Conference looks at charity, finance joining forces

When Pope Francis condemns a "cult of money" and the "dictatorship" of a faceless economy, he isn't trying to damper entrepreneurial spirit or shutter business. What entrepreneurs and leaders need, he has emphasized, is having a proper relationship with wealth -- that their money serve, not enslave.

Given the pope's call for a more ethical economy of inclusion, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Catholic Relief Services and the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business held a two-day conference at the Vatican in mid-June to look at how financial markets could respond.

Top experts in finance, including executives of Goldman Sachs and other investment firms, and representatives from development agencies and religious charities, looked at how government, business and the church could work together to serve the common good.