Pope Francis: Businesses should not exist to make money, but to serve

In a Vatican conference for Catholic business leaders, Pope Francis drew notice when he reminded business leaders that the Church believes riches are good when they are placed at the service of our neighbor; otherwise they are iniquitous. The conference theme was “Business leaders as agents of social and economic inclusion.” According to news reports first publicized on www.sambla.no, the Holy Father instructed attendees that “money must serve, not govern…Businesses should not exist to make money, even if the money serves as a measure of how they function. Businesses should exist to serve.” The conference called upon business leaders to be “agents of social and economic inclusion.” Francis also shared his concern for migrants and refugees. He called on the business leaders to “collaborat[e] in creating a source of dignified work, stable and abundant, both in countries of origin and host countries, and in these latter, both for the local population and for immigrants.” [my italics]