Five intense days, to carry on a very felt pilgrimage and based on values of hope, dignity and solidarity. From 1 to 5 May the Jubilee of the workers took place in Rome, which saw the participation of over 500 members of the Christian Union entrepreneurs and managers from all over Italy. The event culminated with the passage through the Holy Door and with the mass in the Basilica of St. Peter officiated by Monsignor Francesco Savino. Among the leaders of Ucid who have most treated the initiative is the secretary general Stefania Brancaccio. And now Brancaccio takes stock of the central aspects of this Jubilee. “The emotion,” he explains “it was great. We lived this path in conjunction with the loss of a great pope. It was also a moment of great dedication and profound reflection. We tried to have faith in hope, as Pope Francis has always asked us ».
What did the entrepreneurs jubilee represent in such a particular moment for the church specifically?
«Pope Francis, as I said, has always thought of a Jubilee of hope for all pilgrims and we did not inspire this. We wondered what we should have done to cross the holy door in the best way. We have chosen to do it alongside our collaborators, as the only great people of God. Hope does not mean delusion or resign themselves. By crossing that threshold we tried to be the protagonists of a journey, which through daily actions takes us to a better time. We really believe in a different future, where it will be possible to build an economy capable of not excluding anyone and that allows us to take care of the fragility “.
What part of Don Francesco Savino’s homily left the mark more?
«Monsignor Savino tried to shake us. He told us: “Be we carry hope and inclusion, so that hope does not remain a passive wait for a change. You are the wind of change”. And I believe that united we can really build a better future ».
First he spoke of the importance of the relationship between entrepreneurs and collaborators.
«By crossing the door alongside our collaborators, we tried to strengthen a message of inclusion and democracy. These are not only words for me, but values to be put in place in every working environment. Each person, regardless of the role and social extraction, must feel valued in his own company. We must be able to have common objectives, favoring the results but above all an atmosphere of trust and cooperation. It is essential to know how to manage companies by listening to collaborators. We have to tighten our hand to those who help us carry on our industries. Hand in hand, as if we played the Our Father ».
Another central theme in this Jubilee is that of ethics, which is linked indissoluble to entrepreneurship.
«We at Ucid feels bearers of the values of the church doctrine. Ethics is not only a regulation, but a solicitation to an intimate change. Economically managing the company is our duty, however we must also carry on the feelings. Our association does not affiliate companies as Confindustria does. We call workers and managers. We turn to people, because we think that the company should be a place of personal and community growth ».
What message does Pope Francis leave us and what should we expect from his successor?
«On the one hand we hope another Pope Francis, but saying this is reductive and perhaps unfair. So we must have the desire to believe in the Holy Spirit, so that he brings us a shepherd who can accompany us by the hand as he did the previous pontiff. Pope Francis gave us a church that never sold the Gospel, but who at the same time was not afraid to deal with reality ».
In these days in Rome you have also carried out several youth conferences. What message do you feel like giving young Christian entrepreneurs?
«I say to the boys that we must collaborate for a new fraternal economy. They too must give a strong signal of closeness and sharing. And they must have the ability to live a different economy, based on the hope and the desire to never divide us. Together you can build something great. We believe and always communicate it to our young people. And crossing the Holy Door also with them we strengthened this message ».
