Christianity loses all substance if we take away its concreteness, because ethics is the litmus test of morality. And ethics means not shying away from the daily commitment to what Pope Paul VI called “integral human development”. We are increasingly seeing companies given a role that is no longer just that of simple profit generators. Today the company is required to be a primary player in the ecological transition, provider of welfare services, take part in parenting support, take charge of the needs of the community and territory. Today, the logic of corporate responsibility calls the company to become an authentically political actor. While remaining outside of the factional logic, we are required to be social contributors, well beyond the fiscal sphere.
Catholic entrepreneurs willingly accept this task, which is inherent to the vision of business developed by social doctrine, in dialogue (and not in conflict!) with the demands of work and aimed at the common good (not private profit). But if the company takes on a political role, then it must also take on a political voice. And entrepreneurs who recognize their Catholic roots, in dialogue with other social partners, have decided to take the field, connecting the Church and civil institutions, to offer a contribution to vision on the issues that bind society. For this reason, the UCID Youth Movement (Christian Union of Executive Entrepreneurs) intends to launch the Rome Summit, which will be held on May 15th, starting from 4.30 pm and will be hosted at Palazzo Borromeo, home of the Italian Embassy in the Vatican, with the participation of young representatives of the business associations, the leaders of the Italian institutions – from the vice-premier Antonio Tajani to the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana – and the leaders of the Church, the Secretary of State, His Excellency Cardinal Pietro Parolin, will be with us in the perspective of addressing the crises that worry our time – from the birth rate, with its effects on the social security system, to the urgency of promoting young and sustainable businesses capable of tackling social problems.
Faced with such broad issues, we need themes, we need to broaden the dialogue as much as possible. The representatives of young entrepreneurs from the most representative business associations in the country will be with us: Riccardo Di Stefano for Confindustria, Angelica Donati for Ance, Davide Peli for Confartigianato, Andrea Sangiorgi for Confcooperative, Antonio Ieraci for Federmanager, Giovanni Gioia for Confagricoltura, Eustachio Papapietro for Confapi, Enrico Parisi for Coldiretti.
From the dialogue between businesses, institutions and the Church, concrete proposals will emerge, aimed at public decision-makers at every level of government. In the field will be the priorities and needs that arise from the experience of those who find themselves directly managing a business activity and having the responsibility of representing many of them, within the numerous representative organizations that have agreed to participate. Why Rome, why the headquarters of the Italian Embassy in the Vatican? Because Rome represents a moral authority, which today the economy and politics need more than ever to rediscover the meaning of daily commitment. It is a need that unites believers and lay people, a need to which Pope Francis’ words on social, economic and political issues have proven capable of responding.
It is no coincidence that the Rome Summit presents itself as a particular declination of The Economy of Francesco, the appeal that the Holy Father addressed to young people (entrepreneurs, economists…) to commit themselves to laying the foundations of a more humane economy. In this logic, UCID intends to be a bridge between worlds, an agent of social dialogue, of consultation with institutions, and a promoter of business and work culture. The Rome Summit will be an opportunity to start experimenting with this mission.
UCID associates in Italy over 3,000 entrepreneurs and managers inspired by the social doctrine of the Church and is a direct emanation of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI).
Benedetto Delle Site: he is the current president of Giovani Ucid, an experience started in 2021, after a few years as president of Giovani Ucid Lazio. Delle Site is also at the helm of the trade association Federproprietà and directly involved as CEO and founder of the Delle Site e partners studio, specialized in high-level consultancy for access to credit.
