Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation
Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation
Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation
Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation
Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation

Pope Francis’ nine commandments for a just economy

America Magazine 16.10.2021 Gerard O’Connell Translated by: Jpic-jp.org

Pope Francis, in a keynote address to the popular movements, a group that includes activists working on a wide variety of justice causes, called for a universal basic income and the shortening of the working day. The LSG (Laudato Si Goals) cannot be reached without addressing the economic system.

In a powerful 38-minute video talk to representatives of these movements on all continents that is sure to spark discussion, Pope Francis renewed his call for a universal basic income and advocated the shortening of the working day as partial solutions to the economic crisis.

He also made specific appeals “in the name of God” to those responsible for key sectors of today’s world economy, especially in this time of pandemic: the pharmaceutical and food industries; the financial and credit institutions; the tech and telecommunications giants; the arms industry, as well as powerful countries, governments and politicians of all parties.

As a way to address the dire economic straits of so many people in the world and guarantee basic human dignity, and after consulting many specialists in the field, Francis called for “a basic income or salary so that everyone in the world may have access to the most basic necessities of life.”

“It is right to fight for a humane distribution of these resources, and it is up to governments to establish tax and redistribution schemes so that the wealth of one part of society is shared fairly, but without imposing an unbearable burden, especially upon the middle class,” the pope said.

He also advocated for shortening the workday as a way to improve the situation of people. “The reduction of the working day is another [way to improve people’s situation] and one that needs seriously to be explored.” In the 19th century, workers labored 12, 14 and 16 hours a day. When they achieved the eight-hour workday, nothing collapsed, contrary to what some sectors had predicted. “I insist, working fewer hours so that more people can have access to the labor market is something we need to explore with some urgency,” he said.

Pope Francis said, “I believe these measures are necessary, but of course not sufficient… I wanted to mention them because they are possible measures and would point us in the right direction.”

His global audience for this address represented millions of social activists of grassroots movements on all continents, including those working in the gig economy, garbage pickers, farmworkers and representatives of the indigenous peoples.

In another part of his talk, he commended the protest movement over the death of George Floyd.
“Do you know what comes to mind now when, together with popular movements, I think of the Good Samaritan? The protests over the death of George Floyd. It is clear that this type of reaction against social, racial or macho injustice can be manipulated or exploited by political machinations or whatever, but the main thing is that, in that protest against this death, there was the Collective Samaritan who is no fool! This movement did not pass by on the other side of the road when it saw the injury to human dignity caused by an abuse of power. The popular movements are not only social poets but also collective Samaritans.”

Throughout his pontificate, Francis has sought to encourage grassroots movements and organizations worldwide in their efforts to improve the lives of millions of people who live in poverty and misery. He asked the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to convene the first World Meeting of Popular Movements and spoke at that gathering in the Vatican in October 2014. He delivered a memorable talk to representatives of these movements in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in June 2015, and he addressed them again at a third meeting in the Vatican in November 2016.

This was his fourth encounter with the popular movements, in a virtual audience. Pope Francis recalled how the pandemic has revealed the real state of the world’s economy where countless millions are struggling to survive amid dire poverty. Since they met in Santa Cruz, he said, “A lot has happened; a lot has changed. These changes mark points of no return, turning points, crossroads at which humanity must make choices. New moments of encounter, discernment and joint action are needed. Every person, every organization, every country, and the whole world, needs to look for moments to reflect, discern and choose because returning to the previous mindsets would be truly suicidal and, if I may press the point a little, ecocidal and genocidal.” “Personal change is necessary, but it is also indispensable to adjust our socio-economic models so that they have a human face because many models have lost it.”

Aware that there are many, even in the Catholic Church, who criticize him for what he says on the social justice questions, Francis emphasized that what he is asking and saying is all based on the church’s social teaching and is in line with what his predecessors, including John Paul II and Benedict XVI, have taught. “The pope must not stop mentioning this teaching, even if it often annoys people because what is at stake is not the pope but the Gospel.” Then he issued nine explicit calls “in the name of God” to those responsible for different sectors of the world’s economy.

1-. He asked “the great pharmaceutical laboratories to release the patents” of the Covid-19 vaccines. “Make a gesture of humanity and allow every country, every people, and every human being, to have access to the vaccines.” There are countries “where only three or four percent of the inhabitants have been vaccinated.” Most African countries fall into this category.

