Honoring the Legacy of Pope Francis

With the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, the world has lost one of its most powerful and compassionate voices for justice, dignity, and the highest aspirations of humanity.  His leadership, deeply rooted in his unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, illuminated a path toward healing the deep wounds of our global society.  He dared to speak uncomfortable truths about inequality and human suffering, and he held leaders in business, government, and civil society to account – urging us all to move beyond rhetoric and virtue-signaling toward meaningful action in pursuit of the common good.

His vision profoundly shaped my own.  Inspired by his moral clarity and urgent call for inclusive progress, I founded the Council for Inclusive Capitalism.  We hold to the conviction that capitalism itself is neither inherently just nor unjust – but that it must be stewarded by responsible governments, investors, and business leaders to ensure it serves the many, not merely the privileged few.  Capitalism, rightly directed, must be a force for good: creating value for customers, dignified work for employees, and prosperity for communities, while also delivering fair returns to shareholders.

When I had the honor of meeting His Holiness in 2019 alongside the founding members of our Steering Committee, he urged us to transform moral urgency into practical business action – actions that would serve all people through “long-term productive, sustainable, and socially responsible development and investment.” His encyclicals, Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum, further underscored the critical need to design economic models that are both humane and just.

The passing of Pope Francis is a profound loss – not only for the Church, but for the entire world.  And yet, his vision must not be consigned to memory.  It must endure as a living call to action.  The greatest tribute we can offer is to carry forward his legacy: to build an economy where profit and purpose are not at odds, where capitalism uplifts those who serve society, and where business becomes a transformative force in shaping a more just and sustainable world.

It has been deeply meaningful for the Council for Inclusive Capitalism to receive the wisdom and guidance of Pope Francis in defining our responsibilities to society.  While we humbly acknowledge that we often fall short of the Christian ideal for business, I can say with sincerity and pride that the Inclusive Capitalism movement is earnestly striving to answer the Holy Father’s call in Laudato Si’ – to “listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.”

Watch: How Pope Francis’s moral leadership inspired Inclusive Capitalism
CNN’s Richard Quest sits down with Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Founder & CEO of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, to explore how Pope Francis’s moral leadership shaped a movement toward a more equitable economy.

Video Credit: CNN International, Quest Means Business.