“Revolution and not just Reform Needed to Deal with Economic Crisis”

News Release

Monday, 23 March 2009

“The current economic crisis is of such scale that it calls not for limited reform but for a real revolution in our society’s priorities, policies and structures”, says Jesuit theologian, Fr Gerry O’Hanlon SJ, in a new publication, The Recession and God: Reading the Signs of the Times. The booklet was launched in Dublin today (Monday, 23 March 2009) by Professor Ray Kinsella of UCD.

Fr O’Hanlon, who is Acting Director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, and Associate Professor of Theology at Milltown Institute, said at the launch: “Obviously, the most urgent challenge is to re-stabilise our economy. But it is essential that we also try to understand how we have come to where we are now and how we might avoid a similar situation developing in the future.  Our natural preoccupation with short-term measures should not jeopardise this more long-term task.”

In his book, Fr O’Hanlon suggests that at a fundamental level the economic crisis is due to two main factors: firstly, an excessive and uncritical adoption of the neoliberal, unregulated free market economic model and, secondly, a culture which favours individualism and a weak notion of what is right and wrong.

“Humility and Ferocious Resolve”
Speaking at the launch, Professor Ray Kinsella said: “The current crisis represents nothing less than a catastrophic ethical failure not alone in the financial sphere, but within the broader domain of corporate capitalism. The common good was allowed to be ‘crowded out’ by the pursuit of short term monetary and political gain.” He went on to say: “Unless transformational changes now take place, we as an economy and society will experience what history teaches is inevitable: drift and an implosion of stability.”  Furthermore, he said “We urgently need leadership that has, at its core the ‘Service of the Person’ and which is directed beyond profit, and Power and aligned to the Common Good.”

April’s Budget
In addition, Professor Kinsella said, “In the forthcoming Budget we do need to take account of fiscal stability.  But even more, we need to take account what is right – that is, we need a budget framed not so much in Government Buildings but on our streets, in our hospitals, on our farms and in our families.  We are more likely to impress our foreign creditors if they see transformational change that counter-productive cuts that damage social and political dignity.”

Christian Wisdom an Important Resource
Fr O’Hanlon said that in shaping a new vision for society – one that favours the common good and solidarity with people on the margins – we should draw on all the resources at our disposal, including the wisdom available in Christian sources. “A critical understanding of God and a relationship with Jesus Christ can give the kind of insight and energy which are significant resources at this time of crisis for civil society”, said Fr O’Hanlon.  “This challenges religion and the churches to make their voices heard in an intelligible way in the public square. It challenges non-believers to be generous in opening themselves up to whatever wisdom may be available from religious sources.’  He added: “The ‘cold war’ between secularists and people of religion needs to come to an end: all people of goodwill need to be in solidarity if good is to triumph.”

Fr O’Hanlon concluded: “We need a lot more than angry moralising in response to our current crisis: we need cool, clear and radical new thinking, which will lead us in a just and sustainable direction. And Christian wisdom ought to be one of the sources that inform the national debate around these issues.”

The Recession and God: Reading the Signs of the Times is available from Messenger Publications: www.messenger.ie

ENDS

The author is available for interview.
For further information please contact:

Fr Gerry O’Hanlon SJ: 087 283 2384

Eoin Carroll, Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice: 087 225 0793

Office of Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice: 01 855 6814