Moral Issues and the Economy – Episode 11

Bio - Who are Michael and Gideon?

We live in a world where the rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer; where the means of production are getting ever more efficient, yet distribution is controlled by the few. In this situation of overt injustice, what are the teachings of the Church, and how can we help to be agents of a greater equity?

We discuss these issues with two colleagues from the Work Research Foundation, Hamilton ON: the President Michael Van Pelt, and Gideon Strauss, Senior Fellow and Editor of Comment.

As President of the Work Research Foundation, Michael is responsible for its organizational direction and vision. He has a history of working with independent businesses. He has stood in front of and sat behind the town council table. He has spent time advocating for trade in the provincial legislature. These experiences have given Michael the business savvy and political acuity necessary to build the WRF into an innovative institution with solid foundations.

Gideon is the editor of Comment, the WRF monthly journal that works through the issues of human dignity, poverty, and justice - all from the perspective of a Christian worldview. Gideon’s academic qualifications (a PhD in the ethics of public policy) and personal history as a conscientious objector to the injustice of apartheid in South Africa have given him insight into both the frustrations and hopes of real life.

• What is God’s purpose for government?
  Read Gaudium et Spes, 74.
• On what criteria should we support political candidates?
  Read Election 2004: Responsibility and Discernment, 13.
• What is my responsibility to the common good of society as a Catholic and a citizen? Read Gaudium et Spes, 75, 76.
• How do I carry out my responsibility to the common good as a Catholic and citizen?
  Read Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1913-1915.

• Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, no. 40-45, 73-76
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1877 – 1948
• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Note: The Participation of Catholics in Political Life (November 24, 2002)
• Document of the Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) Election 2004: Responsibility and Discernment (April, 2004)