Our great friend François de Siebenthal, of Lausanne, Switzerland, passed away on June 26, 2024, at the age of 68. He had been suffering from respiratory problems for the last few years and died of cancer after a long hospitalization. He was able to receive the last rites, and was surrounded by his wife and eight children at the time of his death.
Francois de Siebenthal's encounter with the MICHAEL magazine was a major turning point in his life. He was a banker by profession (for Crédit Suisse). One Sunday, as he was leaving church after Sunday Mass, he met an elderly disabled woman waiting for him who gave him a MICHAEL flyer in the French language. He said: "I read it and it was like a revolution in my brain. I said to myself: 'These people are right. The current interest-based money-debt system is a bad system, literally killing the poor.' My best friend and I then decided to leave the bank."
His friend eventually became a Catholic priest, and Mr. de Siebenthal decided to join the Pilgrims of Saint Michael, attending our Congresses and Study Sessions every year from 2004 to 2017. He also accompanied our Pilgrims full-time to several countries in Africa and Asia, to set up a local or alternative interest-free currency system based on the principles of Economic Democracy.
Later in Switzerland, he also campaigned in referendums favoring an unconditional basic in come, and for the "Full Money" initiative, which reserves the power to create money to the nation's central bank, and not to commercial banks.
From his hospital bed, Mr. de Siebenthal left a video message for his friends: "Hello everyone, I love you all. I'm about to finish the good fight, I'll help you from where I am. I believe that we all have a mission: search well in your conscience what your mission is, for your own good, for the good of your loved ones and those you love. Try to pray for your enemies, I know it's not easy. Knock the emperors off their horses, let them convert... Everyone could live well on this planet; to say it's overpopulated is a lie. Everyone could have a wonderful life. Take heart! Fight for everyone to be happy. Goodbye."
Thank you Mr. de Siebenthal for your example and all your work. With your help, and that of all our friends in Heaven, we will continue to fight for the world to be happy, which would be possible with the application of Economic Democracy. With an unconditional Dividend issued to every individual based on the inheritance of natural resources and technical ingenuity, every one could indeed be happy.
We pray for the repose of the soul of our friend, François de Siebenthal. May he rest in peace.