"The book “Testimony of a Social Economist committed to the humanization of the world” was recently published by ITDC Investment, Training and Human Development Consulting, with a preface by D. Manuel Martins in one of his last texts.

In good time this publication happened because João P. de Moura, already nonagenarian is, in the second half of the twentieth century, an unusual figure of public administration, political life and social Christianity in Portugal.

Since the early sixties, he has launched and directed the Labor Development Fund (FDMO) and the set of services that integrated it, which today constitutes the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training; He also headed the planning department in the Ministry responsible for Labour and Social Security.


Some of these studies, carried out before 1974, led to employment benefits, national minimum wages and other measures. He dispatched with a large number of ministers, before and after April 74, always keeping the same course of action linked to humanist principles, especially from Christian social thought, from the United Nations, the International Labor Organization, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.


It is clear from his testimony that public administration has a constitutive link to the common good. For this and other reasons, he made a point of not joining any political party, respecting them all, and has always sought for the common good, seeking always for the best possible solutions.

His main inspiration was Christian social thought that led him to promote the foundation, within the ecclesial framework, of a group of professionals of his Labor Development Fund, called Mater et Magistra, in reference to the encyclical of John XXIII with the same name.

He also participated in various initiatives of Catholic intellectuals and cooperated closely with D. António Ribeiro in various initiatives."


Acácio F. Catarino
Article recently published in the newspaper “Correio do Vouga”

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If you would like to purchase this book, check our website here.

November 2019.

photographer's credits' - Pedro Santos