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Statute and Norms

DIOCESE OF ASSISI – NOCERA UMBRA – GUALDO TADINO

DIOCESAN FOUNDATION OF RELIGION  ASSISI – SANCTUARY OF THE RENUNCIATION 

 

INTERNATIONAL AWARD FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND CARLO ACUTIS

FOR AN ECONOMY OF FRATERNITY

 

 

Statute

Part 1: Historical Value Premise

Part 2: Norms

Bylaws

Part I: Historical Value Premise

a. From the beginnings of the Church, the proclamation of the Gospel has been accompanied by help to the poor and mutual support between believers who, in the first community of Jerusalem, “held everything in common” (Acts 2:44). By virtue of this sharing, too, “none of them was ever in want” (Acts 4:34).

b. This model of communion was characterized by organized assistance in which the generosity of the gift was mirrored by the responsibility to work, so that believers could contribute to community life without abusing the help assured them. The Pauline principle is eloquent: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thess 3: 7-12).

c. In the course of two thousand years of history, the trust of a great number of believers has prompted many to leave their possessions to the Church, who thus feels responsible for their use according to Gospel values and the intentions of the donors.

d. In the magisterium and in ecclesial practice, a doctrinal corpus that also concerns the economy has increasingly developed, beginning especially with Rerum novarum (1891) of Leo XIII up to the magisterium of the recent popes.

e. Pope Francis, with the initiative of the “Economy of Francis,” has appealed to young people throughout the world to commit themselves to dream and carry out a radical renewal of the economy, overcoming an economy that “kills” (cf. Evangelii gaudium n. 53), and promoting an inclusive economy, in which everyone is guaranteed what is necessary and, above all, decent work. In connection with the Encyclical Laudato sì on care for our common home, with the Encyclical Fratelli tutti, signed in Assisi on 3 October 2020, he has also offered a global vision of fraternity which, incardinated in the one paternity of God, requires the growth of fraternal attitudes, reflected also in the structures that characterize social and economic life (cf. Fratelli tutti, chapters I and V; Benedict XVI, Caritas in veritate, chapter III).

* Canonically erected on 4.10.2017, the Diocesan Foundation of Religion Assisi – Sanctuary of the Renunciation, with recognition of juridical personality by the Ministry of the Interior on 11.9.2018, has been inscribed in the Register of legal persons on 29.10.2018, general part n.1231, analytical part n. 1232.

f. In the life of Saint Francis, the pearl of this diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino (hereinafter, “Diocese”), his “stripping” in respect to material goods, carried out through a prophetic gesture in the bishop’s residence of Assisi before his father Pietro di Bernardone and Bishop Guido, was not an act of hostility towards the economy as such, but rather the choice of an authentic vision of the same, from the point of view of solidarity, to benefit the poor and the disadvantaged. After him, Franciscan thought and practice will demonstrate this, also with specific initiatives such as the “Monti di Pietà” and the “Monti frumentari.”

g. In the history of the Diocese, there have not lacked expressions of generous dedication to the poorest and weakest. A prime testimony is the Seraphic Institute, willed in 1871 by the Franciscan Saint Ludovico of Casoria, for care of the blind and deaf and dumb. The Institute, for 150 years now, has been a great reality at the service of individuals, especially infants and the young, affected by serious and multiple disabilities, towards whom society and the profit economy do not always give due attention.

h. In the short life of Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006), entombed in Assisi in the Sanctuary of the Renunciation, there appears, in addition to a Eucharistic spirituality, love for the poor also. He distinguished himself, in his relationship to the poor, by the fact that he did not limit himself to giving alms, but demonstrated traits of sharing and friendship. In addition, with his talent in information technology, placed at the service of evangelization (for example, with the exhibition of Eucharistic miracles), he showed the greatest potentials of digital technology in the age of the digital economy.

i. The Diocese is undertaking a journey of growing in sensitivity and witness in the social field, providing precise operational guidelines in the “Libro del Sinodo” (Handbook of the Synod, 2016) and systematically developing a reflection in this area in the “Socio-political School,” named after the blessed economist Giuseppe Toniolo, a true “prophet,” between the 1800 and 1900’s, of an “economy of fraternity.”

