Since his first magisterial document in 2013 - Evangelii Gaudium - the Pope has made many economic agents uncomfortable. His phrases, vigorous, rounded, expressive, have caught fire and have become embedded in the report of many: "this Economics kills"; "no to an Economics of exclusion"; "no to the new idolatry of money"; "no to a money that governs instead of serving", "we can no longer trust in the blind forces and the invisible hand of the market"; "it cannot be that it is not news that an old man dies of cold in status street and that a two-point drop in the stock market is. That is exclusion", and so on.

His intention was obvious and he himself expressed it from the very first moment: "if anyone feels offended by my words, I say that I express them with affection and with the best of intentions, far from any staff interest or political ideology. My word is neither that of an enemy nor that of an opponent. My only concern is to see to it that those who are enslaved by an individualistic, indifferent and selfish mentality can free themselves from these unworthy chains and attain a more humane, more noble and more fruitful way of life and thinking, one that will dignify their passage on this earth" (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 208).

I would say that Pope Francis has marked the difference with respect to his predecessors by his manners. Benedict and John Paul II were familiar with academic forms to a greater or lesser extent. Francis, on the other hand, has sought above all, and like them, to analyze the ethical problems of the prevailing economic and financial system; but he has done so in a style directly aimed at stirring consciences, to make people uncomfortable, sometimes resorting to exaggeration, even pointing out enemies that not a few might have considered non-existent, such as the neoliberal capitalism of unregulated markets (where are these markets? who is defending them? they asked).

Controversial or not, without claiming academic precision, attentive to every last detail, the Pope was able to put his finger on the sore spot and offer analyses and denunciations that made social injustice evident.

But if the language was different, in reality the message was the same, the message that the Church's social doctrine has been proclaiming since the industrial revolution: that Economics, whatever it may be, must be at the service of man, of every man; that it must put the person at the center, and not the other way around; that the free market is not a perfect instrument that can be asked to solve all social problems, and in particular those of the millions of people who today have been excluded, not from the markets - because they lack solvency - but from society itself.

Yes. At the center of the Pope's heart have always been all those who are excluded, marginalized or at risk of socio-economic exclusion. Francis stressed that the current economic and financial system is not sufficiently oriented to the person, is not sufficiently inspired by ethics and is seriously lacking in anthropology.

This lack translates into the fact that what governs is money, with dehumanizing consequences such as exclusion, inequality and consumerism. With his example, he has shown that sobriety is a very important human and Christian good for everyone.

Alongside this, the Pope has also encouraged a conversion, outside and within economic activity, to neutralize indifference to the natural environment. He has promoted greater sensitivity, also in the economic sphere, with regard to the care of human nature, and thus Laudato si' (2015) will go down in history as the first encyclical on the care of nature.

However, Francis did not stop at denunciation. All his efforts have been aimed at encouraging men and women in politics and business who are willing to initiate new processes, perhaps with long-term results, that will make possible a more humane economic system, without so many excluded people.

Pointing to a problem of social justice, the Pope made it clear that Economics and finance cannot be indifferent to a status that leaves out many who have a right to society because they are human beings, and that the free market is experiencing a limit in relation to this problem. The so-called "Economics of Francis", a movement aimed at thinking and putting into internship new ways of doing Economics at the service of man, is understood from this point of view.

In the final, with new ways, the Pope leaves us with the task of not settling for what we have. We could discuss whether the instruments or policies are the most suitable for the intended ends of justice, but the important thing is not to miss the target: the Pope has told us that it is important to help millions of people to cross the river of difficulty; we can discuss whether to build a bridge or boats, or whether to swim, or in some other way. But, hopefully, we will not
But let's hope we don't stay in that discussion and in the meantime everyone remains where they are. There are many people working daily in companies and in Economics to build a better world: may Pope Francis remain for them a reason for hope and a powerful intercessor. May he rest in peace.