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Bernie Sanders Applauds Pope Francis For Denouncing 'Cult Of Money,' Global Financial System

Bernie Sanders Applauds Pope For Calling Out 'Cult Of Money'
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Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) commended Pope Francis for calling attention to the dangers of the global financial system on Thursday, agreeing with the pope's criticism of the influential "cult of money"

“At a time when the gap between rich and everyone else is growing wider, at a time when Wall Street and large financial institutions are exerting extraordinary power over the American and world economy, I applaud the pope for speaking out on these enormously important issues,” Sanders said.

In a speech from the Vatican on Thursday, Pope Francis urged world leaders to reform the financial system and turn their focus toward poverty and inequality.

"We have created new idols," he said. "The worship of the golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal."

The pope added, "Money has to serve, not to rule!"

Sanders has been a champion of financial industry reform both in the U.S. and on a global scale. In April, he launched his latest effort to break up the biggest American financial institutions.

“We have a situation now where Wall Street banks are not only too big to fail, they are too big to jail,” Sanders said. “That is unacceptable and that has got to change because America is based on a system of law and justice.”

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Before You Go

What The GOP Doesn't Want You To Know About The Deficit
The Deficit Has Grown Mostly Because Of The Recession(01 of11)
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The deficit has ballooned not because of specific spending measures, but because of the recession. The deficit more than doubled between 2008 and 2009, as the economy was in free fall, since laid-off workers paid less in taxes and needed more benefits. The deficit then shrank in 2010 and 2011. (credit:AP)
The Stimulus Cost Much Less Than Bush's Wars, Tax Cuts(02 of11)
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Republicans frequently have blamed the $787 billion stimulus for the national debt, but, when all government spending is taken into account, the stimulus frankly wasn't that big. In contrast, the U.S. will have spent nearly $4 trillion on wars in the Middle East by the time those conflicts end, according to a recent report by Brown University. The Bush tax cuts have cost nearly $1.3 trillion over 10 years. (credit:Getty)
The Deficit Grew Under George W. Bush(03 of11)
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When George W. Bush took office, the federal government was running a surplus of $86 billion. When he left, that had turned into a $642 billion deficit. (credit:AP)
The Deficit Is Shrinking(04 of11)
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Last year's federal budget deficit was 12 percent lower than in 2009, according to the Office of Management and Budget.The deficit is projected to shrink even more over the next several years. (credit:AP)
Investors Are Paying Us To Borrow Money(05 of11)
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The interest rate on 10-year Treasury bonds is negative, according to the Treasury Department. Investors are even paying us for 30-year Treasury bonds, when adjusted for inflation. (credit:AP)
Investors Are Not Running Away(06 of11)
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Conservative commentators have been warning for years that investors will run away from Treasury bonds because of the national debt. So far it's not happening. Interest rates on Treasury bonds continue to hover at historic lows. (credit:AP)
Health Care Reform Reduces The Deficit(07 of11)
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Republicans have blasted the Affordable Care Act as "budget-busting." But health care reform actually reduces the deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (credit:Getty)
The U.S. Is Borrowing Less From China(08 of11)
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The U.S. government is borrowing much less from foreign countries than before the recession, according to government data cited by Paul Krugman. That is because the U.S. private sector is financing our bigger deficits. (credit:Getty)
We Spend A Lot On Defense(09 of11)
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Defense spending constituted 20 percent of federal spending last year, or $718 billion, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. This adds up to 41 percent of the world's defense spending, according to Bloomberg TV anchor Adam Johnson. Mitt Romney has vowed to not cut defense spending if elected president. (credit:AP)
We Spend A Lot On Health Care(10 of11)
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Health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, constituted 21 percent of federal spending last year. In contrast, education constituted 2 percent of federal spending. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have promised not to change Medicare for Americans age 55 and older. (credit:AP)
Republicans May Want Large Deficits For Now(11 of11)
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The federal budget deficit ballooned under Ronald Reagan, and that may be just the way Republicans like it. Some Republican thinkers have proposed "starving the beast": that is, cutting taxes in order to use larger deficits to justify spending cuts later. Since Republicans ultimately want lower taxes and a smaller government, what better way is there to cut spending than to make it look urgent and necessary? (credit:AP)
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