"In this regard, the practice of paying tithes is little known but very interesting," the pope noted, "in which a tenth of a person's revenue is given to the king, as Abraham did after he received a blessing from the priest-king Melchizedek."
Francis explained that "the Old Testament, while maintaining this practice, gives it another meaning" and assigns the tithe to the Levitical priests. Tithing thus serves to cancel notions of self-sufficiency and helps create responsibility for the other, "starting with those most in need."
Interpreting taxation as "a sign of legality and justice," Francis insisted that a fair tax system "must favor the redistribution of wealth" as a "function of the common good," as taught in the Church's social doctrine (which it inherits from Scripture and from the Church Fathers).
Railing against "a society that focuses on private property as an
Ethicists, economists and biblical scholars — many of whom have questioned the pope's posturing on economics — noted with concern Francis' imposition of a Marxist hermeneutic on Scripture....."Tithing was a flat 'tax' mandatory for all Israelites. This is, ironically, the opposite of Francis' idea of secular taxation on the rich for the so-called common good," a Rome-based Biblical scholar told Church Militant, lamenting the pope's "disingenuous reading of Scripture....."Private property is enshrined as a fundamental good and a right for the children of Israel as they prepare to occupy the Promised Land," observed Blomberg. He noted that "numerous laws guard against theft of possessions, implying that there is private ownership of them."