The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has convened a two-day seminar to discuss a human-centered approach to resolving the challenges of poverty and inequality that afflict many parts of the global economy, in spite recent signs of recovery.
The invitation-only seminar, held at the Pontifical Academy of Science inside the Vatican, last Friday, brought together leading economists, central bankers, Nobel Prize winners, church leaders, as well as heads of international organizations and NGOs.
A statement from the AfDD said the seminar discussions focused on how to engender a culture of practice that marks a change in the conditions, styles and models of life of all humanity, and that preserves and improves the environment for current and future generations.
In his remarks Pope Francis, who made a special appearance, appealed to participants to be at the vanguard of changes that were required to bring humanity to the center of all efforts at economic advancement.
He noted that “when the human person is not at the centre, there is another thing put at the centre which the human being has to serve”.
President Kaberuka highlighted the importance of promoting access to education, and enhancing the skills of poor households as a means of ending the transmission of poverty from one generation to the other. That way, he said “we ensure broad-based, inclusive growth”.
The leaders agreed that the important conclusions arrived at during the discussions will be shared broadly, as they touch on how to start resolving the dilemma of poverty and inequality in the face of increasing affluence for a select few.