(supersedes previous).
Bernie Sanders said Friday
in the Vatican that he had been "impressed by Pope Francis, by
his vision of a world economy working for all people".
The Democratic presidential hopeful was speaking to
reporters at the Porta del Perugino, before going into a Vatican
social-justice conference.
Sanders said that Francis "has really played a historic
role in trying to create a new world economy and a new vision of
the planet, we can't go ahead with greed".
He said the pope's "economic vision on climate change is
fundamental," adding "I agreed to lose a day of campaigning by
accepting this invitation (to the Vatican conference) and being
here is the right thing".
Sanders told reporters he was proud to be attending the
Vatican conference and that a moral economy was needed.
"We must change energy systems, with sustainable energy, we
have the wealth to do so and the technology and we must face up
to the greed of people and think of the future of our planet,"
he said.
"I'm proud to be here, we must create a moral economy with
you".
Sanders added; "We can't afford to let the market do what
it wants, we must insert moral principles into the economy".
Sanders told reporters that "we see ever more people
getting rich and people getting poor. That is unacceptable, it's
immoral. And we have to change it."
He said "we have to take back the moral principles of our
economy".
Sanders told the Vatican conference that "today's young
people are no longer satisfied with an economy of inequality and
injustice" and "instead want an economy that opens up to the
common good".
He said "let's try to be clear. Today, in 2016, the
situation is worse than a century ago. One per cent of the
population of this planet owns more wealth than the remaining
99%. We must reject the foundations of this contemporary economy
as immoral and unsustainable".
Pope Francis "apologises for not being able to personally
greet the participants" in the conference addressed by Sanders,
Bishop Marcello Sanchez Sorondo told reporters, reading the
pope's message.
Sanders arrived in Rome to address the conference after
briefly departing New York just days before its critical primary
to show solidarity with the teachings of Pope Francis.
"The theme from the conference, which is essentially how we
create a moral economy, is one that has occupied my attention
for decades," Sanders said.
"The teachings from Pope Francis have moved me very much,"
the Vermont senator said.
Sanders was working on his speech during the flight and was
accompanied by his wife, Jane Sanders, and 10 family members,
including four grandchildren.
His talk was titled 'The Urgency of a Moral Economy:
Reflections on the 25th Anniversary of Centesimus Annus.'
The conference was organized by the Pontifical Academy of
Social Sciences, a Vatican advisory group comparable to a think
tank that Francis appointed to guide him on a wide range of
public policy issues.
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