蜜桃交友

By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis has urged Italian policymakers to make social security economically and socially sustainable, keeping in mind the common good of present and future generations.

He did so when addressing 400 executives and employees of the Italian National Institute of Social Security (INPS) in the Vatican on Monday.

鈥淲e need wise politicians, guided by the criterion of fraternity鈥�, who avoid 鈥渨asting resources when available and leaving future generations in serious difficulty鈥�, he said.

Everything is connected: keeping in mind future generations

Pope Francis noted that social security is an increasingly 鈥渢opical issue鈥� today, as the economic and social aspects of demographic ageing become more significant, while society seems to have 鈥渓ost its horizon鈥�, with no concern for the future.

鈥淲orrying signs in this sense鈥�, he said 鈥渁re the ecological crisis and the national debt that are being placed on the shoulders of children and grandchildren鈥�.

鈥淪ustainability, instead, responds to the principle that it is unfair to impose irreversible and too heavy burdens on young people鈥�, said the Pope, remarking that social security is a form of welfare that keeps the 鈥渄ifferent generations together.鈥�

Recalling that foreign workers who don鈥檛 yet have Italian citizenship also contribute to the Italian pension system, Pope Francis remarked that the public social security reminds us that "everything is connected" and that we are interdependent,

No to undeclared and precarious work 

Pope Francis continued by stressing that to allow the Italian public social security to stand up to the challenges of an ever-ageing society,  three issues  need to be urgently addressed: undeclared work, which 鈥渆xposes workers to forms of exploitation and injustice鈥�: the abuse of precarious work, which causes young people to postpone marriage and family-building contributing to the ongoing decline in birth-rates in Italy, and, finally, the need to promote a decent work, which is always "free, creative, participatory and supportive."

Recalling the Bible examples of bad and good foresight represented by the Rich Fool of the Gospel parable, and by the biblical patriarch Joseph, Pope Francis highlighted the need for 鈥渨ise politicians鈥�, who 鈥済uided by the criterion of fraternity鈥� don鈥檛 waste resources in seasons of abundance and burden future generations.

Economic and social sustainability

While thanking the INPS employees for their work supporting workers and providing  assistance to the unemployed, the sick, the injured and elderly, Pope Francis concluded  by encouraging policymakers to foster 鈥渢he culture of the common good, of social security and sustainability which,鈥� he said 鈥渋n order to be economic must also be social.鈥