1. The Sanctuary of the Renunciation, guardian of the spiritual icon that is centered on the gesture with which the young Francis of Assisi, in imitation of Christ, made his own the condition of the poor, feels, in a particular way, the mission to help people “strip” themselves of a selfish vision in order to take on a fraternal vision of life and the economy.

For this purpose, the Diocesan Foundation of Religion Assisi – Sanctuary of the Renunciation (hereafter, “Foundation”), born to support the work of the Sanctuary, on the basis of what has been stated so far, in agreement with the Bishop of the Diocese, by whom it is established and from whom it depends, resolves to pursue its aims also with the establishment of an International Award, aimed at promoting an “economy of fraternity” and named after the two figures who, in the Sanctuary itself, express – with different but converging characteristics – the face of holiness of the Church, also in the social sphere: St. Francis of Assisi and Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Part II: Norms

DENOMINATION, NATURE AND PURPOSE

Art. 1 – The international Award “Francis of Assisi and Carlo Acutis for an economy of fraternity” (hereafter, “Award”) is instituted in order to promote a renewal of the economy in the name of the universal fraternity of all human beings, beginning with the condition and the interests of the humblest and most disadvantaged, in the evangelical perspective of the unique fatherhood of God and his design of love for all of his children.

Art. 2 – The Award is aimed at encouraging those fraternal economic processes “from below,” in which people with scarce economic possibilities, in any part of the world, but especially in the poorer regions, come together around valid project ideas, relying above all on the “capital of fraternity.”

Art. 3 – The Award rests on the conviction that God’s closeness is the hidden strength of the humble, as Mary sings in the Magnificat: “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, he has lifted up the lowly” (Lk 1:51). It expresses, therefore, the confidence that attention placed on positive processes, even those small in size, which are launched in spite of poverty and, even more so, thanks to poverty, when this is chosen as evangelical beatitude (cf. Mt 5:1; Lk 6:20), may lead those who possess the lever of world wealth to “convert” the dynamics of the economy in the direction of a more just, fraternal and supportive world.

Art. 4 – The Prize consists:

a. in a public recognition of the intrinsic value of specific initiatives that stand out for this ideal physiognomy, just outlined;

b. in a cash payment, expandable, according to the availabilities of the Foundation and in relation to the entity of the awarded initiative;

c. in the symbolic investiture of the cloak of Francis in memory of the gesture with which Bishop Guido covered the saint of Assisi in his “stripping,” accompanied by a plaque with the faces of Saint Francis and Blessed Carlo Acutis.

RESPONSIBLE BODY AND METHOD OF GOVERNANCE

Art. 5 – The Body responsible for the Award is the same sponsoring Foundation, which is responsible for it also legally in the person of the president, who acts according to the norms here defined and the attached Bylaws, in organic agreement with the Diocese.

Art. 6 – For the evaluation of the subjects who apply for the Award, the Foundation has recourse to an Evaluation Commission, as referred to in art. 15.

Art. 7 – For the financial aspect of the Award, the Foundation, in addition to relying on its own resources and on freely given offerings of individuals and institutions, has recourse to a Supporting Committee, made up of entrepreneurial and also institutional realities that share the conceived logic of the Award, adhering to the fundamental principles of the economy of fraternity, as delineated in the Premise and in arts. 1, 2 and 3, and described in the enclosed Bylaws.

COMPETITION NOTICE

Art. 8 – On the occasion of the Sanctuary Feast day (May), the Foundation issues the competition announcement for the Award, indicating the fundamental characteristics that the realities named in art. 2 must possess in order to be admitted to the competition. Applications for participation must be submitted by December 31 of the same year.

Art. 9 – The initiatives are admitted to the competition on the basis, jointly, of both their project profile and the working path already begun, with well-defined persons and actively involved in it. In particular, initiatives conceived and carried out by young people under 35 years of age will be favored. Having an incentive purpose, the Award is not given to initiatives that have already been “completed” and, thus, in historical recognition, but to projects which, in some way, set to be implemented, are worthy of attention and support with respect to the aims that they propose.

