Giuseppe Toniolo

Giuseppe Toniolo (7 March 1845 – 7 October 1918) was an Italian Catholic economist, sociologist, and pioneer of Christian democracy. A leading political and social economist, Toniolo condemned both socialism and laissez-faire capitalism, advocating instead for an economic system in which social, judicial, and economic forces cooperate proportionately for the common good. Toniolo was an early Catholic advocate of labour unions and social reform. Describing the economy as an "integral part of the operative design of God," his work was inspired by Catholic social teaching. Toniolo was beatified on 29 April 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome.