From where I stand the Pope's latest visit to Malta had an impact on a number of levels. If all that people wanted was to get patted on the back that's one thing. If others, like myself, were ready to be put on the spot, he came to the right place and the right time.
The Pope doesn't speak easy. He is comprehensible, clear, sensitive, yes. But his is a message that circumvents around social justice, and this is never a comfortable message. He speaks about humanity, about the essence of what should constitute our communities, about the environment and against corruption of values and governments. Mind you, I still have a problem with a number of positions he takes regarding women and their role in the Church, the LGBTQIA+ community and some other very dubious teachings.
But he calls a spade a spade (naturally in the way he understands the issues) and thankfully someone does.
In his visit to Malta, the political statements that resonated most were his welcoming speech and the dialogue at the Peace Lab - they are enormous, both in content and in the non-verbals.
The World needs leadership especially in this particularly bleak moment with a pandemic, a war in our backyard, a ruthless economy that leaves the poor grappling and a political class, broadly speaking, lacking values.
When in Malta what stands out is the finger pointing of Pope Francis.
He calls for action and change. He calls for strength of character and a general rethink of the way we are doing community, economy and social policy. His words echo the fantastic work of social operators, it puts on guard policy makers and politicians, it provides solace to the victims. So, there you go – I think this visit served us well.
But Pope Francis is after getting people to reflect, the famous process of Ignatian discernment so typical of the Jesuits.
The Pontiff doesn’t live in Cloud 9. He does recognise that we need a robust social policy, but also a healthy economy that provides resources without capsizing the person from the equation.
In 1992, during the Bill Clinton vs George H. W. Bush presidential campaign, Clinton’s strategist, Carville coined the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid”. The phrase, as we know it has become a snowclone in the economic lingo illustrating the pivotal role of the economy to ensure social wellbeing.
This brings to mind what Pope Francis defined as ‘The Economy of Francesco’, an economic system that replenishes our communities without the need to sell our souls.
In ‘The Economy of Franceso’ the Pope lays out fundamental principles that can steer our thinking because as most of us realise we are immersed in an economic and social crisis. Poverty, social exclusion, inequality and the divide between the rich and the poor keeps growing. Pope Francis, inspired by the great 13th century Italian friar, Saint Francis of Assisi, invites us, even those like me, who are non-believers and/or non-religious, to “a different economy, one that helps people to live rather than dehumanizes, one that takes care of creation and does not plunder it” (environmentaljustice.georgetown.edu).
True, money, and loads of it, is being pledged to the social sector. This is not a bad thing albeit I believe that we need to see these resources seep down to the direct services. For example, we need to ensure that the retention of people in social welfare jobs is given more attention, we need to create more space for the voluntary sector to express itself, we need to see more indicators of cost effectiveness introduced, better leadership in the social sector, a number of reforms to address diverse needs, more respect towards social operators, better coordination, improved conditions of work and a long-term social plan.
The challenges that our communities are struggling with need to be addressed not only through a good social plan and the ensuing financial resources but by developing our communities around a fair and just economic model. The ‘Economy of Francesco’ does just that. It lays out some very important notions that are essentially explained as “a different economy, one that helps people live and does not kill, that includes and does not exclude, that humanizes rather than dehumanizes, that takes care of creation and does not plunder it.” (navdanyainternational.org).
It is a model founded on principles ranging from, ‘inclusive dialogue’ to ‘equal opportunities and access to the labour market’, from ‘fair working conditions’ to ‘social protection and inclusion’, from ‘common EU values’ to ‘understanding of democracy’ - and this just to mention a few. But I think the most significant catch phrase is an economy which is ‘a way of life – not “away” from life’. So much to ponder on. Pope Francis came and left but his provocative thoughts and reflections are there to be taken on board.