April 26, 2025. Francis' legacy lives through his works. He challenged the systemic inequities at the core of globalization. The Pope argued that unrestrained greed, by enabling extreme wealth accumulation among a privileged minority, undermines social and environmental stability—the 'common home' in his encyclical Laudato Si’.

He championed political, economic, and social justice, wielding the spiritual and moral authority of the Church to counter the unrestrained dominance of corporations and the wealthiest in shaping the rules of the global economy, and the consequences for inequality that threaten democracy and international solidarity.

He paid particular attention to how that dominance translated into an international tax architecture that undermined the development of billions of more disadvantaged people around the world, and especially in the developing countries.

He was deeply concerned about the debt crisis that mainly affects the countries of the global South causing misery and distress, and he held high hopes for concerted debt relief in the Jubilee year.

Tax justice thus stood at the heart of his thinking. He encouraged ICRICT's work and made possible the convening of a high-level summit on tax justice at the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in his final months.

In February, the summit brought together global leaders, civil society activists, and top technical experts to develop concrete strategies compelling the ultra-powerful to fulfill their social duties and pay their fair share.

ICRICT will continue to build on Pope Francis’ principles for an economics for social justice, ensuring his vision for a fairer financial architecture becomes reality.

Foto AP / @RodrigoabdAbd