Pope Francis meets with 25 CEOs who are members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, reflecting with them on their priorities as business leaders.On June 15 morning, Pope Francis met in the Vatican with a group of 25 CEOs who are members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative.The Pope told his guests that their work of crucial importance, since it “impacts thousands and thousands of workers” and “affects the fortunes of governments”.
His visitors, in turn, presented him with a list of formal recommendations they had recently submitted to the G7 concerning the global 2030 social and environomental targets.The Pope urged his guests to place the environment “at the centre” of their attention. It is necessary, in fact, to “innovate by anticipating the future”, with “courageous and forward-looking choices” for others to imitate.
Pope Francis warned against “a certain ‘meritocracy’”, which, he said, is “used to legitimize the exclusion of the poor, who are judged as undeserving.”“The challenge is to include the poor in businesses,” the Pope said, “to make them resources for the benefit of all … I dream of a world in which the discarded can become protagonists of change.”Finally, the Pope urged his guests to pay attention to the struggles of young people, who are often “poor in resources, opportunities, and a future.