A staff member of KOLPING INTERNATIONAL took part in a papal audience last week in Rome as part of a conference on the future of work. There, Pope Francis called upon the participants to stay united in their efforts for a fairer, more sustainable and more humane way of working.
KOLPING INTERNATIONAL has been engaged with the International Labour Organization (ILO) for thirty years. A special initiative within this commitment is the project “The Future of Work – Labour after Laudato Si”. Under the leadership of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), it has brought together Catholic organizations, experts, the ILO and the Vatican Development Dicastery for 10 years to promote decent work. The first phase of the project was completed in December 2020 with the publication of a report.
Last week, the second phase began with an international conference that took place from 8 to 10 May at the headquarters of the Vatican Development Dicastery in Rome. The event started with Pope Francis personally welcoming the participants from all over the world to the Vatican. Dr. Hildegard Hagemann, who has been involved in the project since its inception – particularly in the area of social justice for informal and precarious working conditions – attended the event on behalf of KOLPING INTERNATIONAL. “The audience at the beginning of our consultations and Pope Francis’ clear call to continue working for fairer, more sustainable and more humane work were an inspiration and an incentive for all of us”, Hildegard Hagemann reported from Rome. The international project participants then entered into a synodal dialogue on five core topics relating to the world of work and developed a roadmap for the next three years. KOLPING INTERNATIONAL is prepared to contribute the contents of the project to the ILO Global Coalition for Social Justice.
