Friday, June 16, 2017

Cardinal Turkson on Corruption

Yesterday, there was a debate hosted at the Casina Pio IV on the subject of Corruption, hosted by the Vatican Dicastery for Integral Human Development and the Pontifical Council for Social Services.

His Eminence, Peter Cardinal Turkson, President of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development has co-authored a new book on the subject of Corruption (along with Vittorio Alberti) which was published yesterday.  The book also contains a Forward which was authored by Pope Francis.

The volume explores the origins and devastating consequences of corruption, which the Pope describes as a curse and a cancer that can consume our lives. In his preface, the Pope describes corruption as the breakdown of relationships that every human being has with God, with our neighbours and with the natural world around us.

Origin of all exploitation
He describes it as the worst scourge of societies because it is the lifeblood of the mafia and other criminal organizations. Corruption, he says, is the origin of all exploitation and trafficking of people, drugs and weapons. It is at the heart of all injustice, lack of development, unemployment and social degradation.

Corruption tempts us all
Pope Francis praises the book for exposing the ramifications of corruption and the way it can tempt all of us in our political, economic, cultural or spiritual lives. The spirit of worldliness can corrupt us all - the Pope warns - leading to a hardening of our hearts and indifference to those around us.

The Pope ends his preface with an urgent appeal to all Christians and all people of good will to combat this curse, this cancer which can consume our lives.

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