Munich, Germany - A Catholic archbishop in Germany published a book Wednesday attacking capitalistic excesses. Not only is the book called Das Kapital, but the author's name is Marx.
Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich is not related to 19th-century communist founding father Karl Marx, but the most reverend clergyman's surname draws wonderment and wisecracks wherever he goes.
The archbishop is also the most outspoken of Germany's 27 diocesan leaders in his criticism of big business.
In his book, he demands that the whole world adopt a market economy that is kinder to the weak and downtrodden instead of "heaping even more rewards on those who behave immorally."
"That's not utopia. It's a necessity for the sake of humans," said Marx in Munich.
The 300-page book, Das Kapital: A Plea for Humans, deliberately borrows its title from the "bible" of communism in which Karl Marx claimed 140 years ago that capitalism would automatically collapse.
The archbishop's book comments, "Capitalism without humanity, solidarity and justice has no morals and no future." He said a fresh look at social justice, or the world might veer back to dangerous ideologies such as Marxism.