The Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa (JENA)

At the heart of Pope Francis’s pontificate has been an invitation to radically rethink the global financial order, to envision “a different kind of economy: one that brings life not death, one that is inclusive and not exclusive, humane and not dehumanizing, one that cares for the environment and does not despoil it.” On May 1, 2019, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, Pope Francis called for a conference to take place in Assisi in March 2020, “The Economy of Francesco,” which would bring together young economists, entrepreneurs, and change-makers from around the world to “enter a covenant to change today’s economy and to give a soul to the economy of tomorrow.” Although the restrictions on travel and social gatherings brought on by COVID-19 have postponed the event to November 2020, the global pandemic has highlighted the gross inequalities and injustices in the world economy and made Francis’s call ever more pressing.