We are living in challenging times. The context of the Francis papacy is turbulent and complex. Addressing the 5th National Convention of the Italian Church, Pope Francis said “we are not living in an era of change so much as change of eras”.

The global economy, with its impact on societies, has been imperfect. The contradictions of globalisation have caused civil strife and hardship. On one hand, we have seen an uplift in education, diffusion of democracy and less repressive regimes, but the ‘global culture’ has raised expectations, and made humanity more materialistic and self-conscious.

One direct, negative effect has been the growth in inequality, rather extreme inequality. Youth unemployment is at historically high levels, while terrorism, populism and radicalism have raised their head in countries that were seemingly immune from extremism, such as the US.

We are sailing in unknown waters as technology (robotics, nanotechnology and biotechnology advancements) move from research and experimentation to commercialisation. Short-termism in politics and ‘election cycle leadership’ make administrations respond to opinion poll indicators rather than listen to the experts. Add to this the lack of civic mindedness and the denial of the negative impact of climate change.

Pope Francis points to a “new humanism” as a facilitator of change in mindset and eventually a change in culture. This is not a design of an abstract “new humanism”, he says, but a certain idea of the human, presented with simplicity with the features of practical Christian humanism that is present in the “mind” of Jesus Christ.

It is through the “centrality of Jesus… that we discover the authentic face of the human person”. Reflecting St Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he asks: is our attitude similar to that of Jesus Christ?

Pope Francis lists a number of potential solutions that are actionable if we reflect and return to the words of Christ: There is need for increased consciousness of waste, which is created by misallocation of resources, corruption and sleaze, absenteeism at work, destruction of nature and the environment. His words are typically harsh as he describes our common home “in deep trouble and beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth” (Laudato Si’, 21).

The solution lies in education, but especially the education of the decision-takers, the policy makers, the politicians and the business community. In his address to managers at Confindustria last February, he acknowledges that businessmen can make a difference if they place the person and his dignity and needs at the centre. The quality of relationships, and the nature of work to build a just world would simply change – a world that Francis describes as “truly for all”.

Francis calls for an end to the “selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity”, (UN, September 2015), which can be achieved by less government but more civil society as a way to apply the subsidiarity principle in Catholic social teaching – a regulation that motivates rather than discourages or hinders initiative and creativity. Pope Francis says it is time for “greater equity” even in international organisations that are aimed at maintaining international peace and prosperity.

We are living in an era of distraction and indifference but “faith is revolutionary”, and the only way to face the challenges of the modern world is to consider change “through faith” as a long-term process, where we sow the future now by means of respect of human dignity, subsidiarity and solidarity in pursuit of the common good.

This is Christian-inspired economics that is not based on hand-outs and lip-service compassion but by providing the opportunity where every single person will act as a “craftsman of his or her destiny”. It is revolutionary when we consider the market model not as a function of capital and production, but as a provider of goods and services which work for “all stakeholders”, the common good. It is an economic model with “solidarity and a broad vision” (Pope Francis, Turin, June 2015).

Poverty is not a tool for political ambition but a reality that needs to be eliminated. The poor cannot be seen as part of an “ideological approach” that ends up using poverty for political and personal gain. It is indeed a change of eras for politics, economics and society.