Faith gives perspective on financial problems, Pope tells world economic leaders
January 22, 2014
In a message to the international leaders gathering in Davos, Switzerland, for the 44th World Economic Forum, Pope Francis has urged that economic policy decisions should be made “taking into account the dignity of every human person and the common good.”
The Pope’s message expresses the hope that the Davos meeting will allow for “deeper reflection on the causes of the economic crisis” that still grips he world. Pope Francis writes that the world has seen enormous economic gains, and a substantial reduction of poverty, but these positive results have been marred by “widespread social exclusion,” and most of the world’s people still live with insecurity.
“It is intolerable that thousands of people continue to die every day from hunger, even though substantial quantities of food are available, and often simply wasted,” the Pope says. He adds that refugees, “seeking minimally dignified living conditions,” are often unable to find them. Recognizing that the participants in the Davos forum have shown a great ability to solve economic problems, to turn their attention to these matters.
Calling for “a renewed, profound, and broadened sense of responsibility on the part of all,” the Pope suggests that a balanced approach to financial problems would be based on a faith that recognizes the moral obligations that accompany wealth. “I am convinced,” he writes, “that from such an openness to the transcendent a new political and business mentality can take shape, one capable of guiding all economic and financial activity within the horizon of an ethical approach which is truly humane.”
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