Pope Leo XIV highlights example of Argentine businessman Enrique Shaw Pope Leo XIV honored the late Argentine businessman Enrique Shaw as one whose life demonstrates that \u201cone can be both an entrepreneur and a saint\u201d and that \u201ceconomic efficiency and fidelity to the Gospel are not mutually exclusive.\u201d In a message to participants of the 31st Industrial Conference of Argentina, taking place Thursday in Buenos Aires, Leo emphasized the harmony between Shaw\u2019s Christian faith and his business practices, which he said showed that Catholic social teaching \u201cis not an abstract theory or an unworkable utopia but a possible path that transforms the lives of individuals and institutions by placing Christ at the center of all human activity.\u201d Support for just wages, worker formation Shaw was born in 1921 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris into an elite Argentine family. Despite the comfort his upbringing could have afforded him, he chose a path of generosity, service, and deep humanity. He died at age 41 and was declared venerable by Pope Francis in 2021. His cause for beatification is now at an advanced stage in the Vatican. During his short life, Shaw promoted fair wages, expanded formation programs, cared for workers\u2019 health, and supported their families in concrete ways. The pope noted that Shaw \u201cdid not conceive profitability as an absolute but as an important aspect to sustain a human, just, and solidarity-based company.\u201d Recalling that Pope Leo XIII\u2019s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum was the \u201cfoundational act\u201d of modern Catholic social teaching, he said it is evident that Shaw\u2019s writings and decisions were shaped by that text. In Rerum Novarum, he explained, the Church denounced unjust labor conditions and affirmed strongly that \u201cneither justice nor humanity can tolerate the requirement of such labor that the spirit is dulled by excessive work and the body overwhelmed by fatigue.\u201d \u2018The dignity of the worker continues to be violated\u2019 The pope stressed that the encyclical\u2019s insights \u2014 born in a time of major industrial transformation \u2014 retain \u201cstriking relevance in the globalized world we inhabit, where the dignity of the worker continues all too often to be violated.\u201d He also recalled that Shaw \u201cknew the misunderstanding and persecution foretold by Christ for those who work for justice,\u201d noting that he was imprisoned under the government of Juan Domingo Per\u00f3n in May 1955. \u201cLater he faced illness, but he never stopped working or encouraging those around him. He offered his suffering to God as an act of love and, even amid pain, remained close to his workers,\u201d the pope said. For this reason, he proposed Shaw as a \u201cmodel for our time\u201d for all who work in the economic and labor sectors, insisting that holiness \u201cmust flourish precisely where decisions are made that affect the lives of thousands of families.\u201d \u201cThe world urgently needs entrepreneurs and leaders who, out of love for God and neighbor, work for an economy at the service of the common good,\u201d he concluded. A pioneer of Catholic social teaching in business Shaw was a pioneer in applying Catholic social teaching in the corporate world, anticipating what is now known as corporate social responsibility. He held leadership positions in major companies, but his greatest legacy was the founding in 1952 of the Christian Association of Business Leaders (ACDE), which sought to promote an ethical business culture rooted in Christian values. He maintained a respectful and close relationship with his employees, whom he regarded not as resources but as collaborators. In 1957, Shaw was diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable cancer. He faced the illness with unshakable faith and serenity, continuing his work and apostolic commitments until his death on Aug. 27, 1962. This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Victoria Cardiel Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article How Benedict XVI was buried at the Vatican Pope Francis Welcomes Jubilee Pilgrims: \u2018Begin Again With Hope\u2019 Cardinal Napier: Church in Africa must \u2018bring people together\u2019 to overcome racial divides Pope Francis Spends Quiet Night Recovering at the Hospital Pope Francis Calls for Courage to Negotiate Peace in Ukraine First World Children’s Day<\/p>\n