Free markets should not exclude, Pope argues

October 02, 2014

A democratic society “presupposes an economy and a market that are fair and do not exclude,” Pope Francis said, in an October 2 address to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

The Pope’s address included a number of recommendations for social reform, including some that would delight conservative listeners (“the universalization of free markets in the service of families”) and others that would be welcomed by liberals (“radical reforms that provide for redistribution of the wealth produced” and “redistribution of sovereignty, at both national and supranational levels”).

The plenary meeting of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace marks the 5th anniversary of the encyclical Caritas in Veritate, by Pope Benedict XVI. That encyclical, Pope Francis said, is “a fundamental document for the evangelization of the social sphere.”

In today’s global economy, the Pope said, one major problem is the “exploitation of international imbalances in the costs of labor.” The remedy, he said, would entail creating “mechanisms for protecting working rights, as well as the environment, in the presence of an increasingly consumerist ideology.” A stable and inclusive democratic society, the Pope said, would be built upon education, access to health care, and making productive work available to everyone.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• To Justice and Peace: rising inequality and poverty endanger democracy (VIS)