Art. 10 – The credibility of the candidacies will also be assessed on the basis of references from ecclesial authority (bishops, missionary institutes, etc) and other authorities of the place where the entity concerned has its domicile and / or the actual implementation of the project.

Art. 11 – The bishops concerned and the recognized ecclesial realities, as well as other entities of competent credibility, can indicate deserving subjects on their own initiative. In every event, inclusion within the candidates for the Award is subject always to adherence to the competition, according to the temporal and organizational terms that it stipulates, except for the provisions of art. 14.

Art. 12 – Persons and entities, with relevant projects-initiatives, are admitted to the competition without discrimination of the religious affiliation of the promoters and managers, and even less so of the candidates, but taking into account the ethical-value dimensions that they express in keeping with the premises and the ends of the Award itself.

Art. 13 – In the event that other works, not awarded, still deserve a “recognition,” this will be provided for by the Foundation in the ways that are deemed most appropriate on a case-by-case basis.

Art. 14 – For well-founded reasons linked, however, to the meaning of the Award, when in a given year there are no candidates or they lack the minimum requirements for a just recognition, the Evaluation Commission, in agreement with the Foundation and with the diocese in the person of the bishop pro-tempore, and after having heard the Supporting Committee, may decide on recognition in extra-competition terms to entities that are not candidates, but which nevertheless possess particular significance and are worthy.

EVALUATION COMMISSION, SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, HONOR COMMITTEE

Art. 15 – The commission responsible for evaluating the projects for the purpose of awarding the prize (Evaluation Commission) is made up of five experts appointed for three years by the President of the Foundation by resolution of the Council upon the proposal or otherwise in agreement with the diocesan Bishop. To these are added, as members by right, the President of the Foundation, the Director (or his delegate) of the Socio-political School Giuseppe Toniolo of Assisi, a member, preferably revolving, of the Supporting Committee referred to in art. 19, possibly a representative of the entity awarded in the preceding year.

Art. 16 – For the purposes of the scientific activities referred to in art. 20, the Foundation, in agreement with the diocesan Bishop, forms a Scientific Committee, made up of members appointed for three years according to the criteria set out in the Bylaws for the five experts of the Evaluation Commission (cf. Bylaws art. 7). The five experts of the Evaluation Commission and the director of the Socio-political School Giuseppe Toniolo of Assisi also participate by right. The Committee works in agreement with the Foundation, which supports it through the President or his delegate.

Art. 17 – The Foundation may institute an Honor Committee with qualified members who, with their institutional or professional prestige, and also for activities already meritoriously carried out in the service of the Award, by virtue of their adherence to the values ​​by which the Award is inspired, can assure their competent attention and offer all appropriate suggestions.

Art. 18 – For the exercise of its task of further exploration, on the initiative of the Foundation or always in agreement with it, the Scientific Committee meets, in presence or online, at least once a year. For this purpose, in agreement with the Foundation, it elects its coordinator and, if necessary, a vice-coordinator, arranging its activities through the secretariat of the Foundation.

SUPPORTING COMMITTEE

Art. 19 – The Supporting Committee, chaired by the President of the Foundation or his delegate, is made up of persons, entities and companies who, sharing the aims of the Award and orienting their activities according to the values ​​embodied by it, formally undertake to support it in a congruous and stable way, with an annual contribution to be freely agreed with the Foundation in view of the formation and increase of the capital of the Award. A member of the Supporting Committee, by resolution of the Committee itself, participates with the right to vote in the selection entrusted to the Evaluation Commission.

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES AND CULTURAL SYNERGIES

Art. 20 – The Award falls within the horizon of the social doctrine of the Church. In regard to the theme of fraternity, it will take special account of the encyclical “Fratelli tutti” (“Brothers All”) of Pope Francis. On this basis, the Scientific Committee, in the perspective of a development of the same vision of the economy, in its theoretical and practical aspects, might activate a path of study, research and animation, finding a point of support and coordination in Assisi in the Socio-political School Giuseppe Toniolo and opening up, in agreed ways, to collaboration with other institutions, academic and non-academic, but always of a high profile, beginning with the Franciscan families of Assisi.

