Unemployment ‘deeply harms’ human dignity, Pope Leo XIV warns

In his fourth speech during his first visit to Argentina, Pope Leo XIV warned on Monday about the exploitation of workers in favor of economic revenue and stressed the importance of guarding human dignity as the most important value in labor relationships.

He also emphasized that public officials have the responsibility to guarantee employment and social inclusion, and called on businesspeople to use their capital and resources for common good.

The pontiff made those comments while speaking at a meeting with business leaders, entrepreneurs, union leaders, members of social organizations, and workers at the Argentine Catholic University (UCA, by its Spanish initials).

The private event, which gathered 1,000 people, was part of the agenda of his second day in Argentina, following a mass attended by 2.5 million people in Buenos Aires. He will remain in the country until Wednesday.

Human dignity and labor “Where the rule of the few is the law, work becomes exploitation of all those involved in the world of labor. Workers are valued solely for their efficiency,” Pope Leo lamented. “True progress is not that which increases the well-being of some while degrading ecosystems, shifting the costs onto the most vulnerable communities, or jeopardizing the living conditions of those who will come after us,” he said.

The Holy Father insisted that the principle of the human person’s dignity is at the center of the Catholic Church’s social doctrine. “Human beings are the authors, the center, and the purpose of all economic and social life; therefore, the economy must be at the service of the person, and not the person at the service of the economy,” he said, repeating a concept he had already mentioned in his first speech after landing in Argentina on Sunday.

“Technology must always be subordinate to ethics. Algorithms cannot replace human judgment or the intrinsic value of in-person work and the worker’s effort,” the pope affirmed. “Public authorities must ensure that this does not happen. On the contrary, access to work for all must remain a priority goal of public policies and economic processes,” he said.

The role of the state For Pope Leo, public authorities must promote stable policies that foster full employment and social inclusion “within an ethical framework where the economy, the market, and the state work in a complementary manner to ensure the fair redistribution of opportunities.”

The pope also stressed the importance of reaching an “appropriate balance between economic principles, the perspective of business owners, and the needs of workers and their families.”

“Unemployment is a true tragedy in the life of those who suffer from it. Depriving a person of work is not simply denying them an income; it is a grave affront to their dignity, annulling their ability to contribute to society and plunging them into social exclusion, thereby fragmenting the cohesion of the social body and destroying community action aimed at the common good,” Leo said.

Business leaders and technology The pontiff celebrated how many business leaders create jobs at their own financial risk, but warned that they must “remain vigilant to avoid the danger of greed.”

“Entrepreneurship is a noble endeavor if it is guided by the principle of the social function of property and capital,” he stated. “When economic profit becomes the sole parameter of success, business becomes dehumanized and turns into a structure of sin that leads to exclusion. Financial success must be measured in terms of the common good.”

Pope Leo also highlighted the importance of unions and labor organizations, saying that they fight to reach “dignified conditions for workers” and are “indispensable” institutions to “defend those without a voice and resist the mercantilization of labor.”

“The Earth and its fruits have been given by God for the sustenance of all humanity. We are not their absolute owners, but rather guardians of an inheritance that must be shared with justice and equity, eradicating the structural inequalities that marginalize the most vulnerable, and taking into account our responsibility toward future generations,” he stated.

He also mentioned that technological advances are important as long as they don’t “leave anyone behind” and said that there have been significant innovations useful for society created by Argentines in the fields of astronomy, medical science, and agriculture.

Unions and informal workers Many of Pope Leo’s statement were met with applause and cheers. One of them was when he mentioned the value of “discrete and sacrificed work” such as domestic work, and the social work carried out in poor neighborhoods to help those in need.

He also said that social movements and informal workers “do not passively wait for government assistance” but rather organize themselves “to build community-based solutions.”

“Through their call for social inclusion, they advocate for land, housing, and work, which Pope Francis has often identified as requirements for social justice.”

“Through the path of humility, we come to realize that we cannot rely solely on ourselves, that we need others, and that only by opening ourselves up to collaboration with those around us can we all work together to build a better world,” the pope emphasized.