30/06/2026 15:30 - 17:30

HALL: Pola - Aula Magna

Contact: Ionta S.

Chair: Bruni L.

Inequality is a complex, multi-dimensional issue, so it is more accurate to speak of "inequalities" in the plural. Treating it as a single problem often limits our ability to understand and address its many facets. Economic, social, legal, and gender inequalities overlap and reinforce one another, and religion has historically supported and challenged these hierarchies. This panel explores these dynamics through the lens of the Economy of Francesco (EoF), a movement born from Pope Francis' invitation to young economists, entrepreneurs, and scholars to create a Pact for the Economy inspired by St Francis of Assisi. The Pact promotes an economy grounded in justice, peace, care, and human dignity. The EoF community works toward a fairer economy that combats poverty and exclusion, supports dignified work, aligns finance with real needs, values cultural and ecological diversity, and reduces inequalities in all their forms.
Within this framework, the panel examines key themes from the EoF debate, including spiritual capital, the World Fraternity Report, and critiques of aporophobia and meritocracy. Spiritual capital is presented as a crucial but often neglected influence on economic behavior and social relations. The World Fraternity Report seeks to measure relational factors like trust, cooperation, and inclusion that sustain inequalities. Finally, aporophobia and meritocratic narratives are analyzed as cultural forces that normalize exclusion and justify inequality by emphasizing individual responsibility while obscuring structural causes.
By offering a fresh perspective on religion and inequality, the panel challenges dominant ideas about merit, growth, work, and value. Rather than viewing religion only as a source of inequality, it highlights ethical principles from religious traditions — particularly the EoF Pact — to imagine new economic relationships and institutions aimed at reducing exclusion, precarity, and systemic injustice.