Pope Francis signed the 12-point “Francis Economy” Pact with young people in Assisi on 24 September 2022.
After his speech, the Holy Father, together with a thousand young people from 120 countries gathered in Assisi for the global “Francis Economy” event, signed this covenant in which young economists, entrepreneurs and agents of change, individually and collectively, commit themselves to generate a new economy based on the Gospel.
“We, young economists, entrepreneurs, agents of change, called here to Assisi from all over the world, aware of the responsibility that weighs on our generation, commits ourselves now, individually and all together, to spend our lives so that the economy of today and tomorrow becomes an economy of the Gospel,” reads the beginning of a manifesto read in public by one of the young people attending the meeting during Francis’ visit.
This is followed by the demands endorsed by the Francis Economy Pact.
The 12 points of the “Economy of Francis”
- “An economy of peace and not of war”.
- “An economy that counters the proliferation of weapons, especially the most destructive ones”.
- “An economy that cares for creation and does not steal it”.
- “An economy at the service of the person, the family and life, respectful of every woman, man, child, the elderly and especially the most fragile and vulnerable”.
- “An economy where care replaces discarding and indifference”.
- “An economy that leaves no one behind, to build a society in which the stones discarded by the dominant mentality become cornerstones”.
- An economy that recognizes and protects decent and secure work for all, especially for women”.
- “An economy where finance is a friend and ally of the real economy and work, not against them.
- “An economy that knows how to promote and preserve the cultures and traditions of peoples, all species, the living and natural resources of the Earth.
- “An economy that fights poverty in all its forms, reduces inequalities and knows how to say, with Jesus and Francis, ‘blessed are the poor'”.
- “An economy guided by the ethics of the person and open to transcendence”.
- “An economy that generates wealth for all, that generates joy and not only well-being, because happiness that is not shared is little”.
“It is not a utopia”
At the end of the Pact, it is described that these points do not constitute a utopian model: “It is not a utopia, because we are already building it. And some of us, on particularly bright mornings, have already glimpsed the beginning of the promised land”.
