A leading faith-based group is calling out Paul Ryan for warping the teachings of the Catholic Church to justify his economic agenda that benefits the rich and promotes income inequality.
The group Faith In Public Life responded to Paul Ryan’s election as Speaker of the House by reminding the American people of how Ryan warps the teachings of his faith to promote income inequality:
As you know, all eyes are now on the new Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, but Catholic bishops, theologians, nuns and faith-based social justice advocates have been watching him closely for years. Ryan frequently references the importance of his faith and has argued that his budget proposals find support in Catholic teaching.
Yet, Faith in Public Life thinks it’s interesting to point out that Catholic leaders have strongly challenged Ryan’s economic vision and pushed back on those claims. Ryan has also implied that Pope Francis, who urges political leaders to address what he calls an “economy of exclusion and inequality,” is naive.
There seems to be a disconnect between the faith Paul Ryan espouses and the public policy he supports.
In 2012, John Gehring, Catholic Outreach Coordinator at Faith in Public Life discussed Ryan’s budget and economic ideology, “If Rep. Ryan thinks a budget that takes food and healthcare away from millions of vulnerable people upholds Catholic values, then he also probably believes Jesus was a Tea Partier who lectured the poor to stop being so lazy and work harder. This budget turns centuries of Catholic social teaching on its head. These Catholic leaders and many Catholics in the pews are tired of faith being misused to bless an immoral agenda.”
As the mainstream media celebrates Ryan, it is important to remember that faith-based leaders have spent years calling Ryan’s economic views morally indefensible.
Paul Ryan dreams of America where Medicare and Social Security no longer exist. Poverty programs are a thing of the past, and those who fall on hard times are on their own. Ryan’s vision for the country is a nation of haves and have-nots, where the wealthiest Americans have it all. Ryan has used his economic ideology to warp the teachings of his faith, and as Speaker of the House, he is going to try to use his power to undo decades of progress for regular Americans.
The man who so many in the mainstream press are celebrating possesses a morally wrong economic ideology, as Ryan’s rise represents a new battle that must be fought to protect ordinary Americans.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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