Acta Francisci Pp. 103

IV

Ad Exsecutorium Praesidem Institutionis World Economic Forum occasione Conventus Annui in loco Davos-Klosters .

To Professor Klaus Schwab

Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum

I am very grateful for your kind invitation to address the annual meet-

ing of the World Economic Forum, which, as is customary, will be held at

Davos-Klosters at the end of this month. Trusting that the meeting will

provide an occasion for deeper reflection on the causes of the economic

crisis affecting the world these past few years, I would like to offer some

considerations in the hope that they might enrich the discussions of the

Forum and make a useful contribution to its important work.

Ours is a time of notable changes and significant progress in different

areas which have important consequences for the life of humanity. In fact,

"we must praise the steps being taken to improve people's welfare in areas

such as health care, education and communications",1 in addition to many

other areas of human activity, and we must recognize the fundamental role

that modern business activity has had in bringing about these changes, by

stimulating and developing the immense resources of human intelligence.

Nonetheless, the successes which have been achieved, even if they have re-

duced poverty for a great number of people, often have led to a widespread

social exclusion. Indeed, the majority of the men and women of our time still

continue to experience daily insecurity, often with dramatic consequences.

In the context of your meeting, I wish to emphasize the importance

that the various political and economic sectors have in promoting an inclu-

sive approach which takes into consideration the dignity of every human

person and the common good. I am referring to a concern that ought to

shape every political and economic decision, but which at times seems to

be little more than an afterthought. Those working in these sectors have a

precise responsibility towards others, particularly those who are most frail,

weak and vulnerable. It is intolerable that thousands of people continue to

die every day from hunger, even though substantial quantities of food are

1 Evangelii gaudium, 52.