Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Pope Francis (AP)
Editor s Note: The Moral Economy is a new series that tackles key economic topics through the prism of Catholic social teaching and its care for the dignity of every person. This is the first article in the series.
The Vatican has always enchanted princes and presidents, but Pope Francis is the first leader in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history to engage frequently with a more modern type of ruler: chief executive officers.
More than any previous pontiff, Francis has been lobbied by C.E.O.s to soften his skepticism about capitalism, and he in turn has pressed them to better serve the poor and the planet. Surprisingly, he has joined the debate now in fashion about reforming capitalism, a discussion propelled by the 2008 financial crisis, rising income inequality and climate change. The list of companies whose leaders have made a pilgrimage to Rome reads like a Harvard Business Review index: Apple, Bank of America, BlackRoc