Abstract
Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope and has made economic inequality a theme of his pontificate. This article shows that Pope Francis diagnoses economic inequality as both a structural problem and a problem of virtue, and that the virtue he calls for in response is what James F. Keenan, SJ has called Jesuit hospitality. Reviewing contemporary theological work on hospitality, I show that Francis’ Jesuit hospitality shares many features with hospitality as described by feminist theologians. Namely, it is risky, takes place across difference, acknowledges the marginality of both host and guest, and promises mutual benefit to each party. Francis’ account of the spiritual practice of encounter provides a concrete vision of Jesuit hospitality in action. This article contributes to existing literature on the uniquely Jesuit nature of Francis’ theology and to work showing the resonance of his intellectual standpoint with feminist approaches. It proposes a Christian virtue response to the pressing contemporary problem of economic inequality.
Highlights
In today’s globalized, unequal world, 2.2 billion people live on less than $2 U.S per day while62 individuals own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world [1]
I draw this work together to argue that the virtue of hospitality, understood in Jesuit and feminist keys, can help us respond to extreme economic inequality in our time
I have shown how Pope Francis addresses the issue of economic inequality as both a problem of social structures and a problem of virtue
Summary
In today’s globalized, unequal world, 2.2 billion people live on less than $2 U.S per day while. 62 individuals own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world [1]. This and other shocking statistics have made economic inequality an issue of urgent concern for scholars, policy makers and religious leaders. In the first section of this essay, I review Francis’ description of the problem of inequality in Evangelii Gaudium, showing how his diagnosis of inequality’s damage affirms and goes beyond the insights of social scientists to show inequality as a virtue problem. I draw this work together to argue that the virtue of hospitality, understood in Jesuit and feminist keys, can help us respond to extreme economic inequality in our time. This research makes two contributions: it proposes a Christian virtue response to the pressing contemporary problem of economic inequality, and it details an aspect of Francis’ theology, as Jesuit, that is heretofore little appreciated
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