20/12/2012 - Honduras - Economy and society. Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga speaks up (ANS – Tegucigalpa) – Global economy, preferential option for the poor, education, the fight against corruption and, finally, hope: these are the themes addressed by Salesian Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in a long interview for the  "Where God Weeps" program produced by the Catholic Radio & Television Network in collaboration with "Help for the Church in need", a pontifically accredited work. 

"I am convinced that the current system is an unfair system, which produces inequality ... Since it seeks the good of a few, be they countries or companies or power groups in different countries" the Cardinal clearly states. He is the President of Caritas International and a regular guest at the most important economic and political meetings.

The prelate continues: "In the 1990s, during the dialogue with the Inter-American  Development Bank I remember having said once: 'Where are the Nobel Laureates in the economy? Are we unable to find an alternative system that produces more equality?' No one answered me then, during the break, one of the economists came up to me and said: Look, they aren’t interested, because they are fine with this system ... that is the problem ... "!

The way to go!, says Cardinal, !is to start afresh from the Church's social teaching, to bring the missing element of the common good, in the current world economy back into the centre of public discourse. There is a global economic crisis ... because a moral crisis broke out first, profit became the prime motive, with no concern for the losers”, adds Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga.

Preferential option for the poor becomes fundamental, referring to the Church's entire Magisterium; but this will only be possible if the whole system is going to change. The Cardinal explains – and he studied economics - "We talk about free trade, but trade isn't free. With  protectionism and subsidies we cannot talk about free trade; the system is designed to protect certain countries ... Look, all economists and politicians can tell me: 'That's the way the world is.' Of course, if they want to go on talking like that, inequality, poverty, immigration motivated not only by political motives, but also for social reasons, because of poverty, will simply continue”

The Archbishop also touched on other sources of injustice: the lack of real family life and the large number of children raised by single mothers; the lack of a good education in many parts of the world; ("What can someone do in a globalised world who has only had five years of primary school?"); the corruption and the impunity corrupt individuals enjoy ("Among us, we sometimes say that justice is like a snake that bites the barefooted person; nothing happens to the one who wears boots").

Finally the Cardinal presented two options of hope for every Christian, lay or religious. “The citizen's weapon is the vote and we must use it conscientiously", he says. And later: "if we are Christians, our example is that of Jesus, ... That's where we get the power; we know that God wants a new heaven and a new Earth and this does not happen by waving a wand; it will happen through each of us Christians when we try to build up the Kingdom during our lifetime”.

The full interview was picked up by the Agency Zenit, divided into two parts (1–2).