The Billionaires

                       

I’ve been reading the encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’ by Pope Francis, and there is so much to digest in it. As a whole, it indicates the way to build a better, more just, and peaceful world, with the contribution of all. A few days after signing it, the Pope spoke to the representatives of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (Cash Bank of Deposits and Loans) where he said that the economic impact of the coronavirus requires a generous and ethical response on the part of governments, policy and decision-makers, and businesses. The emphasis is on Governments to ensure that economic wealth is fairly distributed. Last week it was reported that the world’s few billionaires increased their wealth by 27 % at the height of the coronavirus between April and July, while many millions of people around the world lost their income and managed to get by only thanks to government schemes. The wealth of a billionaire is such that even if one were to live for the next 1000 years, it would be impossible to spend it all. It is therefore unacceptable from a moral perspective that the few continue to accumulate their riches while the many lose even the little they have. Let us pray that no more people will suffer, both in their health as well as their financial stability.