Fratelli Tutti – a better way is possible
Pope Francis signs the encyclical in Assisi
Photo: CNS/Vatican Media
In his new encyclical, Pope Francis draws on the example of his namesake, the Saint of Assisi, to inspire the people of the world to believe that even at this time of political and moral crisis, transformation can be achieved
A rising tide of populist nationalism. Polarised debates that leave
people in a permanent state of confrontation. A global pandemic which
has exposed the weakness of free markets. Ideologies and hatred being
spread on social media.
As Pope Francis writes in his new encyclical letter, the world is “showing signs of a certain regression”.
Fratelli
Tutti is the 83-year-old Roman pontiff’s attempt to show that a better
way is possible. Covid-19 has shown that we are a “global community, all
in the same boat”. The Pope calls for a new kind of politics, one which
is kinder and more tender, open to dialogue and expressing love of
neighbour.
To adapt the popular prayer attributed to St Francis:
“Where there is populism, Pope Francis focuses on people; where there is
nationalism, he calls for reform of the United Nations; where there is
individualism, he pushes for solidarity; where there is digital
trolling, he asks for kindness; where there is inequality, he urges
fairer distribution; when politicians hate, he recommends dialogue; when
there is ideology, he calls for genuine faith.”
The encyclical takes an uncompromising stand against the “myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism” that Francis sees growing across Europe, the United States and parts of Latin America. One official in Rome put it to me this way: “It’s a kick in the head to the rising tide of barbarism.”
The encyclical is the third major document of Francis’ pontificate.
The first, Evangelii Gaudium, an apostolic constitution, offers a
manifesto for church renewal. The second, Laudato Si’, an encyclical,
recasts the Church’s teaching on protecting the natural world. And his
third, Fratelli Tutti, is a natural next step, as it looks to repair and
enrich relationships across the human family. If the message of Laudato
Si’ is “Everything is connected”, the message of Fratelli Tutti is
“Everyone is connected”.
The 43,000-word document contains 287
paragraphs, and brings together all the elements in the Pope’s teaching
on social justice, politics and the common good. The encyclical is not a
direct response to the coronavirus but, as the Pope explains, the
pandemic “unexpectedly erupted” while he was writing it and is “exposing
our false securities”.
There are three points that stand out when reading the encyclical.
First,
it shows that at the heart of the Francis pontificate is a Gospel-based
leadership rooted in the spirit of St Francis of Assisi, the Pope’s
namesake. The text was signed in Assisi and released on 4 October, the
feast day of the saint renowned for his message of peace, dialogue and
care for creation. In Fratelli Tutti (the title is taken from the
writings of St Francis), the Pope approaches the complexities of global
politics with the story of the Good Samaritan and the story of St
Francis’ 1219 peace mission, where he crossed the battle lines of the
Crusades to meet the Sultan of Egypt in a bid to end the conflict.
Both
stories emphasise crossing the existential borders which separate
people. St Francis, the Pope writes, had an “openness of heart, which
knew no bounds and transcended differences of origin, nationality,
colour or religion”. Francis’ reflections on the contemporary political
situation and his warnings about nationalism and populism are an attempt
to apply the Gospel in the spirit of the poor man (il poverello) from
Assisi.
The parable of the Good Samaritan, Francis points out, is not
“abstract moralising, nor is its message merely social and ethical” but
shows how humanity can be changed by coming into contact with suffering.
Francis’ vision is non-ideological, and its power is in its simplicity.
In Fratelli Tutti he critiques both ends of the political spectrum –
the free market will not resolve the world’s problems nor will liberal
approaches which don’t offer a “shared narrative” and ignore “human
weakness”. Instead he focuses on practical actions which, step by step,
build the Kingdom of God. Far from rejecting the work of politicians, he
praises politics as an attempt to put charity into action. “While one
person can help another by providing something to eat, the politician
creates a job,” the Pope writes.
Here we come to the second
point, which is how Francis’ encyclical sits within the Catholic Social
Teaching tradition and seeks to apply it to a contemporary context.
