Two years ago, the Economy of Francesco, an international movement of young entrepreneurs committed to promoting a new form of economy based on solidarity was born.
In 2022, Pope Francis travelled to Assisi and met with this group. There, he signed their declaration and commitment to building this economy.
Years later, they continue to promote their mission by spreading a message of peace around the world in the form of a pilgrimage.
“It echoes the story of the journey St Francis of Assisi made to meet with the Sultan of Egypt to discuss solutions to the situation in which they found themselves,” explained Ricardo Flores from the Economy of Francesco.
“We used this as inspiration to begin calling for peace through organisation, participation and community pilgrimages.”
And their destination is Jerusalem. But, the Economy of Francesco is not just about walking for hundreds of miles. The pilgrimage is also a way to raise financial support.
“Today, we are in the process of crowdfunding and fundraising to boost our message of peace, in order to bring this message of peace to the Holy Land and Jerusalem and to be able to support it,” he said.
All proceeds raised by the pilgrimage will go to a children’s hospital in Bethlehem. Every year, the hospital welcomes about 5,000 children and 45 per cent of the patients are refugees.
And during the first week of September, an international delegation of the Economy of Francesco will reach Jerusalem. But that is just the start of their mission as they will continue spreading their message of peace, calling for an end to war.