One year after the historic 2022 meeting with Pope Francis, the meeting of young economists, entrepreneurs and change-makers returns to put the person and the common good back at the centre of economic action.

Pope Francis said it clearly: “Those who have succeeded in leaving their mark have done so because they were able to translate ideals, desires and values into concrete works. They have embodied them. As well as writing and holding conferences, these men and women created schools and universities, banks, unions, cooperatives and institutions. You will change the world of economics if you too use your hands, together with your heart and your head.”

Assisi, September 24, 2022, the city of Saint Francis, a Pope with the same name pronounced these words, presenting the young people of the Economy of Francesco with a very specific task, to learn how to give the economy a human face, which places the person and the common good of the human family at the centre.

One year later, young economists, change-makers and entrepreneurs of The Economy of Francesco (EoF) meet once again in Assisi to celebrate their fourth annual meeting, both in person and through live streaming, to gather together all the initiatives, ideas and processes launched and developed so far, but also to take stock of what has been achieved with regard to the Pope’s encouragement.

Today’s context , moreover, requires it: the global economy is going through a difficult time, as the war in Europe continues, and many other wars throughout the world, and the environmental crisis and new and ongoing inequalities are deepening, the challenges are increasingly serious and urgent and need to be addressed in order to find and propose solutions.

The work will be guided by the second part of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, to be published on October 4th; a text, which for the young people of the EoF,represents a cultural and spiritual framework of great reference. They will sum up their first reflections on the commitment to build an integral economy together with a new ecology.

Already, there is no shortage of experiences to share, such as the Farm of Francesco, a project giving life to a new type of farming which takes care of the environment and the most vulnerable; such as the Pacar School, a project, for those who have no easy access to education which is staring to take hold in Africa.

In short, the EoF is unfolding according to its original vocation, as Pope Francis intuited and encouraged it since 2019: a global community of young entrepreneurs, researchers, economists, and above all change-makers, who are already working on a process of change, in which the economy is inclusive of those who suffer most, respectful of the earth our “common home”, and many other aspects of the global economy.

Looking ahead to October 6, there is already much anticipation for the Pope’s message to the participants, but which, as we can imagine, will have much wider ripercussions. Francesca Di Maolo, president of the Seraphic Institute of Assisi, where the event is taking place, encourages the participants as follows: “What we ask of the young people of EoF: is that they keep their hearts and their gaze fixed upon the faces of those who need help the most, in order to redesign a just, equitable world in which no one is excluded anymore”.