‘A New Way of Doing business‘ in today's world is the theme of the meeting organised in Rome by the Social Issues Section of the Social Pastoral Commission of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CECE) from 6 to 8 March. Numerous speakers from all over the world attended. The event was opened by the Lectio Inauguralis of Card. Michael Czerny SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, on ‘Pope Francis and the Economy’. The aim of the meeting was to address the theme of the economy in the light of current challenges and to propose new ways of renewal.
Introducing his Lectio Inauguralis, Cardinal Czerny recalled that ”it is intrinsic to our mission as Bishops and Church leaders to promote the integral human development of our people”; hence the need to pay attention to the economy not as “economic theorists or business leaders , but as pastors” accompanying people, and, in particular ,to promote the interests ”of those most affected by economic injustices”. Speaking then about the Magisterium of Pope Francis, the cardinal especially highlighted three fundamental points of the Pope's magisterium: the call for integral and sustainable human development, the need to reject market ideology, and the problems with the technocratic paradigm.
Regarding the call for integral and sustainable human development, the Cardinal quoted the Pope's words when, in the Encyclical Laudato Si', he calls for a “healthier, more humane, more social, more integral” kind of progress and recalled how integral human development is a fundamental principle of the social doctrine of the Catholic Church. Speaking of market ideology, the Prefect explained that the Holy Father“‘does not condemn the market per se, but what he calls ’the deified market’ or the ’magical conception of the market’” and then repeated the words the Pope addressed to the popular movements in Bolivia in 2015: ”Let us say NO to an economy of exclusion and inequality, where money rules, rather than service. That economy kills. That economy excludes. That economy destroys Mother Earth.’”
Finally, the Cardinal addressed the issue of the technocratic paradigm that leads to two major effects: the dominance of finance and the loss of jobs. The first occurs when any technological advance is approached for profit; the second, when technology is used to replace workers, with the risks of leaving people adrift.
In conclusion, in order to embark on a path of renewal, the Prefect encouraged to accompany those who ”struggle to survive and prosper” and to ”continue to speak out, as Jesus did, on behalf of those who suffer economic injustices that block their integral human development.”