Pope Leo XIV in his own words
“’What you give to the poor is not your property, but theirs. Why have you appropriated what was given for common use?’” (Citing St. Ambrose, 43)
SUMMARY
In this chapter, Pope Leo surveys the history of the Catholic Church to show how denouncing wealth-hoarding and caring for struggling people has always been at the heart of the Christian tradition. He looks to early figures like St. John Chrysostom and St. Augustine, the ministries of women religious in health care, and the long history of the church in “working for and with migrants” and those in prisons, detention centers, and refugee reception centers (75). In particular, the pope highlights Benedictine monasteries as examples of an “economy of solidarity,” centered on cooperation and sharing instead of accumulation — showing us that alternatives are possible (56)! Pope Leo concludes by writing about popular movements today, calling us to organize to transform the system that creates poverty — for the health of our economy, our democracy, and our church.
Key Quotations
Reflection
As Pope Leo illustrates, for two thousand years being a “church of the poor” has meant working to ensure that all of us have not only our most basic needs met—food, water, clothing, and shelter—but also good health care, legal rights, freedom from enslavement and exploitation, and dignified treatment, especially for immigrants and refugees (61). These are all elements of an “economy of solidarity,” or An Economy for All, and they cannot be fully achieved without changing laws and policies. It is core to who we are as a church to work together to take care of our communities — including through policy advocacy.
Question
Where do you see mini “economies of solidarity” that put mutual care over accumulation in your community? Some examples: a local mutual aid network, a free health clinic, a “buy nothing” group, a labor union, or a legal clinic that helps immigrants prepare documents. What policies could move us toward an “economy of solidarity” on a larger scale?