At the end of September, Pope Francis will travel to Assisi to meet with young economics researchers, students, and entrepreneurs participating in a global initiative dedicated to creating a more just and inclusive economy.
The project, called the Economy of Francesco, was inspired by Pope Francis' desire to involve the youth in renewing the global economy. The result: thousands of young people from six continents proposing ways to improve the economy for people at all levels of society.
GIULIA GIOELI
Participant, Economy of Francesco
We've looked to move forward projects related to responsible consumption in order to better understand how to act with regards to resources and water consumption
Yet the project emphasis that it is not looking for “quick fixes” to global economic problems, but rather seeks to increase awareness of a holistic view of economics among young people.
SR. ALESSANDRA SMERILLI
Secretary, Dicastery for Integral Human Development
With this, I think that we are fully living out what Pope Francis asks of us in Evangelii Gaudium, that is, the importance of beginning processes rather than just opening spaces.
It is difficult to begin long-term formation, I think also of social and political formation, because we often need immediate results.
Participants in the project were supposed to meet in Assisi in 2020, but the event instead took place online due to the pandemic. Now, with the help of Pope Francis, they will finally gather in person to exchange ideas which they will then take back to their home communities.
ABP. DOMENICO SORRENTINO
Archbishop of Assisi (Italy)
What we are doing with the event in Assisi is bringing together a number of people, not a few, 1,000, so that they may then be bridges with their local realities, and so the important thing is the network we are establishing.
In Assisi, Pope Francis will meet with the young people charting the course of the global economy, hear their proposals for the future, and share his reflections on how economics can build a more equitable society.
JM
