Jubilee 2025, ethics and economics at the heart of business action

The conference 'The Vocation of the Entrepreneur', organised by the Acton Institute and Ucid Youth National, under the patronage of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, was held in Rome today, Friday 2 May, in the Salone dei Piceni of the Jubilee Church of San Salvatore in Lauro. Entrepreneurs, business and civic leaders from the United States and Italy discussed strategic issues related to the Church's economic and social doctrine during the days when the Jubilee of Entrepreneurs is being celebrated. In a message to the participants, H.E. Monsignor Renato Tarantelli - Auxiliary and Vice-gerent Bishop - Diocese of Rome encouraged the commitment and work of those who strive to bring Christian values into the corporate culture.

During the meeting, Father Robert Sirico - Co-founder and President Emeritus of the Acton institute - emphasised how 'ethics and entrepreneurship are at the heart of the human vocation'. "Ethics," he said, "is an integral part of humanity and already in creation one can glimpse God himself as an entrepreneur. Founded in the United States 20 years ago, the Acton Institute aims precisely to convey this vision: work and business are not just about the pursuit of profit, but respond to a vocation from God'.

Umberto Vattani, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the Catholic Church's focus on the entrepreneurial vocation and how fundamental the relationship of cooperation and loyalty between the business world and the world of work is, without which the country could not move forward.

Benedetto Delle Site - Ucid Young National President stressed how 'the Church has always recognised the noble vocation of the entrepreneur, who is called to combine vision and social responsibility. Today we clearly affirm that one cannot do business without solid values. As Ucid, which has been at the side of entrepreneurs and Christian leaders for over 70 years, we celebrate this Jubilee with conviction: the entrepreneur is and remains a central figure for the growth and good of society'.

During the debate, Pietro Bracco - partner at And partners tax and lawfirm - pointed out that 'talking about the relationship between ethics and taxation is not an oxymoron, but a necessity. Taxes serve to make the State work, which is made up not only of institutions but also of citizens. That is why every euro paid must be allocated to concrete and useful services. The taxpayer has a duty to pay what is fair, neither less nor more. It is up to the administration to facilitate this and up to the legislator to guarantee clear rules so that everyone can contribute fairly to collective life'. Davide Mambriani, in charge of Jubilee Cultural Affairs, emphasised that historically those who wanted the world to progress have always had a close relationship with artistic production and academia. According to Matthew Santucci, Acton's Head of Public Relations, "Pope Francis in Laudato si pointed out that business is a noble vocation aimed at producing wealth and improving the world". Finally, according to Andrea Paolantoni, Vice-President Young Entrepreneurs Group Confcommercio, 'Today there is a lot of talk about innovation, but this cannot be separated from tradition. There can be no future if we do not have respect for our past and this is an important message that must be sent to today's young entrepreneurs'.