Pope Francis issued his latest encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” on 10/3/2020, with the theme of fraternity and social friendship. There are eight chapters in this encyclical. Fr. Anthony summarizes the first chapter below.
Fr. Anthony Armstrong, O.Carm.
In this first chapter (§9-55), Pope Francis outlines several key trends in our modern world that hinder us from seeing everyone as our brothers and sisters, all of which are linked to the idea that the individual is more important than the group.
The key obstacles include increased nationalism (§11), globalization (§12), loss of the sense of history (§13), lack of care for the environment (§17). Belief in human dignity from conception to natural death is not respected (§18), and “human rights are not equal for all (§22)”. We live in world of conflict and fear where, when we feel threatened, we withdraw (§26). Those who are “outside” our walls are the “others” who we must defend against (§27). There has been a moral and spiritual decline (§29), and a loss of the sense of all being one human family (§30). COVID-19 helped us to realize that we are a global community, sharing common problems (§32). Francis hopes that, “after all this, we will think no longer in terms of “them”, but only “us” (§35). Another problem is migrants, who are often looked down upon by their host countries (§39). A balance between them needs to be found (§40).
The digital culture leads to increased isolation and less interpersonal contact (§43), to increased aggression, unchecked by normal social interaction (§44). The problem is that, “today, I can choose the people who I wish to share my world with” and so we become isolated from the real world (§47). We have lost the ability to sit down and listen to one another, something essential to understanding and accepting the other (§48). Ultimately, despite the challenges, Francis ends by saying, “Despite these dark clouds, I would like in the following pages to take up and discuss many new paths of hope” (§54).