Pope to World Economic Forum: Go beyond welfare mentality
January 22, 2014: Pope Francis has sent a message to participants at the World Economic
Forum which opens in the Swiss resort city of Davos on Tuesday evening. Catholic Church
leaders are among those taking part in the four day meeting, which is focused on the
theme ‘The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business’.
In the message, Pope Francis says it’s important to praise the steps being
taken improve people’s welfare in areas of health care, education and communications
and to recognize the fundamental role that modern business activity plays in bringing
about these changes. Nonetheless, he says, the successes which have been achieved
have often led to widespread social exclusion and too many men and women still experience
the dramatic consequences of daily insecurity.
Pope Francis stresses the vital
role that politicians and economists have in promoting an inclusive approach which
takes into consideration the dignity of every human person and the common good. This
concern, he says, ought to shape every political and economic decision but at times
seems to be little more than an afterthought. Those working in these sectors, he insists,
have a precise responsibility towards others, particularly the most frail, weak and
vulnerable. It is intolerable, he adds, that thousands of people continue to die every
day from hunger, even though food is available and often simply wasted. We cannot
but be moved, he says, by the refugees seeking minimally dignified conditions, who
not only fail to find hospitality but often tragically perish in moving from place
to place.
What is needed, the Pope concludes, is a renewed and broadened sense
of responsibility on the part of all and an openness to the transcendent vision which
can guide economic and financial activity towards a more ethical and humane approach.
Below, we publish the full text of Pope Francis' message:
To
Professor Klaus Schwab Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
I am
very grateful for your kind invitation to address the annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum, which, as is customary, will be held at Davos-Klosters at the end
of this month. Trusting that the meeting will provide an occasion for deeper reflection
on the causes of the economic crisis affecting the world these past few years, I would
like to offer some considerations in the hope that they might enrich the discussions
of the Forum and make a useful contribution to its important work.
Ours is
a time of notable changes and significant progress in different areas which have important
consequences for the life of humanity. In fact, “we must praise the steps being taken
to improve people’s welfare in areas such as health care, education and communications”
(Evangelii Gaudium, 52), in addition to many other areas of human activity, and we
must recognize the fundamental role that modern business activity has had in bringing
about these changes, by stimulating and developing the immense resources of human
intelligence. Nonetheless, the successes which have been achieved, even if they have
reduced poverty for a great number of people, often have led to a widespread social
exclusion. Indeed, the majority of the men and women of our time still continue to
experience daily insecurity, often with dramatic consequences.
In the context
of your meeting, I wish to emphasize the importance that the various political and
economic sectors have in promoting an inclusive approach which takes into consideration
the dignity of every human person and the common good. I am referring to a concern
that ought to shape every political and economic decision, but which at times seems
to be little more than an afterthought. Those working in these sectors have a precise
responsibility towards others, particularly those who are most frail, weak and vulnerable.
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.
Likewise, we cannot but be moved by the many refugees seeking minimally dignified
living conditions, who not only fail to find hospitality, but often, tragically, perish
in moving from place to place. I know that these words are forceful, even dramatic,
but they seek both to affirm and to challenge the ability of this assembly to make
a difference. In fact, those who have demonstrated their aptitude for being innovative
and for improving the lives of many people by their ingenuity and professional expertise
can further contribute by putting their skills at the service of those who are still
living in dire poverty.
What is needed, then, is a renewed, profound and broadened
sense of responsibility on the part of all. “Business is - in fact - a vocation, and
a noble vocation, provided that those engaged in it see themselves challenged by a
greater meaning in life” (Evangelii Gaudium, 203). Such men and women are able to
serve more effectively the common good and to make the goods of this world more accessible
to all. Nevertheless, the growth of equality demands something more than economic
growth, even though it presupposes it. It demands first of all “a transcendent vision
of the person” (Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 11), because “without the perspective
of eternal life, human progress in this world is denied breathing-space” (ibid.).
It also calls for decisions, mechanisms and processes directed to a better distribution
of wealth, the creation of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the
poor which goes beyond a simple welfare mentality.
I am convinced 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. The international business community
can count on many men and women of great personal honesty and integrity, whose work
is inspired and guided by high ideals of fairness, generosity and concern for the
authentic development of the human family. I urge you to draw upon these great human
and moral resources and to take up this challenge with determination and far-sightedness.
Without ignoring, naturally, the specific scientific and professional requirements
of every context, I ask you to ensure that humanity is served by wealth and not ruled
by it.
Dear Mr Chairman and friends, I hope that you may see in these
brief words a sign of my pastoral concern and a constructive contribution to help
your activities to be ever more noble and fruitful. I renew my best wishes for a successful
meeting, as I invoke divine blessings on you and the participants of the Forum, as
well as on your families and all your work. From the Vatican, 17 January 2014