After two years, the World Economic Forum is taking place again in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. “Even though this time there is no official delegation from the Vatican, there is no shortage of Catholic voices at the forum: the meeting of politicians, economists and representatives of the cultural world is welcomed by Davos Dean Kurt Susak,” Vatican Radio correspondent Mario Galgano reports from the venue of the forum.
Inese Steinert – Vatican
When questioned by him, the priest first notes that this year, after the pandemic, the forum can again take place in the presence of participants. However, the global situation has completely changed. Everyone is talking about the crisis. In the face of challenges such as the climate crisis, the financial crisis, the energy crisis and the reduction of the supply of goods, the provost has the impression that the participants of the forum have gathered to “conscientiously seek solutions”. A church representative from Davos claims: “People are waiting with hope for solutions to the conflict and global crisis. This World Economic Forum would lose its credibility and legitimacy if concrete solutions that could lead to tangible progress in the many conflicts and challenges of the population did not emerge from it. This is exactly what the Catholic community of a small Swiss town is praying for this week.
This time the motto of the World Economic Forum is “Working together in a fragmented world”. “We all live through this fragmentation, both on a global and personal level,” explains the priest. “We also experience fear, fear of the future. As for Russia’s war against Ukraine, there is a real threat of a third world war. Therefore, the Church has an important and hopeful message here,” says the priest from Davos. The Church is the one that calls: “We need to live united in diversity, but also diverse in unity”. According to priest Susak, this is an ideal that Catholics living in Davos should strive for and pray for.
25 years ago, a pastoral assistant founded a group called “Silence and Prayer” in the mentioned Swiss town. The group united people who prayed for decisions to be made that would make the world more just and live in peace. Today, the prayer group is supported by the association of all Christian communities in Davos. It includes Catholic, Reformed and Evangelical Churches. Priest Susak says that in the past the Church, in its diversity, in its moral theology and social ethics, has always sought “extraordinary answers” to the challenges of its time. “We must continue to remember them,” urges the dean of the Catholic Church in Davos.
Until now, every year the Vatican sent representatives of the Church to the World Economic Forum. In past years, both Cardinal Peter Turkson and Michael Cerny, as well as the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, participated in it. This year is the first time that the Vatican has not sent any official representatives to this forum. “I think that in a certain way it serves as a message that Rome wants to convey to the World Economic Forum,” says priest Susak. He allows the possibility, this is due to the fact that in one of his last messages to the forum, Pope Francis said: “Everything has been said, now act, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Priest Susak is well aware that the meeting in Davos is accompanied by critical voices. Everything is too expensive, there are huge traffic jams on the streets, long queues. The normal life we are used to here is very, very limited during the World Economic Forum. “Furthermore, the forum requires enormous costs from the Swiss federal government, the canton and the local commune. A lot of money is allocated just for the security system alone. People lack confidence whether the meeting of world leaders will be able to justify the invested funds. What will be the end result of this forum?
The fact that many things are not done in a transparent way has drawn criticism. Many issues are considered and discussed behind closed doors and in the end little comes to light. The priest from Davos adds that much of the mentioned criticism has been reinforced by the publication of the book “The Great Reset”. “It contains theses, views, theories that increase hatred against the elites who gather at the World Economic Forum,” explains the Dean of Davos.
However, the clergyman also highlights some positive aspects that this event has on some of the local population. So, for example, schools set aside several days for skiing during this week. “The students are always happy about it,” says a local pastor. The forum was preceded by a Christmas celebration. Even then, many people came to the town – tourists and skiers. Hotels, restaurants, artisan shops were operating at full capacity and now, during the forum, they continue to operate.
At the end of the conversation, priest Susak wants to compare the World Economic Forum with the “Francis economy”. The “Francisco economy” project consists, among other things, of promoting an economy that serves peace, not war. “To protect the creation, not to destroy it, in other words, it is an economy where the care of the creation must be put above the nefarious use of resources and indifference,” explains the priest. He adds that “it is an economy where finance is the friend and ally of the real economy, not the enemy. If everyone contributes, then the economy of today and tomorrow can become the economy of the Gospel.” The priest from Davos wishes that in this year full of worries, at this moment of turning and various crises, it would be possible at this World Economic Forum.
