Pope Francis has called for a world economic model that is “not organised according to the needs of capital and production but rather in the interests of the common good”.
Work, he said, is necessary “not only for the economy” but also for the “dignity” and the “social inclusion” of the human person.
The pope made his remarks at the beginning of a two-day visit to the northern Italian city of Turin, once home to Italy’s automobile giant, Fiat, now called FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and based largely outside Italy.
Acknowledging that the global crisis has been felt in Turin, the pope said: “There is less work, economic and social inequalities have increased, many people are poorer and many have problems with their house, their health, education and basic goods . . . In this situation we are called on to reject a discard economy which asks us to resign ourselves to the exclusion of those who live in total poverty.”
Pope Francis, who is the son of Italian emigrants who moved from the area close to Turin to Argentina in 1929, also appealed for solidarity for migrants who are victims of “iniquity, rejection and wars”, adding: “The images these days of human beings being treated like some sort of cargo goods would break your heart.”
Significantly, the pope chose to start his visit with a meeting which was attended not only by workers but also by politicians and business leaders including the chief executive of Fiat Chrysler, Serigo Marchionne, and city mayor Piero Fassino. After that meeting, the pontiff then travelled to the city cathedral where he stopped in prayer in front of the Turin Shroud, a famous mediaeval relic believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ
Relic
The shroud, which has been in Turin since 1554, is essentially a 14ft long piece of cloth which appears to bear the image of a crucified man. While many believe it to be Christ’s burial cloth, there are also those who argue that it is a mediaeval forgery. Even though carbon dating tests carried out in 1988 in Zurich, Oxford and Tuscon, Arizona suggested that the shroud is indeed a fake, the church has always ruled that it is an acceptable object of veneration.
Inevitably, however, the pope was also, to some extent, retracing the footsteps of his own Piedmontese ancestors. During the Angelus in a packed central Piazza Vittorio Veneto where he had said mass in front of upwards of 100,000, the pope thanked the city for its warm welcome, addressing his audience as “dear bothers and sisters of Turin and Piedmont” and describing himself as a “son” of the region. Furthermore, on Monday morning he is expected to meet some of his remaining Italian relatives.
After Mass, the pope had lunch with a mixed group of young people including juvenile centre detainees, migrants, homeless and a Roma Gypsy family. Later he will meet the sick and disabled as well as with members of the Salesian Order.
On Monday, the pope will pursue an ecumenical theme when he meets the Waldensian Community in Turin. This community, the modern day descendants of 12th century Catholics who felt that “apostolic poverty” was the road to perfection, are often seen as the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation while they are members of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe.
The pope returns to Rome on Monday evening.