Art 21 – For the same purpose, always in collaboration with the aforementioned Socio-political School, publications, subsidiary material and initiatives aimed at informing and sensitizing public opinion about this esteemed initiative can be planned.

ORGANIZATION AND BUDGET

Art. 22 – The Foundation supports the Award with a specific annual budget item and multi-year budget estimates.

Art. 23 – Those persons involved in the activity of selection and consigning of the Award, with a view to an economy of fraternity that aims to support deserving subjects with scarce resources, are asked to engage in keeping with a logic of sobriety and sustainability of management costs. The Foundation relies, therefore, especially on generous volunteering, while assuming nevertheless the tangible expenses that people will have to bear in order to fulfill their role. The Foundation will be able to employ people in working terms, who accompany the Award in its organizational aspects.

Art. 24 – The Award is established, on an experimental basis, for three years, beginning with the date of approval of this Statute, and can then, upon resolution of the Foundation and in agreement with the diocesan bishop, become a stable institution. The Foundation, however, may terminate the Award for justifiable reasons, announcing this one year in advance. In this case, the sum collected annually through freely given donations with explicit connection to the Award, with full transparency, can be moved to the Foundation for items relating to charity or also, for the remaining sum not paid out, returned in a proportional manner to the members of the Supporting Committee, at their request or on the basis of what is stated in the contribution agreement.

Art. 25 – The Award is recognized ideally – without any functional and organic relationship – in the process launched by the appeal made by Pope Francis on 1 May 2019 with the initiative of the Economy of Francis. By virtue of this syntony, it will gladly make use, also with specific collaboration agreements, of all possible help and guidelines that the Holy See may wish to offer for the effective pursuit of the values ​​and purposes stated herein.

 INAUGURAL EXTRA-COMPETITION AWARDS

Art. 26 – The present Statute, promulgated this year as part of the activities relating to the beatification of Carlo Acutis, will go into effect with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi in 2021. By a provisional decision, in this “launch” year, in anticipation that all the institutional bodies indicated above be formally made operational, the Award, on an inaugural basis, will be presented in an extra-competition manner, exclusively in its visionary and symbolic component and not in the financial one (cf. art. 4. b), to the Seraphic Institute of Assisi, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of its foundation. In fact, it is clear that this Institute, from its origins and in its development until today, has operated within the logic of the economy of fraternity that the Award pursues and encourages. Such recognition, outside of a competition, helps to understand the meaning of the Award itself in its contents and in its values.

Assisi, 4 October 2020, Feast of Saint Francis

BYLAWS

RECIPIENTS OF THE AWARD

Art. 1 – The Foundation of the Sanctuary of the Renunciation (hereafter, “Foundation”), in accord with the Statute of the Award (hereafter, “Statute”) in arts. 1 and 2, confers each year the “International Award Francis of Assisi and Carlo Acutis for an Economy of Fraternity” (hereafter, “Award”) to those realities (persons, projects, initiatives) that can be described as fraternal economic processes “from below,” signifying, with this expression:

a. Persons, entities and societies who, especially in the poorest regions of the world, responding to their lack of opportunities and scarce financial resources, take economic initiative for the development of their own territories and communities;

b. not being able to dispose of large financial capital, they rely above all on the “capital of fraternity,” coming together in cooperative forms or always collaboratively;

c. they dedicate available resources – physical, moral and material – related to valid project ideas;

d. they do so in full respect of the dignity of work, ensuring, alongside other rights, a fair remuneration according to the conditions practicable in each region and in each initiative, taking account not only of individuals but also of their families;

e. they develop an ethic of fraternal concern towards all people involved, both protagonists and recipients of the entrepreneurial initiative and work activity;

f. they engage, with the dynamics of the market economy, their own project, production and distributive thinking;

g. they adopt criteria based on environmental sustainability and care of creation as a “common home,” according to the logic with which Francis of Assisi, in the Canticle of Brother Sun, called the same material creatures, “brother” and “sister” (cf. Encyclical Laudato sì);

h. they seek, above all else, the advantage of the weakest and “discarded” social classes, stimulating their active participation in the process of their economic and social regeneration;

i. they are concerned with ensuring equal opportunities for both men and women, while fully respecting the possibilities, vocation and rights of each one;

j. they have due regard for the condition of the elderly, valuing their wisdom and experience;

k. they pay special attention to young people as “promises” of the future, helping them to cultivate a positive and mutually supportive attitude in the building of the communities to which they belong (cf. papal appeal for Economy of Francis, 1 May 2019).

