This was the theme chosen by the USG Assembly for the month of May 2002. Before embarking on the contents of this document we wish to point out a few of the main concerns expressed by the Superiors General in regard to the management and use of their assets.

2.        To begin with, it must be said that a Religious Institute cannot undertake a process of revitalisation without paying particular attention to the use of its assets in relation  to its mission. Indeed, when we talk of assets, we must do so with creative fidelity. It is certain that our plans for refoundation will be nothing but wild dreams if they are not reflected in the way we acquire assets, in the management of our finances, in the volume of assets we accumulate, on the use we make of our property and our money, and on the way we share what we possess. Success in utilising our economic resources so that they benefit our mission and respect Gospel values is an important concern that reflects on our religious identity and on the credibility of our witness in today’s world.

2.        The targets of this study are the Superiors General, the General Curias, the General Treasurers and, in a way, the Religious Institutes as a whole. They are the ones most affected and for whom it is most necessary, because it is up to them to establish an administrative and financial policy which can provide an alternative to what is offered by neo-liberalism, and a convincing answer to the needs of the Religious Institutes at the service of the poor.

3.        In going deeper into the theme of this Assembly, we have become aware that it is relatively new and definitely complex, important and stimulating for the religious as a whole. At the beginning of this, the Third Millennium, it is impossible to remain indifferent to the increasing problem of poverty, which is becoming one of destitution, hunger, lack of resources for the treatment of numerous diseases or to combat the cold, in a word, poverty that is becoming a kind of war. The fact of globalisation makes this theme particularly urgent. We know that our contribution will not be enough to solve all the problems that arise from poverty, but that does not mean that we have the right to stop doing what we can to reduce it. The Pope invited us to try to do so at the beginning of the new millennium: “... Perhaps the time has come for a new and deeper reflection on the nature of the economy and its purposes. What seems to be urgently needed is a reconsideration of the concept of ‘prosperity’ itself, to prevent it from being enclosed in a narrow utilitarian perspective which leaves very little space for values such as solidarity and altruism” (John Paul II, Message on 1 January 2000, no. 15).

-                     We cannot forget that the Religious Congregations, as institutions, possess various types of resources: spiritual, human, pastoral and financial resources. In this case our attention will centre on the last two. If it is true that those are not always the ones we lack most, it is also true that we must recognise that without them it would be hard to carry out a large part of our activities, because every activity has its financial element.

-                     As we begin our reflections we would like to remember that the economy is an essential part of life, as Jesus himself recognised and we can see in the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Matthew, who was a former tax gatherer. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field and a pearl of great price (Mt 13, 44-46); “desiring to build... first sit down and count the cost, whether [you have ] enough...” (Lc 14,28); Jesus is full of praise for the good administrator (Mt 24,45). Saint Paul, in his turn, judges “a man who wants to care for God’s church but does not know how to manage his own household” (I Tim 3,5). The Gospels always show us the way, even when we are looking for criteria for the best way to use the talents we have with the bankers so that they produce the due interest (Mt 25,14-30).