In a recent interview on The Soul of Enterprise Radio Show, Acton President and Co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico spoke with Ron Baker and Ed Kless about the free economy and Acton’s unique role in upholding individual freedom and human dignity.

In the first segment, Rev. Sirico discussed his book Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy as well as its recent translation into Italian. Additionally, Ed asked Rev. Sirico about his meeting with Pope Francis. Rev. Sirico gave Pope Francis a copy of Poverty Inc., a documentary in support of local markets in the fight against global poverty. The interview concluded with a discussion of Pope Francis’ economic views.

In the second and third segments, Rev. Sirico went into greater detail of Poverty Inc. He criticized certain forms of foreign aid for their tendency to undermine local markets and prevent the growth necessary for economic development. He also pointed out that efforts by governments and NGOs often do little in the ways of wealth creation and tend to keep poorer nations dependent on foreign aid by failing to address underlying issues.

You can listen to the podcast on Itunes, Sticher, or via the audio player below: