Pope: The economy should not just be a ‘production machine’

In a message to the global ‘The Economy of Francesco’ gathering underway just outsde of Rome, Pope Leo urges young economists and entrepeneurs to challenge systems that produce inequality.

Break down the “wall” of indifference, and transform an economy that has become a mere “production machine”.

File photo: Pope Leo speaks via videolink with young American Catholics (@Vatican Media)

That’s the invitation Pope Leo XIV extended to participants at the global The Economy of Francesco gathering taking place from the 28th to the 30th November at the Mariapoli Centre, just outside of Rome.

'Making the desert bloom'

In his message, signed in the Vatican on 26 November, the Pope stresses that no one is more in touch than young people with the “new things” on which humanity’s future depends.

Through the Economy of Francesco, the Pope said, the Church is able to foster a path that “fertilizes economic thought and initiative”, thus making “even the desert bloom”.

“Yes, dear friends,” the Pope wrote, “the Gospel transforms human work and brings about in us changes through which abundant life enters the world.”

No-waste economies

Pope Leo then turned to discuss Pope Francis, recalling that his death occurred “in the fragrance of Easter” and saying that his legacy is a 'calling' for young economists.

Pope Leo quoted a line from a speech once given by Pope Francis to a delegation from The Economy of Francesco: “May a new way of living together and doing economics be born among you—one that produces no waste but material and spiritual well-being”.

The Pope also made his own the wish of his Argentine predecessor: 'Have courage, dear friends! Courage! If you remain faithful to your vocation, your life will flourish, and you will have wonderful stories to tell your children and grandchildren.”

Starting again, changing direction

The Pope then turned to discuss the theme of this year9;s meeting: “Restarting the Economy.”

Restarting, he said, means bringing back systems of life that are more than a mere “production machine”, restoring vitality to people, communities, and our common home.

Starting again, Pope Leo said, means “breaking the chains of injustice, repairing what has been wounded, and creating spaces in which every man and woman can breathe dignity and hope. Restarting may mean changing course and exploring new paths.”

Economic distortions

The Pope encouraged young people to reveal—through their lives, their businesses, and their research—the “incapacity of a system” which is increasing inequality and failing to care for the small and the vulnerable.

“Together,” he said, “we can welcome God’s dreams and see how they broaden our own, drawing us into a people’s adventure in which walls and prejudices fall and peace finds room to grow.”

Work and social action

Finally, the Pope urged his listeners that their work ought to be accompanied by social action, and not tied to passing trends.

He also invited them to nourish their spirit and “return to the heart” through reading the Gospel and the other books of the Bible, which he described as “the landscape in which God still makes his voice heard and inspires our visions.”

“You will be good entrepreneurs and good economists,” Pope Leo concluded, “if you come to know the divine economy: this is the secret of the many witnesses who have gone before us and who still walk with us. Dear young people, go forward. Indeed, let us go forward together!”

Edoardo Giribaldi
Source: vaticannews.va/en