On July 12, 2014, this prophetic Pope made waves again. He addressed participants in an international conference entitled "The Global Common Good: Towards A More Inclusive Economy." The conference was convened in Rome and sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. This is the Council which gave us the great gift of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church.
His comments will be criticized by some who are attempting to paint him as being against economic progress. He is not. He properly affirms that the human person must be at the center of any such progress, if it is to be real. This is consistent with his message in the apostolic exhortation The Gospel of Joy (Evangelii Gaudium)
It is also consistent with his powerful words offered last year, on December 7, 2013, when he addressed a delegation from the Dignitatis Humanae Institue who had gathered for a conference in Rome. Their motto is Promoting Human Dignity Based on the recognition that man is made in the Image and Likeness of God. The Institute was founded in 2008 and explains its global mission in these words:
This think tank rejects the politicized rhetoric which limits the explanation and application of the Social teaching of the Catholic Church. They offer a source for Catholics and other Christians who are tired of the politicized language of left/right/liberal/conservative/neoconservative/neoliberal to form a new vocabulary and build a movement to effect change in the culture. It is time to drop the loaded political language and recapture the heart of our authentic social mission.