Assisi will host the participants of "Economy of Francis".St. John Paul II and the problems of the economyZiarrusta, Bursar of Bilbao: "The economy is not important, but it is a necessary means".Translation of the article into Italian
Rethinking the economic paradigms of our time in order to achieve social equity, protect the dignity of workers and contribute to safeguarding the planet. An economy "with a soul" that is also being pursued thanks to the courageous commitment and intelligent passion of a thousand young people, including economists and entrepreneurs, who have been meeting since yesterday in Assisi for the third edition of The Economy of Francesco (EoF).
The city of San Francisco was organized into 12 "villages" to accommodate the work of the three-day event desired by the Holy Father, focusing on the following themes: work and care; management and gift; finance and humanity; agriculture and justice; energy and poverty; profit and vocation; policies for happiness; CO2 of inequality; business and peace; economy is women; business in transition; life and lifestyles.
First day on-site
In 2020, the first edition of EoF was held entirely online, with live and streaming connections with members and speakers and a video message from Pope Francis. In 2021 the formula remained unchanged, with young people connected from all five continents and a new video message from the Pope.
However, "The Economy of Francesco" has inspired hundreds of initiatives in these two years and has generated numerous avenues for reflection and action in many countries around the world.
According to the organizers, the face-to-face debate planned for this year in Assisi will make it possible to synthesize the work carried out during these years. "Thanks to St. Francis and the Holy Father, a worldwide movement of young people has been born who already represent a force of economic thought and practice: we have been surprised, in terms of quality and quantity, by their participation in recent months," says Luigino Bruni, scientific director of the event.
"Dear young people, welcome! I welcome you with the greeting of St. Francis: may the Lord give you peace! At last you are in Assisi: to reflect, to meet the Pope, to immerse yourselves in the city. Assisi opens its treasures to you. It offers you many opportunities. Here you can learn from Francis the secret of a new economy. You will discover it in many passages of his life. You will feel it in the Porziuncola, in Rivotorto, in San Damiano, in the Chiesa Nuova, in the Basilica of St. Francis". With these words, Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino and Foligno and president of the organizing committee, welcomed the participants to the event.
Testimonials to communicate Francis' economy
"The only just war is the one we don't fight" was the message of peace launched during the first day by EoF residents. "Can you hear? It is the cry of our humanity, wars and terrorist attacks, racial and religious persecutions, violent conflicts. Situations that have become so commonplace that they constitute a third world war fought in a fragmented way. But people want peace, they want their human rights and dignity to be recognized. That is why we must promote cooperation. And avoid "taking resources away from schools, from health care, from our future and our present just to build weapons and fuel the wars needed to sell them".
Among the testimonies of those on the front line in the field of peace education in schools, it is worth mentioning that of Martina Pignatti, director of "Un ponte per", who recounted the work of her NGO in the war and post-conflict zones of Iraq and Syria, urging to oppose "the economies of war, the institutions, the banking system and the companies that finance weapons". This will bring about - in his opinion - one of the biggest changes to be achieved along with the ecological transition.
From Colombia, the cry of pain from two young farmers from the San José region (Sayda Arteaga Guerra, 27, and José Roviro López Rivera, 31). Their country has been torn apart by war and injustice for decades. A land rich in mineral and agricultural resources where armed groups sow death and violence, favoring illegal drug trafficking and multinational interests. "Our peace community," they say, "has managed to buy small plots of land."
Iraqi Fatima Alwardi highlighted the importance of using sport as a tool for inclusion and dialogue: in 2015, the volunteer association she founded ran the first Baghdad Marathon, which in 2018 saw women participating for the first time.
In the footsteps of St. Francis
Today's program, "Face to Face with Francis. Roads in the footsteps of St. Francis", counted with visits to places related to the life of the saint; then, at 11 a.m., the young participants will meet in the different towns. At 6 p.m., conferences open to all, with young economists and entrepreneurs talking with international speakers on the main themes of the event.
At the "Pro Civitate Christiana" the economist Gael Giraud will speak on "The economy of Francis: a new economy built by young people"; at the Sacro Convento Francesco Sylos Labini will speak on "Meritocracy, evaluation, excellence: the case of universities and research"; at the Monte Frumentario Vandana Shiva will speak on "Economy of care, economy of gift. Reflections on St. Francis: Only by giving do we receive"; at the Sala della Conciliazione Vilson Groh will address the topic "Pathways for a new educational and economic pact: building bridges between the center and the periphery".
And again, at the Istituto Serafico, Sister Helen Alford will address the theme "Universal fraternity: an idea that could change the world"; at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, economist Stefano Zamagni will speak on "The dangers, already evident, of the generalization of society. What is the counter-strategy?". In the evening, at 9 p.m., guided tours of the Basilica of St. Francis and the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
The objective of "The Economy of Francis".
At the press conference to present the event on September 7, Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino expressed a wish and a dream. The wish is "that these young people who will sign the pact with the Pope commit themselves to open a dialogue with the real economy, the business world, the banking institutions, the energy giants and the financial centers." The dream is that "in Assisi, city-message, city-symbol, now also capital of a new economy, one day, like the Pope today, the so-called 'great ones of the earth' may come to meet the young people of the Covenant, to be inspired by the prophecy of Francis and allow themselves to be challenged by his youthful passion".
Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Integral Human Service, explained that the aim of "The Economy of Francesco" is to bring together the prophecy of 'Laudato si` and 'Fratelli tutti`, and the courage to touch, to embrace poverty, typical of St. Francis of Assisi". For the Salesian nun, the Church "must rejoice" in the face of "so many young people who set to work to give content to dreams and experience the prophecy of an economy that leaves no one behind and knows how to live in harmony with people and the earth".
"The whole Church", he added, "must feel the duty to inform, follow and accompany this process, avoiding the temptation of wanting to box young people and their projects into pre-existing structures. As a Dicastery, we want to commit ourselves to guarding and accompanying the road already traveled, we want to get to know these young people better, to help us together to be at the service of the local Churches, where the greatest challenges are experienced, where the excluded have the right to have a name and a surname, where the enthusiasm of young people and their creativity are needed".
Meeting with the Pope
The three-day event concludes tomorrow, Saturday, September 24, with the meeting of the participants with the Pope at the Lyrick Theatre, where the "Pact for Youth" will be signed. The meeting will be streamed on the EoF YouTube channel and on VaticanNews in seven languages, including sign language.
Pact, the preamble of which was in a way anticipated yesterday by the Pontiff himself, with the help of an audience at Deloitte International, one of the world's largest economic and financial consulting firms. "No profit is legitimate when the horizon of the integral promotion of the human person, of the universal destination of goods, of the preferential option for the poor and of the care of our common home is missing."
For this reason, in the message broadcast on the eve of "The Economy of Francesco", baptized by some commentators as the anti Davos, the Pope took the opportunity to recall that the reconstruction of the post-pandemic and post-war world in Ukraine (when the conflict ends) will require a change of perspective, given that the global system so far based on consumerism and speculation cannot be sustainable at these levels, endangering the future of children.
It is true what St. Paul VI said when he affirmed "that the new name for peace is development in social justice. The dignified work of people, the care of the common home, the economic and social value, the positive impact on communities are interconnected realities.
