Post-Tomist arguments for private property

Abstract

One day, St. Francis of Assyses was transiting a city and in front of him appeared a devil. He, step often, questioned him: What is the worst sin in the world? San Francisco replied that the worst sin in the world is murder. The devil replied that there is an even greater sin than murder. St. Francis then said, "By virtue of God, tell me what is that sin that is greater than murder?"
The devil replied that having goods belonging to others is a sin greater than murder because more people go to hell for this reason than for any other.1
Continuing the Tomist tradition, late scholastics attached great importance to the justification of private property. Its objective was to check whether private property law was in accordance with natural law and divine law. Some authors of the first scholastic had argued against this right by criticizing those who possessed wealth and recommending common property. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1226-1274) and the late scholastics rejected this condemnation on the basis of their reasons on evangelical arguments and a thorough analysis of human action.