The Economics of Pope Francis

As the contributors to this symposium show, Pope Francis’s views about the economy, especially about the poor and the rich, are deeply at odds with those of many economists. Several differences involve matters of economic fact and causation—and therefore in principle can be resolved by appeals for everyone to consider the same body of evidence. Although the clash over conflicting values is a chasm far more difficult to bridge, fruitful dialogue is the goal of this symposium.