“The Economy of Francesco”, the revolution that leaves no one behind

There is no doubt that after the pandemic, the current war in Ukraine and the energy crisis in the world, there is an urgent need for renewal of the current world economy, for a revision of our system governed by capitalism, or by competition. , and performance.

Two counter-values ​​that risk giving a reduced vision of the person that do not respond to human nature and its real aspirations. 

"It is necessary - so Pope Francis addressed with a letter in 2019 to young professionals and entrepreneurs, leaders and Nobel laureates from all over the world - to study and practice a different economy, one that makes life and does not kill, that includes and does not exclude , which humanizes and does not dehumanize, which takes care of creation and does not plunder it ".

Thus, inviting us to plan together an economy that is attentive to people and the environment, leaving the binomial of producing / consuming ", and hinging on the idea of ​​a more just and fraternal economy," The Economy of Francesco "is the first global meeting-laboratory that is aimed at young scholars of masters and doctorates in economics from over 120 countries of 5 continents, which focuses on long times without being discouraged, giving rise to concrete initiatives, a tangible sign of the soul that wants to be renewed.

A process strongly desired by Pope Francis who proposed a 'pact' in which he calls young minds to be the driving forces of a process of conversion of the economic world and to give a soul to the economy of tomorrow, with the aim of opening a dialogue with the real economy, the business world, banking institutions,

The initiative, with the presence of the bishop of Rome, will take place in the city of Assisi from 22 to 24 September, in a historical moment so complex and full of uncertainties in which thousands of young people will give life and body to dreams, experiencing the hope that another more solidary economy, supported by gratuitousness, capable of sacrificing profit, whether small or large, is possible for the common good.

 Prof. Stefano Zamagni calls it the 

, moral and economic progress, a process that harmonizes Laudato Si ', Evangelii Gaudium and Fratelli tutti, which translates into the courage to touch, embrace poverty, as did St. Francis of Assisi, which, stripped of all its goods to belong entirely to God and the poor, as in a gesture of refounding being in the world, dreamed of a fraternal city without exclusions.

The Church wants to guide the great change that humanity demands and that, to a large extent, is taking place, urging young people to correct those models of growth that are no longer able to guarantee "the acceptance of life, care for the family, equity social, the dignity of workers, the rights of future generations, work intended as a service to vocation and not as slavery ”.

A broad and demanding perspective with respect to the "politically correct" of our days.

Ideas at the basis of the social doctrine of the Church and of the great human revolution of the Gospels: “We live in a historical moment marked by difficult challenges, which further highlights another global challenge.

This confronts all of us with the need for a choice: between what is important and what is not;

between continuing to ignore the suffering of the poorest and mistreating our common home, the earth or committing ourselves at all levels to transform our way of acting ”.

The hope is that the human being is not reduced only to being "functional", only to a 

but that the other part of our being prevails, that of the relationship, of reciprocity 

an important dimension of human life that we have probably forgotten in these long years.

We met 

, engineer, 37, consultant and expert on renewable energy and member of the global community The Economy of Francesco - EoF. 

Diego Luca De Trena

Diego Luca De Trena

What is Pope Francis' Economy?

Francis' economics is neither theory nor concepts.

It is an international community made up of young people and some not so young people, like me, who wish to work in theory and in practice for an economy that does not depend on and is not so much exposed to soulless markets, as the Pope defines them, but which is service of people.

This does not mean defending a socialist or central planning system and decreeing the end of the market, but it does mean highlighting the limitations of the current model which excludes many and uses many natural resources.

The Encyclical Laudato Si 'speaks of it very clearly.

The central theme of this event is to put the person at the center.

What does Francesco want to make us understand with all this?

Pope Francis talks a lot about the dictatorship of the markets.

Markets work very well for the exchange of goods and services.

We all buy, we all participate in the labor market and therefore there is a logic according to which everything depends on the market.

Market and economy become an end.

In my opinion, this is the recurring criticism made by the Pope.

We have noticed that the free market or capitalism is not a dogma.

Is "The economy of Francesco" a proposal that is part of the social doctrine of the Church?

Of course!

Pope Francis remembers things that the Church has been saying for decades, or perhaps centuries.

He speaks of the possible risks of an individualistic thought that is clearly anti-social and for this reason he wrote and published the Encyclical Brothers All in which he reminds us that we are all children of God and therefore we are all brothers.

Any project concerning the market must necessarily take into consideration the dimension of the person, the social dimension.

The opposite would mean going against human nature.

But many have perceived this initiative as a frontal attack on the free market ...

No. I believe that the market has lifted many people out of poverty, but at the same time these models, these doctrines, these ways of seeing the world are based on ideas that people are worth or not worth depending on what they are capable of. give to the market.

This is totally contrary to the dignity of the person as the church understands it.

People are an end and not a means.

For many, however, the market is the end and the person is the means, whether they are customers, employees or investors.

After the virulence of the pandemic, the current war in Ukraine and the energy crisis, we have seen our vulnerabilities.

How has Pope Francis' proposal affected, and not only in young entrepreneurs?

The goal of Francis's economy is that young people draw inspiration and have ambitions different from those that are the ambitions of society.

At the present time that we lived it was not possible to organize the first year event precisely because of the pandemic and even the second year it was not prudent to organize events in presence.

Today the whole world is going through an energy crisis that has highlighted the limitations of our economic systems intent on continuously exploiting energy resources that are not unlimited.

This is the era in which we have had to live and in which many of the young people of Pope Francis 'economy have made their entry into the labor market and many of the proposals formulated by Francis' economy go in this direction.

For example,

there is an initiative in Brazil to bring electricity to 600,000 people through the use of solar panels;

another initiative concerns sustainable housing, that is, affordable housing.

Many of the projects under development focus on these issues.

Instead in your case?

I studied in Catholic schools, both in high school and university and the school's motto was truth makes you free.

This motto has marked me since I was little and I have always sought the truth that I have found very often in the Catholic Church.

I also see that the reality of the economic world, not only that of business, but also that of the public service, is characterized by numerous power struggles and many interests.

Very often, those who pay the highest price for these power struggles are the citizens themselves, the population.

I believe it is necessary to understand that another world is possible and that this world can be improved.

It was not difficult to hear the Pope's appeal because he touched on issues that are very dear to me.

In your opinion, is this the great opportunity for the Church to lead global change?

Pope Francis and the Holy See have promoted many initiatives geared towards young people.

Through our collaboration with the Integral Human Development Department, we have realized that there are many other initiatives aimed at the managers of large multinationals.

I believe it is necessary to have an overview.

It is clear that inspiring young people means creating a promising future because they will be the leaders of tomorrow, the protagonists of change for the next 20 or 30 years.

What are the challenges that Pope Francis' economy will have to face?

The Pope's requests and appeals are present in the encyclicals he has published.

He wishes to give greater importance to aspects related to environmental sustainability, the care of the common home, but also to social aspects, such as the cry of the poor and the weeping of the earth.

He placed a special emphasis on universal brotherhood, through the encyclical Fratelli Tutti which offers answers to current, liberal, individualistic thought.

Compared to Francis's economy, most of the projects of young people sometimes lack realism because the world is often more complex than what young people think.

Social inequality is a problem but it hasn't always been this way.

The problem of climate change is an emergency that endangers the sustainability of the human being.

It is completely different from what happened in the past.

All humanity and the Catholic Church must provide answers.

The main challenge is how to carry out this new way of understanding the economy, the markets, and how to put economic theories into practice successfully.