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Why the USG has chosen to deal with this theme

at its 60th Semestral Assembly

There were many reasons that led us to consider this theme the most relevant and necessary for the present moment in the religious life.

6.     The USG has never dealt with it before. In the whole history of the USG this important aspect of society and of the Consecrated Life itself has never been examined before. A couple of Assemblies have studied the theme of poverty, but this time we are taking a very different approach. We do not wish to ignore the question of personal poverty, but our attention was, above all, centred on the institutional and collective aspects of our assets, on ways of acquiring, managing and sharing them, and on general financial policies to be pursued. There is no doubt that sometimes one can live and work without massive resources but one must always take care to manage assets carefully.

7.        Problems or inappropriate behaviour have been noticed in a number of areas, including some religious congregations because of errors in managing or investing funds. Some of these have had public repercussions and, unintentionally, have damaged the image, both of the Congregations most closely involved and of the Consecrated Life as a whole. Certainly, management of the assets of a Religious Institute requires caution, accuracy, honesty and professionalism. Speculation must be avoided at all costs.

8.        In the new context of a world economy and of the ever-increasing use of technology in management and administration, there is a need for more information and better training of all religious, in particular those who must make the decisions and implement the management and administration of assets belonging to the religious. In the good tradition of the religious life, various congregations have been pioneers in good asset management and have known how to avoid the risks involved with usury or indiscriminate accumulation. We must maintain and enrich this good tradition with our experience and with knowledge of the science of economics.

9.        In the past, asset management was surrounded by an excessive air of mystery that led to a mistaken attitude to money and the way that religious use it. Now we need to give more room and greater priority to professionalism, to clarity and transparency: aspects that are becoming increasingly indispensable in this field, with all the important changes they bring in their wake.

10.      The subject of “economy” (finance) has not been very popular amongst religious and yet the CL cannot exist without it; it must be given the place that is due to it. The theme has many repercussions on the mission of the congregations; the mission cannot do without finance. The question of “the economy” has far-reaching consequences because it affects an important element of our life. Moreover, it is closely connected to political action taken in society and often these two dimensions are interconnected. The neo-liberalist capitalism that is the rule today makes this theme all the more compelling.