The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople intervened in the congress organized for the 25th anniversary of the Centessimus Annus Foundation, which deals with spreading the Church's social doctrine to those who work in the world of business and economics.
BARTHOLOMEW I
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
'Today our churches are called to act as a positive challenge for individuals and peoples, offering them an alternative model of life in contemporary culture, which gives mankind precious gifts, but seems to push them to live for themselves, ignoring the others, with whom they share the same world.'
The patriarch also said that the day before he had visited Benedict XVI and he is doing very well.
Pope Francis also wanted to meet with the participants. He reminded them that the current problems in the economic system have an undeniable ethical dimension. He asked them not to accept the false dichotomy between ethics and business, because they are not opposites.
POPE FRANCIS
'There is a natural circle between benefits and social responsibility. There is an indissoluble link between an ethic that respects people and the common good, and the real functionality of each economic and financial system.'
The pope also stressed that the presence of the Ecumenical Patriarch shows that collaboration between churches is essential.
