Christians should, though, at least empathise with the free economy. All too often as Christians we see certain social objectives that we would like to see fulfilled - the elimination of poverty, universal education and housing, good health services and so on. As a result, we call upon the government as the one institution that we know can pass laws that we believe can help us achieve these objectives directly. We should resist this temptation. When we pass laws in this way, we undermine the autonomy of individuals, families, businesses, charities, co-operatives, mutuals and professional and civil associations to act separately and in solidarity to meet the varied needs of families and the joint needs of the community. We also frequently find that the result of such laws is precisely the opposite of that intended. It is with good reason that the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states that government intervention in the economic sphere must be a last resort and only continue as long as the special circumstances that require it continue. That is a strong statement and we should take note.