Tells Them People Are Businesses' Most Important Resource
VATICAN CITY, MAY 28, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Workers are the most precious resource of any business, explained Benedict XVI to young entrepreneurs.
The Pope met with young people from Confindustria, the General Confederation of Italian Industry, on Saturday, and told them that as entrepreneurs they are not only the future of the Italian economy, but also the present.
During his address, the Holy Father underlined that "human life, and the values of human life, must always be the foundation and the final aim of the economy."
As a result, "all business enterprises are to be considered primarily as groups of people, whose rights and dignity must be respected," he added.
Citing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, the Pontiff noted that business managers must see beyond the economic objectives of a company. "It is also their precise duty to respect concretely the human dignity of those who work within the company," he said.
These workers, added Benedict XVI, are the "most precious resource of any business," and "the decisive factor of production."
He continued, "In important decisions concerning strategy and finances, in decisions to buy or sell, to resize, close or to merge a site, financial and commercial criteria must not be the only considerations made."
The Pope affirmed that the effort must be made "for working activity to become once again an area in which people can realize their potential and make the most of their individual capacities and genius."
"And it depends upon you," he said, "dear business people, to create the most favorable conditions to bring this about."
Code: ZE07052804
Date: 2007-05-28