I don’t doubt that Pope Benedict XVI has some mistaken ideas about economics, and the remarks that Epstein went after are not a model of clarity. But I think we can rule out the interpretation of those remarks that Epstein’s own comments assume. The pope is not calling for “the disappearance of profits” or “socialism,” and his comments do not clearly imply any specific program for government. What they do suggest is that businessmen not treat the making of profit as the only relevant criterion in their decision-making. I can imagine an argument to the contrary but not a persuasive one.