For the country which needs considerable imports for its support must tolerate continuous intercourse with foreigners … who, having been brought up under different laws and customs, behave in many way differently from the inhabitants of the country, so that these latter are spurred on to act similarly, and social life is disturbed. Again, if the citizens devote their lives to trade, the way will be opened to many vices. For, since the aim of traders is especially to make money, familiarity with trade leads to the awakening of greed in the hearts of the citizens. The result is that everything in the State will be put up for sale, mutual confidence will be destroyed and an atmosphere favourable to deceit and fraud created. Everyone, growing careless about the Common Good, will seek only his own advantage. The cultivation of virtue will decline, since honour, the reward of virtue, will be bestowed indiscriminately upon all comers. Hence, in such a State, social morality will inevitably suffer.

~ from The Governance of Princes by St. Thomas Aquinas

It is clear that Aquinas is criticizing making trade and economics the primary end of society. Even the bishops today, ignoring their Thomist heritage, see everything in economic terms and ignore the resulting social disruption. For Aquinas, on the other hand, the social disruption arising from the “continuous intercourse with foreigners” is the most important consideration. This shows how far the Vatican II Church has moved from Tradition … apart from their peculiar animus against abortion, they reveal themselves to be modern men in every other regard.

It is tempting to say that the quoted passage is pure prophecy, as it has all come to pass. However, it is really the result of clear and rational thought.

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