Art. 2 – The identification of these projects and the weighing of their value passes through adherence to the competition that is launched annually by the Foundation on the occasion of the annual feast day of the Sanctuary (May). The documented presentation of projects and the progress achieved in the specific stages of their development must reach the Foundation by 31 December according to the rules established in the competition. Each year, the Foundation takes into consideration worthy projects and initiatives, in the number and manner specified in each competition.

Art. 3 – In consideration of the fact that many of the possible candidates, precisely because of the scarcity of media and information that characterize them, would remain unknown and marginalized, the Foundation seeks the widest possible information channels, ensuring that knowledge thereof also reaches the poorest regions of the world through dioceses, missionary institutes, ecclesial associations and movements and other practicable ways. In particular, any help from the Holy See will be welcomed in this regard.

Art. 4 – In terms of the possibility that deserving subjects are presented by ecclesial and civil entities of recognized credibility in accordance with the provisions of the Statute in art. 11, in the event that problems of well-documented poverty also involve serious difficulties in communication and bureaucratic formalization, with delays or “technical” insufficiencies, due precisely to local conditions, the Evaluation Commission, in agreement with the Foundation, reserves the right to ways of fairness, even by means of a justified departure from non-essential formalities of these Bylaws, thus aiming to ensure the widest equality of opportunity for all potential candidates.

Art. 5 – In order to give signs of closeness and encouragement to the different regions of the world and to the most disparate situations of poverty, the Foundation may decide to single out, in the yearly competition, specific geographical areas, also by revolving different regions and different continents. If no application has been received from that specific area on 31 December of a given year, the competition can be reopened without geographical limitations with an extension to 31 December, the deadline for submitting the application. In such a situation, an application from a geographical area other than the one designated in the current year’s competition, does not prejudice any other area already planned according to the normal course of programming, but it is left to the discretion of the Foundation to propose or not the same area again.

Art. 6 – In addition to the documentation provided by the subjects participating in the competition, the credibility of the candidacies will also be assessed on the basis of testimonies from ecclesial authority (bishops, missionary institutes, etc.) of the place where the candidates have their domicile and / or the actual realization of the project. Other authoritative evidence from the civil sphere is also considered where appropriate. In this regard, the Foundation reserves the right to make further checks, where necessary. The disbursement of the envisaged sum can be made in different instalments in relation to the documentation provided in terms of the progress of the awarded project and initiative.

Art. 7 – The Evaluation Commission, charged with examining the projects themselves and the related initiatives for the purpose of awarding the prize, is composed of five experts, whose competence, in the opinion of the Council of the Foundation, as agreed with the diocesan Bishop, is recognizable:

a. on the basis of their academic background, whether university professors or of equivalent scientific level;

b. by their qualified experience in the socio-economic area;

c. by the activity that they carry out, with specific attention to social aspects, in the ecclesial-missionary area, especially in poor regions of the world.

Those who participate in the work of discernment of the Evaluation Commission, with the right to vote, are the President of the Foundation or his delegate, the director or his delegate of the Socio-political School Giuseppe Toniolo of Assisi and, preferably by turn, a member of the Supporting Committee freely chosen, by majority, by the Committee itself. If practicable, a representative of the subject who won the Award in the previous year is also invited, or one of these – at the discretion of the Foundation – if the winners were more than one in accordance with art. 14 of the present Bylaws.

Art. 8 – Members not by right of the Evaluation Commission are appointed for three years by the president of the Foundation upon resolution of the Council and in agreement with the diocesan bishop. The Evaluation Commission elects a point person, who is responsible for coordinating, in person or online, the work of selecting the projects, and then preparing a written report for each of them with a judgment on the reality to be awarded and on the other candidates. The Foundation supports the work of the Commission organizationally with its operational structures.

