Pope urges G8 to ‘ethics of truth’

17 June, 2013 - Pope Francis on Sunday reminded the world’s wealthiest governments that in their search for solutions to the global economic crisis, they must keep the good of the human person at the centre of their efforts while maintaining the ethics of truth. The Pope’s exhortation came in a letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron, on the eve of the two-day G8 summit in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, that kicked off on Monday. In response to a letter sent him earlier by Cameron, the Pope said they must ensure the fundamental reference to man, especially in their action to eliminate definitively the scourge of hunger and to ensure food security. A further sign of the attention to the human person is the protection of women and children from sexual violence in conflict situation, the eventual aim of which is international peace. In this regard, the Pope earnestly hoped the G8 will not fail to address the situation in the Middle East, and especially help obtain an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Syria and bring all parties in the conflict to the negotiating table. “Peace,” the Pope wrote, “is an essential pre-requisite for the protection of women, children and other innocent victims, and for making a start towards conquering hunger, especially among the victims of war.” In their effort to deal with the global economic crisis, they must be guided by the ethics of truth, which includes first and foremost, respect for the truth of man, who is not simply an additional economic factor, or a disposable good, but is equipped with a nature and a dignity that cannot be reduced to simple economic calculus. Therefore, the Pope said, concern for the fundamental material and spiritual welfare of every human person is the starting-point for every political and economic solution and the ultimate measure of its effectiveness and its ethical validity". The Pope said that the goal of economics and politics is to serve humanity, beginning with the poorest and most vulnerable wherever they may be, even in their mothers' wombs. In this regard, he spoke about man’s right to live in dignity and freedom, with the possibility of supporting a family, educating children, praising God and developing one's own human potential. The absence of such a vision, all economic activity is meaningless. Money and other political and economic means must serve, not rule, bearing in mind that, in a seemingly paradoxical way, free and disinterested solidarity is the key to the smooth functioning of the global economy".