Efforts of the EoF youth to rebuild an economy rooted in peace
Today, a new economy, inspired by Francis of Assisi, can and must be an Earth-friendly economy and an economy of peace. Being economists and entrepreneurs “of Francis” necessarily means being women and men of peace: not being at peace for peace’s sake.
For this reason, we the young people of the world, who are called to give a soul to the economy, say, Enough! Stop the war, lay down your weapons, resume the path of dialogue. We also ask for everyone’s commitment so that the time prophesied by Isaiah will draw near: “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”(Isaiah 2:4).
As young people, we no longer tolerate resources being taken away from schools, from health care, from our present and future to build weapons and fuel the wars needed to sell them. We would like to tell our children that the world at war is gone forever.
For this reason, we share Pope Francis’ words, “Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil.”(Fratelli Tutti, 261).
STEPS FOR PEACE
On several occasions, Pope Francis has invited everyone to take concrete steps for peace. With The Economy of Francesco, we’d like to take this invitation seriously.
Let’s take as a reference, once again, the example of another Francis who, 800 years ago, arrived unarmed at the gates of Cairo to meet the Sultan of Egypt, al-Malik al-Kamil. Similarly, with the Youth of the Economy of Francesco, we want to walk the 4,000 kilometers (8 million steps) that separate Jerusalem from the city of Assisi.
A pilgrimage “divided into parts” to remember all the wars that inflame the world, to which everyone can participate by donating “steps” through a pedometer mobile application. A relay race through the 5 continents in which young people will ideally pass the Franciscan cord, a symbol for us of a disarmed economy because it is poor, chaste, and obedient.
At the end, after the 8,000 steps, a delegation will take the Franciscan cord to young people in Jerusalem, simply to ask for peace, with the poverty of words and diplomatic strategies that animated Francis 800 years ago, with the diplomacy on our knees that the Francis of today asks of us. In this way, Assisi, from being a city that calls us to meet in order to build peace, is once again a city from which we set out to beg for peace.
Discover the project by visiting the dedicated page
>click on the image to join the webinar
‘Money for peace’ is one of the proposals of the EoF community to continue to demand: peace.
SAVE THE DATE: 20 November at 4.00 p.m. on Youtube EoF Official Channel.
Launch of Money for Peace, a campaign by the EoF Business&Peace Village.
Money for Peace campaign focuses on raising awareness of the impact of investments in armed conflicts, generation of awareness on the informed decisions as consumers (of financial institutions and their services) and the importance of an active participation in the dialogue and the demanding of an ethical financial landscape.
We believe this campaign aligns perfectly with the UN Security Council meetings (20 – 25 October) where key aspects of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda were discussed. Additionally, the 31st of October marks the 23rd anniversary of UN Resolution 1325, which introduced this crucial agenda. Also, we believe that the time is proper and necessary given the actual conjuncture of war. Given the significance of the UN Security Council meetings and the anniversary of Resolution 1325, we propose launching our campaign today. We believe this timing will allow us to leverage the international focus on peace and security. Through this proposal, we outline our strategic approach to raising awareness, fostering change, and creating a movement that empowers individuals and promotes a good change in the financial institutions.
Want to be a peacemaker? Join us and go to the dedicated page
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