Pope Francis sends message to Davos

Pope Francis sent a message to the World Economic Forum in Davos, warning of the dangers of unbridled capitalism and urging more attention to human suffering.

The pope said it is important to “safeguard the dignity of the human person” in the face of repeated “financial instabilities” and the “widening of the socio-economic gap and new forms of slavery” in the world.

At a gathering where the rise of robotics and artificial intelligence as well as the growing influence of “blockchain” technology took center stage, the pope urged leaders to consider human dignity a “moral imperative” and to give “all people real opportunities for integral human development and by implementing economic policies that favor the family.”

“By rejecting a ‘throwaway’ culture and a mentality of indifference, the entrepreneurial world has enormous potential to effect substantial change by increasing the quality of productivity, creating new jobs, respecting labor laws, fighting against public and private corruption and promoting social justice, together with the fair and equitable sharing of profits,” the pope said.