Incense investment: Vatican startups

https://espresso.economist.com/7436b0dc99f8aed11026252aeade1a3a
-- Dec 4th 2018

Incense investment: Vatican startups

• Vatican 梵蒂冈

Ten new companies, selected from 400 applications, gather today at the Vatican to pitch to religious leaders and philanthropists.

• pitch 争取支持
• philanthropist 博爱主义者；慈善家

The “Laudato Si’ Challenge”, inspired by Pope Francis’s 2015 eponymous encyclical, aims to help startups that offer solutions to the problems generated by migration.

• eponymous 同名的
• encyclical 教皇通谕

One company, Leaf, is developing blockchain technology to connect the unbanked to the global economy through their mobile phones.

• blockchain 区块链

Chatterbox offers language lessons by refugees, while DoctHERs connects female doctors in Pakistan to “underserved communities”.

• refugees 避难者；逃亡者
• underserved 服务水平低下的；服务水平低下；服务不足

Italy’s geography has made it a first port of call for migrants making their way from north Africa to Europe.

• call for 呼吁；主张；需要；接(某人)
• make one's way 前进；行进；走去

Successive governments have failed to promote their integration in society.

• Successive 连续的；接连的；相继的

Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing Northern League and interior minister in Italy’s coalition government, continues to campaign vigorously against immigration.

• right-wing 右翼的；右派的
• coalition government (两党或多党）联合政府
• interior minister 内政部长；内务部长；内务大臣
• campaign against 针对……的运动
• vigorously 精神旺盛地；精力充沛地；用力地

A big test of today will be if startups can help where the state is failing.