Pope Francis on Overcoming Exclusion: A Theological Vision with Economic and Social Implications

• Published date: 01 September 2019
• Date: 01 September 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/ajes.12292

Pope Francis on Overcoming Exclusion:

A Theological Vision with Economic and

Social Implications

By Thomas J. massaro*

absTracT. The ethical imperative to overcome exclusion is a key

component of the social teachings and advocacy efforts of Pope

Francis. At the very core of the pastoral and social vision he proposes

is a drive to resist the global trend toward growing inequality and to

encourage greater solidarity, which includes extending economic

opportunities much more broadly. Even more vehemently than his

papal predecessors, Francis insists on prioritizing the concrete well-

being of people facing hardship and oppression, so that nobody is

relegated to the category of “the throwaway.” While the theme of

mercy (a “soft” virtue, inasmuch as it involves voluntary action to

overcome indifference and suffering) is prominent in many of his

ethical appeals, Francis notably displays a distinctive structural analysis

(a “hard” diagnostic tool) when addressing injustices in the global

economy. The plights of victims of human trafficking, of global climate

change, of restricted work opportunities due to globalization, and

other causes of human suffering are best analyzed with ample attention

to structures that require transformation. While economists and

sociologists may be less interested in the underlying moral

anthropology and spirituality that grounds the social teachings of

Francis, it is undeniable that a coherent social vision undergirds the

insistence of the Jesuit pope on greater social inclusion—a vision that

applies to the full range of economic, environmental, and social

issues. These concerns are on especially full display in two major

teaching documents of Francis: his 2013 exhortation “The Joy of the

Gospel” and his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’. In each, the pope employs

American Jour nal of Economics and Sociology, Vol. 78, No. 4 (September, 2019).

DOI: 10 .1111/ajes.122 92

© 2019 American Journa l of Economics and Sociology, Inc.

*Professor of Moral Theology at Fordham University. Jesuit priest of the Northeast

Province. Has taught at Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Boston College, and Jesuit

School of Theology of Santa Clara University, where he also served as Dean. PhD in

Christian social ethics from Emory University. His most recent book is Mercy in Action:

The Social Teachings of Pope Francis (Rowman and Littlefield 2018).

866 The American Journal of Economics and Sociology

an astute structural lens that reveals injustices and allows him to

propose strategies to overcome inequality and exclusion.

Introduct ion

Modern society grants social and economic power to some groups

and pushes others to the margins of existence in a process known as

social exclusion. The attempt to develop mechanisms to overcome the

problem of social exclusion might be considered one of the funda-

mental features of Catholic social teaching. Pope Francis has placed a

special emphasis on this concern in his papacy.

The purpose of this article is to show how the theological resources

of Roman Catholicism, as advanced by Francis, can be used as an aid

in formulating new forms of social inclusion. Theologians frequently

draw upon the fields of economics and sociology—disciplines that

provide crucial counterpoints for analysis of the many issues that lie

at the intersection of religion and society. Theology is somewhat less

customarily invited in as a dialogue partner for social scientists, so this

opportunity to explore a key theme in the teachings and advocacy

efforts of Pope Francis emerges as an especially promising enterprise

in interdisciplinary research. Because theology contains rich resources

for understanding the realms of human values and meaning-making,

a complete account of the social theory informing any world leader

may make good use of theological components within the underlying

vision being proposed. The endeavor of engaging these interlocutors

is especially promising in addressing questions regarding how Francis

proposes a theologically grounded commitment to overcoming exclu-

sions of every sort.

Catholic Socia l Teachings: What Franc is Inherited

Everything Francis says and does as pope is, of course, par t of a papal

ministr y that he did not invent whole-cloth. As refreshingly original as

his leadership appears, the framework of the modern papacy estab-

lishes innumerable points of continuity that provide a stable vessel to

contain whatever novel elements any pope seeks to add to the mix.

Indeed, upon the election of Francis in 2013, many observers predicted