Greed lies at the root of all evil and is the source of the current global economic crisis, Pope Benedict XVI said."It is precisely greed that insinuates to us that having is the highest good" in life and yet it is greed that distorts the purpose of material goods and destroys the world, he said April 22 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.
The pope's catechesis dealt with early Christian writers of the East and West, and his talk focused on a little-known, eighth-century Benedictine monk, Abbot Ambrose Autpert.
This French-born abbot lived during a time marked by strong political tensions, nationalism and tribalism, which affected life within the monasteries, he said.
The pope said Abbot Autpert wrote a very popular treatise titled "Conflict Between the Vices and the Virtues" as a way to help his monks combat temptation and face their daily spiritual struggles.
"For each of the 24 vices threatening the soul, he indicated the corresponding virtue that would help the Christian overcome temptation," said the pope.
The abbot taught that greed is the root of all the vices, he said.
"I underline this because in light of the current worldwide economic crisis it reveals itself as being (a) timely (message). We see that this crisis arose precisely from this root of greed," he said.
Abbot Autpert foresaw that the wealthy and the powerful would defend their way of life, saying they were not monks and therefore were not obligated to follow the austere life of an ascetic, the pope said.
The abbot said their excuse was valid, but he explained that God offers humanity just two paths and two doors in life: a door that is narrow or wide and a path that is steep or easy, the pope said.
God did not point to a third way that was both easy and led to salvation, he said.
"There are many different ways to live, but people, including the rich, must fight against greed, against the desire for appearances, and be against the false sense of freedom," which leads people to think whatever they desire is at their disposal, he said.
Pope Benedict said everyone, rich and poor, "must find the right path of truth, of love and therefore of the principled life."
The ascetic lifestyle of contemplative religious does not reflect a disregard for the world, creation and beauty, he said.
Turning their backs on the world's material possessions reflects "a disregard for the false vision of the world greed presents to us," he said. And it is this greed that tempts people into thinking that having is the most important value in life "and in this way distorts creation and destroys the world," he added.
The pope said the abbot also taught that God can only be found through love.
Theological or "intellectual study may point the way, but only when we love God do we truly know him," he said.
When greeting pilgrims at the end of the audience, the pope was presented with a black and white kaffiyeh, an Arab headdress. A Christian Palestinian woman from Shepherds' Field in Bethlehem, West Bank, gently placed the shawllike headdress over the pope's shoulders.
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