Restarting the Economy: Rethinking Economics in the Light of the Jubilee
From 28 to 30 November, the town of Castel Gandolfo will host Restarting the Economy, a global meeting promoted by The Economy of Francesco. The gathering invites participants from around the world to rethink economics through the lens of the Jubilee, exploring social justice, care for the Earth, and liberation from debt as foundations for a renewed moral and spiritual understanding of economic life.
At first glance, the idea of stopping an economy may seem counterintuitive. Yet, the Jubilee tradition found in Scripture tells a different story. It reminds humanity that every so often, the flow of ownership, labor, and debt must pause to restore balance, forgive what binds, and let the land and people rest. It is an interruption that transforms, revealing that the economy is a means of serving life, not an end in itself.
This ancient vision inspires the heart of the event: an economy that honors limits, heals exhaustion, and restores human relationships. Organizers hope to prompt reflection on what it means to slow down, not to retreat, but to care. They imagine an economy that sees the Earth as a living partner, work as a vocation of dignity, and debt as a wound that can be healed rather than a punishment to be endured.
The Economy of Francesco, launched in 2019 at the invitation of Pope Francis, is a global network of young economists, entrepreneurs, and changemakers. Its goal is to create more just and sustainable models of growth rooted in human solidarity and ecological awareness. The upcoming meeting continues this mission, offering a space for reflection and action grounded in lived experience rather than theoretical debate.
Instead of functioning as a standard academic conference, Restarting the Economy is conceived as a “laboratory of listening and imagination.” Participants from every continent will collaborate around three guiding themes: rest, liberation, and restoration. Each represents a practical and spiritual dimension of the Jubilee, inviting participants to reflect on what it means to let the Earth rest, to free labor from exploitation, and to restore right relationships between people and creation.
In the days leading up to the event, a series of editorials from The Economy of Francesco community will be published, each exploring a key question: Can modern economies rediscover the grace of forgiveness through debt relief? What does it mean to free work from fatigue and precarity? How might rest become an act of justice?
Through dialogue, prayer, and shared discernment, participants aim to rediscover the sacred rhythm of enough where growth is not measured by consumption, but by care, balance, and human flourishing. The conference will serve as both reflection and testimony that pausing is not weakness but wisdom, not waste but renewal.
In a world driven by urgency, Restarting the Economy proposes a radical truth drawn from the heart of faith: that to stop, listen, and restore is to begin again.
