural resources as being central to the continued existence of humanity. That message would enjoy greater resonance were it underlined by a Church hierarchy prepared to admit its own miserable failings.