Do Unjust Social and Economic Systems Undermine Prosperity and Peace in the World?

Unjust social and economic systems undermine prosperity and peace. Pope Francis published a letter recently that included some comments about social and economic systems. He commented on the morality of some aspects of some economic systems. This has apparently created a firestorm on the part of certain so-called "conservative" talk radio hosts and writers. Let's look at some selected statements made by the Pope. I'd be interested to see what you think.

Before we do, understand that the letter wasn't written specifically about economics. His comments about economics take up a small percentage of what he was writing about. It's only the comments about economics that created the firestorm.

Now, here are some of the things Pope Francis wrote.

Addressing the inequality in economic circumstances that characterizes so many people in the world, he states: 

"The hearts of many people are gripped by fear and desperation, even in the so-called rich countries. The joy of living fades, lack of respect for others and violence are on the rise, and inequality is increasingly evident. It is a struggle to live, and, often, to live with precarious little dignity...

"Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape...Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a 'disposal' culture which is now spreading...

"To sustain a lifestyle that excludes others...a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people's pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else's responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase; and in the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us...

"Today in places we hear a call for greater security...When a society - whether local, national, or global - is willing to leave a part of itself  on the fringes, no political programs or resources spent on law enforcement or surveillance systems can indefinitely guarantee tranquility. This is not the case simply because inequality provokes a violent reaction from those excluded form the system, but because the socioeconomic system is unjust at its root...

"Today's economic mechanisms promote inordinate consumption, yet it is evident that unbridled consumerism combined with inequality proves doubly damaging to the social fabric. Inequality eventually engenders  a violence which recourse to arms cannot and never will be able to resolve..."

Just as others have done, I selected parts of the whole letter. The parts selected are descriptive rather then prescriptive, which means they are seeking to describe rather than seeking to impose a rule or method for understanding or addressing the problem described. There are other parts of the letter that appear prescriptive, and these are the parts that attract the most vociferous criticism.

If you read the comments I selected carefully, I suggest you ask yourself whether they accurately describe your personal experience. If so, I suggest something needs to be done about this situation. If you don't like what the Pope prescribes, then you need to come up with some better ideas.