One
development of the tradition can be found in the Pope’s reflection on
the centuries-old Just War teaching, which sets the conditions that
would make armed conflict morally justifiable. Although he stops just
short of abolishing the theory altogether, he writes only of the
“potential right” to go to war and warns that the development of nuclear
and chemical weapons means they have an “uncontrollable destructive
power over great numbers of innocent civilians”.
One of the
conditions of a Just War is that, even when going to war is morally
justified, only proportionate force is used. “In recent decades, every
single war has been ostensibly ‘justified’,” Francis explains. “It is
very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in
earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘just war’. Never
again war!” Francis is pushing the Church a step closer to a complete
rejection of war, a year after his visit to Japan when he declared that
the possession – and not just the use – of nuclear weapons was immoral.
Fratelli Tutti is the first papal encyclical to offer a detailed
critique of digital culture. The Pope warns that “social aggression has
found unparalleled room for expansion through computers and mobile
devices” and that ideologies have been given “free reign”. Social media,
he says, has seen “some political figures” say things in the “crudest
of terms” which in the past would have risked the loss of universal
respect. In chapter six, Francis warns of the “parallel monologues”
taking place on social media, the discrediting and insulting of
opponents and divisive political campaigns. “The heroes of the future
will be those who can break with this unhealthy mindset and determine
respectfully to promote truthfulness,” he writes. The Pope’s remedy is
an “authentic social dialogue” which respects other points of view and
uses digital media in a way that seeks a genuine encounter.
The
third striking point in the encyclical is that it shows the Pope’s
willingness to be critical of the Church. He pitches the document to
“all people of goodwill”. He draws inspiration from non-Catholic sources
such as Martin Luther King Jr, Mahatma Gandhi and Archbishop Desmond
Tutu. Why did it take so long for the Church to condemn slavery and
violence, he asks, pointing out that “we have no excuses” not to stand
against contemporary injustices. Yet there are still those, Francis
writes, “who appear to feel encouraged or at least permitted by their
faith to support varieties of narrow and violent nationalism, xenophobia
and contempt, and even the mistreatment of those who are different.”
the pope’s encyclical will amplify the collision course he is already
embarked on with some in the Church. They include some conservative US
Catholics, particularly those who have aligned themselves with President
Donald Trump. Fratelli Tutti reiterates the Church’s opposition to the
death penalty at a time when William Barr, the US attorney general and a
prominent Catholic, has reintroduced executions by the federal
government after a gap of 16 years.
The Pope’s strong critiques
of contemporary capitalism have already upset a number of wealthy
Americans, including big donors to Catholic institutions. In the
encyclical he declares that the right to private property is a
“secondary natural right” to the principle of the universal destination
of goods. This is a reaffirmation of the traditional teaching of the
Church, but comes after several years during which some have tried to
blend an endorsement of unfettered economic liberalism with Catholic
teaching.
Francis is willing to upset some elements in the Church if it means
bringing Catholic Social Teaching to a wider audience. On Monday the
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, tweeted that “my brother, Pope
Francis’ message” in Fratelli Tutti “addresses people of goodwill and
living conscience, and restores scruples to humanity”. It is also, the
Grand Imam adds, a continuation of the human fraternity document the
Pope and the Grand Imam signed in Abu Dhabi last year, which set out to
deepen interreligious dialogue and co-operation.
Francis’
message runs counter to a contemporary political culture in which the
loudest, most aggressive voices are often those that get the most
attention. It stands against those who deliberately exploit divisions
and fuel hatred in order to seize power. Francis ends with the
reflection that Blessed Charles de Foucauld, who, with little success
during his lifetime, worked as a missionary among the poor and the
abandoned in the Moroccan desert. “Only by identifying with the least
did he come at last to be the brother of all,” Francis writes.
In
his bold, courageous, sometimes lonely mission to inspire the people of
the world to believe that there is a better way, that political
transformation is possible, the Pope has placed his trust in patient
dialogue, the upside-down logic of the Gospel, and the spirit of St
Francis.
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