Vatican newspaper denounces economy oriented to war
May 20, 2026
In the most prominent article in its May 19 edition, the Vatican newspaper denounced an economy oriented to war.
“War generates profits and considerable business opportunities,” staff journalist Roberto Paglialonga wrote in his op-ed, entitled “Il business dell’insicurezza” (The business of insecurity). “The Financial Times recently noted that in recent months—despite the ongoing crisis in the Middle East (or perhaps precisely because of it)—global productive activity as a whole has continued to grow at an annual rate exceeding 3%.”
“Today, what has evolved into a ‘business’ is a state of ‘systemic’ conflict, one rooted in fear and perpetual geopolitical insecurity, through which the new world order risks becoming permanently structured,” Paglialonga continued. “The techno-defense industry, the oil and raw materials sectors, and the armaments complex are the primary beneficiaries of the global tensions witnessed over the last few years.”
Referring to a May 14 papal address, Paglialonga added:
Yet, while there are a few winners—the elites whom Pope Leo XIV cited in his address at Sapienza University of Rome, criticizing their indifference to the common good—there are many who bear the costs and consequences of a structural war economy, starting with the most vulnerable. Furthermore, sectors guided by ethical choices contract; the system of international relations and multilateralism is weakened; the scope for democracy is diminished; and the spheres of personal liberty and privacy are curtailed.
On May 19, the newspaper also published “Il business dell’insicurezza geopolitica permanente“ (The business of permanent global insecurity”), an interview by Paglialonga with Vittorio Pelligra, a professor of economics at the University of Cagliari.
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Further information:
- Il business dell’insicurezza (L'Osservatore Romano, 5/19/26)
- Il business dell’insicurezza geopolitica permanente (L'Osservatore Romano, 5/19/26)
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