Editorial of the Razón de Estado program number 240

Family, friends, our home, our work or profession, the economy, politics, and religion are the dimensions of life that occupy most of our daily living.

All of them, except for religion, are tangible, visible, of this world. Each person practices their religion or not as they see fit

As if we didn't have important challenges in keeping earthly things afloat and under control, certain groups and individuals have been able to entangle, manipulate, and use religion for ideological purposes, for economic objectives, or even worse intentions.

That is why, just like politics, religions of the world are not having their best days. The projections are not optimistic.

Humans often seek that much-needed spiritual refuge in the wrong place. Therefore, it is important, for those who wish or need it, to find a more direct spiritual connection, without intermediaries taking advantage.

A dear theology professor told me years ago that it is harder to change beliefs than ideas and that, in a world like ours, we must be wary to prevent clever people from adding the false heavens they invent on top of what sometimes the world does to us.

This is relevant because in the 1960s, the world was heading towards socialism. Almost half of humanity lived under its rule, and according to Roman Curia of the time, it was only a matter of time before the other half fell.

From those days on, and for 50 years, free-market capitalism triumphed and brought the greatest prosperity that humanity has ever achieved. And the Church learned from its mistakes.

Today, it is time to repeat both accomplishments once again. The first one is to believe again that God and the religion we profess made us be born in freedom and, therefore, beneficiaries of our effort and creativity. And the second endeavor is to reinvent capitalism so that it can once again give humanity the well-being that only an economic system of freedoms, certitude, and private property can provide.

Socialism was and will always be a failure. Capitalism, like the church, needs a makeover to shine again, for the glory of God and those of us who consider ourselves his children.