In his third encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, Pope Francis focuses on many of the issues that serve to fracture our relationships with each other and with society. Released on the eve of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the eight-chapter papal document studies the effects of our social ills and proposes a pathway to human fraternity and social friendship.
The title of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, or “Brothers All,” sets the tone for the pope’s exhortation to all of us to examine the disunity plaguing our world and to find ways, in kindness, to heal our brokenness. He talks about the illuminating effect of the global pandemic:
As I was writing this letter, the COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly erupted, exposing our false securities. Aside from the different ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident. For all our hyper-connectivity, we witnessed a fragmentation that made it more difficult to resolve problems that affect us all. Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality.
It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women. ... Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.
As he has throughout his papacy, Pope Francis focuses on discernment; the encyclical does not provide specific actions to take, but calls on all people to move forward in the light of Christ. He uses the parable of the Good Samaritan as a model for our behavior.
In a statement on the release of the landmark encyclical, Bishop Paul J. Bradley affirmed the importance of the Holy Father’s message.
“In these tumultuous and challenging times of great social unrest, we very much need to embrace Pope Francis’ beautiful teachings detailed in Fratelli Tutti. The Holy Father points to fraternity, dialogue and social friendship as the way to build a better, more just and peaceful world, with a resounding ‘no’ to war and global indifference. I emphasize what the Holy Father wrote in his introduction: ‘It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity between all men and women.’”
Bishop Bradley continues,
“While the Holy Father details many of the world’s downfalls his message of hope is one that resonates with me and hopefully inspires all of us.
As Pope Francis writes:
“I invite everyone to renewed hope, for hope ‘speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of our circumstances and historical conditioning. Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a life of fulfillment, a desire to achieve great things, things that fill our heart and lift our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love ... Hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and it can open us up to grand ideals that make life more beautiful and worthwhile.’ [52] Let us continue, then, to advance along the paths of hope.’”
WHAT IS AN ENCYCLICAL? An encyclical, from the Greek for circle, is a circular letter— today, it simply means a letter written by a pope to bishops — either the bishops of a particular country, or most often, as in the case of Fratelli Tutti, all the bishops of the world. Read the full text of Fratelli Tutti on the Vatican’s website (https://www.vatican.va or on the diocesan website: www.diokzoo.org)