Archbishop Nichols gathers London financiers to study Caritas in Veritate

London: October 21, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Finance leaders of global influence met at Schroders Bank in London’s financial district on Wednesday morning to explore the relevance of Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical “Caritas in Veritate.” The seminar, hosted by Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, received a message of support from the Pope.

The seminar discussed ethical issues in the light of Catholic social teaching and also the various challenges facing financial leaders in the United Kingdom, a Wednesday press release from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales reports.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sent an Oct. 6 message to Archbishop Nichols which said that Pope Benedict was pleased to be informed of the seminar and sends his “cordial greetings” to all the participants.

Cardinal Bertone reported that the Pontiff was gratified to learn that leading financial figures are responding to the challenge to build within economic activity what “Caritas in Veritate” called “authentically human social relationships of friendship, solidarity and reciprocity.”

The cardinal added that the Pope encourages the participants to promote “integral human development” rooted in a transcendent vision of the person.

The bishops' conference said that the seminar participants, who attended only in a personal capacity, included Schroders chief executive Michael Dobson, Schroders president George Mallinckcrodt, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International Lord Brian Griffiths, Rothschild’s director Anthony Salz, Barclays Bank chairman Marcus Agius and former Chief of the Defense Staff Field Marshal Lord Peter Inge.

Attendees with Catholic connections included Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster John Arnold; Sister Catherine Cowley, Lecturer in Christian Ethics, at the University of London’s Heythrop College; Archbishop of Cardiff Peter Smith; and Professor Stefano Zamagni, an economics professor at the University of Bologna who advised the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace on “Caritas in Veritate.”