Post War

After WW II, Europe was a mess.  Many people were homeless and starving.  Governments had to be reformed, or formed anew.  What much of Western Europe decided is that free market capitalism, left to itself would not work for taking care of all the suffering people in the present.  But Europe did not want communism.  So they wanted some form of socialism to moderate Capitalism.  What to do?  Along comes the Catholic Church.  Europe decided that the model to use was the social justice teachings of the Catholic Church as a safety net, working with capitalism to build up the economies while caring for suffering humanity.  This was enacted before the Marshall Plan of 1948.  So, when we are kicking around the Catholic Church for its human blunders, it would be good to know history. Yes, we are human, but with a touch of the divine.  At its best, my church is quite good.