- Home
- religion
- business & economics
- The Business Francis Means

The Business Francis Means
Understanding the Pope's Message on the Economy
Imprint: Catholic University of America Press
Pope Francis, generally speaking, has thus far chosen to concentrate his papacy on social justice issues, as opposed to doctrinal or liturgical issues. This has led to Francis being hailed as a hero to many on the left, while it has made some conservative supporters of St. John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI disappointed and uncomfortable, even as they love and appreciate his person and gestures of mercy and compassion. Some find his teachings difficult to embrace, especially those concerning business and the economy. Pope Francis has spoken of building bridges as part of what it is to be Christian, but aspects of his message seem to be just constructing walls between the Holy Father and groups of the faithful.
The Business Francis Means aims to break through these walls, showing that Pope Francis has something to say to all Christians. His message, taken as a whole, keeps us from dividing the "seamless garment" of Christ: he reminds the conservatives of the problems of inequality and poverty, and the liberals that social justice is not enough – the Church is the bride of Christ, not a social institution or an NGO.
Monsignor Martin Schlag summarizes and explains the message of Pope Francis on business and the economy in this compact volume. The Business Francis Means will be of great interest to the Catholic layperson, especially one involved in political or economic life.
Martin Schlag is professor of Moral Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, editor of Handbook of Catholic Social Thought and co-editor of Free Markets with Solidarity and Sustainability (both CUA Press)
"Deciphering Francis’s message on the economy on any given occasion can be a challenge. The pope may be seeking more prophetic critique or pastoral outreach than offering policy advice or theological nuance. He has his own perspective, yet must communicate through a maze of external audiences who themselves differ in experience or disagree on terms. Remarks made off the cuff or in private become instant sound bites, and material lifted selectively from official documents goes straight to the blogs. In The Business Francis Means, Monsignor Martin Schlag clears away many of these confusions to elucidate the main themes Francis offers. In this, Schlag is an excellent guide."
~John Larrivee, Mount St. Mary's University, Journal of Markets and Morality
"Deciphering Francis’s message on the economy on any given occasion can be a challenge. The pope may be seeking more prophetic critique or pastoral outreach than offering policy advice or theological nuance...In The Business Francis Means, Monsignor Martin Schlag clears away many of these confusions to elucidate the main themes Francis offers. In this, Schlag is an excellent guide...While Schlag often, but judiciously, adds his own wisdom for insight, or suggestions for phrase- ology, I believe he has faithfully captured and translated the pope’s ideas."
~Journal of Markets and Morality