Insurance Leader Will Head International Foundation To Address “Human Ecology”

Marking the sixth Anniversary of his landmark encyclical, Laudato, Si, Pope Francis expressed his keen interest in seeing his encyclical’s focus, “human ecology” translated into action over the years ahead. During a May 26th meeting in Rome, the St. Francis Day Foundation, a non-profit organization to serve mankind through a series of mandates was born, as the Pope gave his blessing to a groundbreaking global effort. The use of a Foundation format follows the examples of the Pope’s predecessors who have dealt with social issues from the vantage point of Christian and universal ethics to realize societal and spiritual wellbeing across continents and ages.

The new Foundation will be chaired by insurance leader, Mr. Steve Menzies, Chairman of Applied Underwriters, an exponent of care for injured workers, of public diplomacy and strategic philanthropy, who met with the Pope for several hours, at his residence in Rome to plan set the agenda for the Foundation’s work.

Mr. Menzies has committed a cornerstone grant from the Steve Menzies Foundation to set the organization, New York operation, staffing and initial project funding, as benefactors join with pledges of support.

To begin, on October 4th, 2022, the day St. Francis is celebrated each year, the Foundation will announce a major program that will involve technology, human spiritual wellbeing and, specifically, related social and personal implications of artificial intelligence — all in keeping with the messages of the Encyclical. The words of the encyclical and the example of Francis of Assisi have provided a context for the Foundation’s planned, far reaching social and civic impact, namely what Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis have identified as the need for engendering respect for nature, for civil discourse and civility and for the plight of the disadvantaged through educational, cultural, civic and social initiatives.

Foundation plans include setting of the first regional centers in Rome with the addition of others on each continent subsequently to serve as operational bases for the Foundation’s work. The Foundation’s Board, currently in formation, will include leaders from the worlds of academe, diplomacy, commerce, the arts and public service.

Mr. Menzies stated: “As responsible insurance executives whose Companies pride themselves on having a “good soul” at the center of our commerce, we have identified ‘human ecology” as a useful, broad outline of the real environment and society in which our policyholders and our staff work each day. Insuring does not exist in a void nor in a pure financial sphere: risk is heightened when social instability and socially acceptable behavior are compromised. More than that, our use of technology must be measured for its long term human and societal impact. There are so many ways in which human ecology affects our business that the leadership of the new Foundation seemed to be a service to our industry as a b- product, The new foundation in collaboration with our Steve Menzies Foundation, Inc. and the other benefactors who have begun to” step up” will bring concern and answers about human ecology across the world. My staff and I feel privileged to play meaningful roles in the success of this undertaking and its mandates.”

Mr. Menzies observed: “This entire initiative derives from the words and works of one of history’s greatest exponents of peace, brotherhood and respect for nature, Francis of Assisi. These realities were treated in Encyclical form in the 21st century by a holy man of foresight and depth, seeking to tackle the social issues of the day in a meaningful context. Much like many of his predecessors, from Pope Leo XIII and his care for the dignity of the worker — a cause especially close to me as a corporate leader and insurer of workers’ wellbeing — to Pope John Paul II and his fierce opposition to conflict and the subjugation of so many of the world’s peoples by dictatorial regimes, today Pope Francis moves to influence the world’s thought leaders and to shepherd its citizens with a message of fraternity, reverence for our world, and a higher standard of civil behavior. It is a central mandate for us all”

Other Foundation plans include setting of the first regional centers in Rome with the addition of others on each continent subsequently to serve as operational bases for the Foundation’s work. The Foundation’s Board, currently in formation, will include leaders from the worlds of academe, diplomacy, commerce, the arts and public service.