Art. 9 – The Scientific Committee, referred to in art. 16 of the Statute, is made up, in addition to the five experts of the Evaluation Commission, by other members appointed for three years with the same criteria. The Director of the Socio-political School Giuseppe Toniolo of Assisi also participates by right in the Scientific Committee. The Committee works in agreement with the Foundation, which supports it through the President or his delegate. For the exercise of its task, in synergy with the aforementioned School, the Scientific Committee meets, in person or online, at least once a year, to deepen, in general terms, the various aspects of the economy of the fraternity. This exchange and study aim to highlight, in culture and practice, the ideal of the economy of fraternity, also from the stimuli offered by the concrete experiences emerging from the very projects that are nominated for the Award. In this way, the concrete “experiences” that develop in the various regions of the world also contribute to the scientific elaboration of this model of the economy.

Art. 10 – In its commitment to deepen the concept and the economic model of fraternity in relation to the general state of the world economy, its processes and its problems, the Scientific Committee operates in light of the social doctrine of the Church, in dialogue with the scientific elaborations of economists who, even if starting with other points of view, different origins, and cultural and religious backgrounds, can nevertheless be recognized as part of the same visionary inspiration.

Art. 11 – Such scientific work, evaluated above all in the context of the Socio-political School Giuseppe Toniolo, assumes the value of a permanent seminar and, as such, opens up, in appropriate ways established from time to time, in addition to the members of the Scientific Committee, also to other people, invited by the Foundation or by the Committee itself as speakers or simple participants, with the purpose of stimulating the broadest path of common growth in the knowledge of the relevant ethical and social problems and challenges.

CONFIGURATION OF THE AWARD

Art. 12 – The qualifying element of the Award is the valuative judgment given by the Evaluation Commission to those who apply with related projects / initiatives that have not already been implemented, but are in itinere, begun at least in the initial stages. The Evaluation Commission will take care to explain the reasons that justified the conferral.

Art. 13 – The Award also provides for a payment in cash, not in terms of an assistance, but as a fraternal support for the continuation of the initiative, and therefore with a dialogue of the Foundation with the interested parties for the purposes of the best and most guaranteed use of the sum paid out. The latter may, therefore, be paid in different instalments in relation to the development of the work and the presentation of relative documentation.

Art. 14 – The sum disbursed with the Award is decided annually according to the resources of the Foundation and the consistency of free offerings from entities and people who adhere to the ideal of the economy of fraternity. As a rule, the annual award is unique. Exceptionally, due to the special significance of a project in the competition, on the basis of financial resources, the Foundation will be able to confer a double Award in any one year.

Art. 15 – The Award also foresees a symbolic investiture expressed in the “cloak of Francis” in memory of the gesture with which Bishop Guido, as a sign of benevolence and blessing, covered the Saint of Assisi in the prophetic act of his stripping. The cloak consists of a large shawl or foulard bearing the image of Francis’ stripping. Added to this is a plaque with the faces of St. Francis and Blessed Carlo Acutis and the words “original not photocopies,” so dear to the young Blessed and relaunched by Pope Francis for young people around the world by the post-synodal Exhortation Christus vivit.

Art. 16 – The Award will normally be conferred within the framework of the annual Feast of the Sanctuary of the Renunciation, around 16 May, on the date specified from year to year. It can be received in a public ceremony by the interested parties or by their delegates or, in the case of very distant realities that make coming to Assisi impossible, it may be sent in the most appropriate ways.

ACTIVITIES OF THE EVALUATION COMMISSION

Art. 17 – The Evaluation Commission, constituted in accord with arts. 6 and 15 of the Statute, organizes itself autonomously for the evaluation of the projects, avoiding any illegitimate interference or pressure, in order to guarantee the greatest objectivity and serenity of judgment. However, it can avail itself of a preparatory team, made up of members of the Commission itself or identified by it for this purpose in agreement with the Foundation, in order to carry out a first screening according to defined criteria and to report to the Commission, which reserves the right to evaluate collectively the most deserving projects and initiatives. The judgment of the members of the Commission is expressed by a majority vote. In the event of a tie of conflicting judgments, the judgment of the point person prevails.