2-. He called on financial groups and international credit institutions “to allow poor countries to assure ‘the basic needs of their people’ and to cancel those debts that so often are contracted against the interests of those same peoples.”

3-. He pleaded with “the great extractive industries - mining, oil, forestry, real estate, and agribusiness - to stop destroying forests, wetlands and mountains, to stop polluting rivers and seas, to stop poisoning food and people.”

4-. He called on the great food corporations “to stop imposing monopolistic systems of production and distribution that inflate prices and end up withholding bread from the hungry.” Highlighting “the scourge of the food crisis” he noted that in this year alone “20 million people have been dragged down to extreme level of food insecurity”. While “severe destitution has increased”, “the price of food has risen sharply.” A horrific number of people suffer in Syria, Haiti, Senegal, Congo, Yemen, South Sudan and other places. Annual deaths from hunger may exceed those of Covid!

5-. He appealed to arms manufacturers and dealers “to completely stop their activity” because, “it foments violence and war, it contributes to those awful geopolitical games which cost millions of lives displaced and millions dead.”

6-. He pleaded with “the technology giants to stop exploiting human weakness, people’s vulnerability, for the sake of profits without caring about the spread of hate speech, grooming, fake news, conspiracy theories, and political manipulation.”

7-. He asked “the telecommunications giants to ease access to educational material and connectivity for teachers via the internet so that poor children can be educated even under quarantine.”

8-. He called on “the media to stop the logic of post-truth, disinformation, defamation, slander and the unhealthy attraction to dirt and scandal, and to contribute to human fraternity and empathy with those who are most deeply damaged.”

9-. He appealed to powerful countries “to stop aggression, blockades and unilateral sanctions against any country anywhere on earth.” “No to neo-colonialism,” and he called for the resolution of conflicts to be done in multilateral fora like the United Nations.

Pope Francis’ verdict on the present economic system is clear, “This system, with its relentless logic of profit, is escaping all human control,” so, “It is time to slow the locomotive down, an out-of-control locomotive hurtling towards the abyss. There is still time.” Governments and politicians of all parties have “to represent their people and to work for the common good.” He told them, “Stop listening exclusively to the economic elites, who so often spout superficial ideologies that ignore humanity’s real dilemmas” and encourage them to serve instead “the people who demand land, work, housing and good living.”

See, Pope Francis’ nine commandments for a just economy

Source, Podcast: Unpacking Pope Francis’ 9 Social Justice Commandments see also Pope Francis’ 9 commandments for a just economy

Photo. Pope Francis in a video message played at a business conference in Argentina Oct. 14, 2021. © CNS screenshot/Vatican Media

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The comments from our readers (4)

Paul Attard 01.11.2021 All those 9 points are so correct. He’s “spot on” as we say in English.
Manariho 01.11.2021 Deux réactions opposées sur le texte. Je suis pleinement d'accord sur la première partie qui est d'ailleurs, comme il est dit, dans la ligne de la doctrine sociale de l’Église. Les acteurs militants et le groupes intermédiaires sont indispensables pour faire poids face aux acteurs politiques qui cherchent à se faire réélire et qui disposent de temps pour agir limités par la durée de leur mandat alors que les enjeux du changement sont à plus long terme, et face aux acteurs économiques qui cherchent d'abord leur profit et de plus en plus à court terme. C'est pourquoi je suis très réservé sur la deuxième partie (les 9 commandements) car on n'a jamais vu ces diverses puissances répondre à des injonctions morales, même venant du Pape (seuls quelques partis sociaux-chrétiens minoritaires y ont fait référence dans l'histoire et les écologistes sont déjà convaincus). Quant aux puissances économiques, elles sont trop cyniques pour entendre ce discours (voir les résultats désastreux des appels à l'autorégulation sur le plan social ou écologique).
Margaret Henderson 02.11.2021 I think the Pope’s 9 suggestions for a Just economy are extremely sensible and practical. Most impressive.
Chau Thien Phan 12.12.2021 This is the most important systematic Papal pronouncement on social and economic justice since Pope Leo XIII's "Rerum novarum" issued in 1891.