Corruption is a multi-national industry
The verses from Psalm 19, one of the responsorial options this Sunday, declares the perfection of the law of the Lord, reinforcing the point with references to God's decrees, precepts, commands, and ordinances. Zeal for the rule of law, however, is not universal. A new report from the international anti-corruption . . .
The verses from Psalm 19, one of the responsorial options this Sunday, declares the perfection of the law of the Lord, reinforcing the point with references to God's decrees, precepts, commands, and ordinances. Zeal for the rule of law, however, is not universal. A new report from the international anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International finds that a majority of people across the globe feel that corruption has worsened in their countries and that their governments are ineffective in combating it.
In its "Global Corruption Barometer," the civil society organization surveyed 114,000 respondents in 107 countries. The survey asked respondents to rate the corruption level of their countries' institutions on a one-to-five scale, with five being "extremely corrupt."
Political parties were considered to be the most corrupt globally, with an average score of 3.8 out of 5. Police came in a close second, with a corruption score of 3.7. Nearly a third of respondents who came into contact with police reported having paid a bribe. On the other end of the scale, religious organizations were considered the least corrupt of the institutions in the survey, with a corruption score of 2.6.
Fifty-three percent of respondents felt corruption had increased in the last two years, and a majority also believed that their governments couldn't fix the problem. According to the report, 54 percent of those surveyed view government as ineffective in combating corruption, up from the 47 percent recorded in the organization’s 2010-2011 survey.
The survey wasn't all bad news. Nine out of ten respondents said they would act against corruption, and two-thirds asked to pay a bribe said they refused.
Homily hint: How can we maintain our belief in the basic goodness of humanity in the face of so much corruption in our midst? Maybe there is some solace in the fact that corruption is nothing new; in fact, without it, perhaps redemption would not be necessary. While we must acknowledge the former, and do our best to stamp it out, we put our hope in the latter—the salvation that is our baptismal promise.
In its "Global Corruption Barometer," the civil society organization surveyed 114,000 respondents in 107 countries. The survey asked respondents to rate the corruption level of their countries' institutions on a one-to-five scale, with five being "extremely corrupt."
Political parties were considered to be the most corrupt globally, with an average score of 3.8 out of 5. Police came in a close second, with a corruption score of 3.7. Nearly a third of respondents who came into contact with police reported having paid a bribe. On the other end of the scale, religious organizations were considered the least corrupt of the institutions in the survey, with a corruption score of 2.6.
Fifty-three percent of respondents felt corruption had increased in the last two years, and a majority also believed that their governments couldn't fix the problem. According to the report, 54 percent of those surveyed view government as ineffective in combating corruption, up from the 47 percent recorded in the organization’s 2010-2011 survey.
The survey wasn't all bad news. Nine out of ten respondents said they would act against corruption, and two-thirds asked to pay a bribe said they refused.
Homily hint: How can we maintain our belief in the basic goodness of humanity in the face of so much corruption in our midst? Maybe there is some solace in the fact that corruption is nothing new; in fact, without it, perhaps redemption would not be necessary. While we must acknowledge the former, and do our best to stamp it out, we put our hope in the latter—the salvation that is our baptismal promise.
Source: An article by Alexander Trowbridge for CBS News