Art. 18 – In the event that other projects, even if not awarded, deserve to be acknowledged (cf. Statute art. 13), this will be organized by the Foundation in the ways deemed most appropriate from time to time. Knowledge of these projects will, in any case, be promoted through the Foundation’s website and other journalistic and media tools. Moreover, all the projects participating in the competition, to the extent that they fall within the criteria of the competition and respond, in a congruous manner, to the visionary values ​​that inspire it, may be placed on the Foundation’s website, in order to create the possibility of mutual knowledge between the actors of the competing projects and all other interested parties.

COMPOSITION AND ACTIVITIES OF THE SUPPORTING COMMITTEE

Art. 19 – The Supporting Committee is constituted by persons, entities and companies that undertake to support the Award in a consistent and stable manner, with an annual contribution to be agreed with the Foundation in view of the formation of the capital of the Award itself, so that it can be ensured on an annual basis and possibly increased, especially for the most demanding projects in need of greater help.

Art. 20 – The entities and companies that join the Supporting Committee declare that they share the aims of the Award and undertake to orient their activities according to the values ​​that it expresses. By virtue of this commitment, declared and documented, they are given sufficient visibility on the Foundation’s website.

Art. 21 – A member of the Supporting Committee, preferably by turn, based on the Committee’s decision, participates with the right to vote in the screening by the Evaluation Commission.

Art. 22 – With a justifiable but categorical decision, the Foundation can renounce a promised contribution and decide the expulsion from the committee of a supporter, in the event that elements have emerged or developed in its activity that contradict the meaning of the Award and the values ​​it expresses. In such a case, the supporting subject in question can request the return of the amount pertaining to him or her and not yet paid by the Award, but not those previously granted and already paid.

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY

Art. 23 – The initiative of the Award, despite having well-defined purposes according to the provisions of the Statute in arts. 1 and 2, has the aim to make a contribution of a more general nature to reflection on the economy and its renewal in accord with arts. 20 and 21 of the same. Therefore, in the collaboration between the Foundation and the Socio-political School Giuseppe Toniolo, drawing on the skills of the members of the Scientific Committee and other experts, the Award will stimulate deepening insights into the state, dynamics, and problems of the world economy, so that it always develops more from the point of view of the economy of fraternity. In reality, this concept lends itself to being, not only an operational ideal of the “from below” economy, often forced to rely almost exclusively on the “capital of fraternity,” but an ideal to which the whole economy can and must strive also in its more complex and consolidated structures, which nevertheless wish to tend sincerely to a fraternal conception of the relationship between all human beings.

Art. 24 – In view of this deepening reflection, the Scientific Committee, in agreement with the Foundation and in synergy with the Socio-political school Giuseppe Toniolo, meets, in presence or online, at least once a year, to confer on the various aspects of the economy of fraternity, both as a scientific itinerary outlined thematically by the Committee itself, and as a reflection, beginning from the concrete experiences offered by the projects that are nominated for the Award. The point of reference in this scientific activity will always be the social doctrine of the Church, albeit in dialogue with the scientific elaborations of economists who, with albeit differing points of view, can nevertheless be recognized, to some extent, within the same line of thinking. This scientific work, which in some way assumes the value of a permanent seminar, can be participated in by teachers and students of the Socio-political school Giuseppe Toniolo, and, by invitation, other people, in order to stimulate a path of wide growth in knowledge of the problems and pertinent ethical and social challenges, aiming at an economy and a condition of existence in which:

a. human rights are always respected, starting with the right to life of every human being in each phase of his or her existence;

b. the family is always increasingly recognized and promoted as the fundamental cell of society and the nerve center of the economy itself, in its nuclear expression of union between a man and a woman marked by stability, generativity and respect for all human life;

c. the inequalities of opportunity at all levels are removed or at least increasingly and decidedly reduced, in a free and democratic society, characterized by the balance between state power and natural or freely constituted social bodies;

d. wars and their causes are eradicated and, for all nations, the conditions for a just, true and lasting peace are guaranteed;

e. the needs of the environment are increasingly safeguarded, in the logic of a true custody of the “common home,” according to the message of St. Francis of Assisi and the encyclical Laudato Sì of Pope Francis.

Assisi, 4 October 2020, Feast of St. Francis.