Pope addresses “Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice” group

(June 13, 2009) The current global financial and economic crisis provides us an opportunity to rethink the economic and financial concepts and practices of the past years and refashion them with values and rules for a new development model that calls for greater solidarity and more respect for human dignity. This was the heart of a message that Pope Benedict XVI delivered to some 300 members of the “Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice”, a lay pontifical organization founded by Pope John Paul II as a vehicle for lay education and evangelization of the social doctrine of the Church as contained in the encyclical, "Centesimus Annus." The group met Pope Benedict at the end of their June 12- 13 international conference in Rome, where they discussed the theme, “Values And Rules For A New Model Of Development.” Referring to Pope John Paul’s social encyclical, “Centesimus Annus”, Pope Benedict said that the market economy, “understood as an economic system which recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property and the resulting responsibility for the means of production, as well as free human creativity in the economic sector, can be recognized as the way to economic and civil development only if it is oriented towards the common good.” The Pope wished that their findings, inspired by Gospel principles, will help elaborate a vision of modern economics that respects the needs and rights of the weak. Pope Benedict reminded the group that his next encyclical is dedicated to the vast themes of economy and work. Therein, he said, he has highlighted the objectives that Christians must pursue and the values that must be tirelessly promoted and defended in order to create a truly free human coexistence based on solidarity.