F
inance ministers from France,
Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay,
and El Salvador; a Nobel
economics laureate; and the

director of the International Mone-
tary Fund are among global leaders

who took part in a Vatican workshop
on Wednesday.
The event – entitled “New Forms of
Solidarity” – was held at the Pontifical
Academy of Social Sciences.
It provided a forum for key players
in the global financial system to

discuss rising inequality through “in-
clusion, integration, and innovation”.

In his address to participants, Pope
Francis laid out several dangers
lurking behind prevailing economic
models, as well as several ways to
build bridges between the rich and
the poor.
Rising inequality
“The world is rich, and yet the
number of poor people is swelling all
around us.”

Hundreds of millions of people, said
the Pope, are struggling in extreme

poverty, and are lacking food, hous-
ing, healthcare, schooling, electric-
ity, and drinkable water. Around 5

million children will die this year of
causes related to poverty, he said.

Pope Francis added that rising in-
come inequality has also left millions

of people as victims of forced labor,
prostitution, and organ trafficking.
Solutions exist
These facts should impel us to take
action, and not to fall into despair.
“These are solvable problems,” he

said. “We are not condemned to glob-
al inequality.”

Poverty can be overcome, said the
Pope, if an economic system is put in
place that includes, feeds, cures, and
dresses those left behind by society.
“We have to choose what and who
to prioritize,” he said. Our choice will

lead either to increased social injus-
tice and violence, or to “humanizing

socio-economic systems”.

Structures of sin
Pope Francis went on to say how

extreme poverty has continued to ex-
ist alongside great wealth throughout

much of human history.
Currently, the 50 richest people
possess the equivalent of US$ 2.2
trillion. The Pope said that, on their
own, they could finance “medical care
and education for every poor child in
the world, either through taxes and/

or philanthropy” and save millions of
lives every year.
And he condemned recurrent tax
breaks for wealthy individuals as

“structures of sin”. “Every year hun-
dreds of millions of dollars – which

should be collected as taxes and go to
finance healthcare and education –
instead end up in offshore accounts,”
he said.
Co-responsibility and fraternity
Turning to solutions, the Pope

urged global financial leaders to
“co-responsibility” in the pursuit of
fraternity and trust.
Banks and financial institutions,
he said, should help disadvantaged
peoples and developing nations to

achieve a certain standard of devel-
opment.

“Social protection, a basic income,
healthcare for all, and universal
education,” he said, are “economic
rights” that form the basis of human
solidarity.
Benefiting the excluded

Finally, Pope Francis invited partic-
ipants in the workshop to use their

positions of authority to promote
development for the disadvantaged,
debt relief for struggling nations, and
efforts to reduce the effects of climate
change.
“We celebrate the opportunity to
recognize co-participants in the
Lord’s work, which can change the

course of history to benefit the dig-
nity of every person, especially those

who are excluded.”