Fratelli Tutti was signed by Pope Francis on 3 October 2020, towards the end of a year which had seen COVID-19, the death of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, the finalising of Brexit, and a presidential election in the USA. Issues relating to racial justice were touched by all of these events, and many of us looked to the encylical to help us discern how we might better live and work for racial justice in both the UK and the wider world as we move into 2021. The following is a selective reading of Fratelli Tutti with this in mind.
Pope Francis writes about the human family and the bond of love and friendship between human beings, in the hope that this might contribute to a “rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity” (no. 8). He sees around us today a world moving away from this universal human love, but he takes hope from the many men and women who have put their lives on the line to be of service during the pandemic. He invites us all to renewed hope (no. 54-55), and to dream as a “single human family, fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home… brothers and sisters all” (no. 8–9).
Pope Francis builds the encyclical around the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’. Leading up to his discussion of the parable, he briefly traces in the Old Testament the commandment “to love your neighbour as yourself” (no. 59). Over time, he writes, this commandment was extended beyond one’s neighbour to all living beings – including the foreigner and the stranger. Against this background, he discusses the parable of the Good Samaritan, which “summons us to rediscover our vocation as citizens of our respective nations and of the entire world” (no. 66).
Pope Francis suggests that each of us has within something of the robber, the victim, those passing by and the Good Samaritan; and each day we have to decide anew which one we will be (no. 69). The Holy Father goes on to say that the robbers in our world include those responsible for inequality and division (no. 72). Too often, we are all guilty of passing by, and the robbers find ‘secret allies’ in those of us who pass by: we claim to be impartial critics but we live off the system (no. 75). Many among us are also truly victims (76) and we are all called to be good neighbours (no. 77). In the parable, of course, the good neighbour is a Samaritan – looked down upon by the Jews. Is Jesus suggesting that the leadership in our efforts to help our sisters and brothers may often come from those who have themselves been rejected?
Fratelli Tutti calls us to citizenship in our unjust world (image by Marcelo Moreira: Pexels)
Pope Francis recalls how the medieval monastic communities practiced the sacred duty of “hospitality” (no. 90). Using this practice of hospitality to suggests the openness that should characterise our communities, Pope Francis goes on to invite us to move towards a new world order, based on a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation, which provides land housing and work for all (no. 127).
Turning more specifically to the topic of migration, Pope Francis suggests that our response to migrants should be summarised in four words: “welcome, protect, promote and integrate” (no. 129). He goes on to list some seventeen practical steps that countries might take to support arriving migrants (e.g. regarding visas, housing, basic services, consular assistance, access to the criminal justice system, etc) (no. 130).
For those who are settled, they should be given the rights of full citizenship and not treated as outsiders (no. 131). Migrants bring a cultural gift to the welcoming society, and they receive opportunities to develop in new ways (no. 134). As our societies become more diverse, Pope Francis urges us to remain rooted in the local and open to the global. When we encounter sisters and brothers from other parts of the world, whether we live on the same street or travel across the globe, we are mutually enriched. It’s a mistake to think we have to protect ourselves from one another or win some sort of competition (no. 142–153).
The effort to reach out in social friendship and build a global community requires a better kind of politics. Our politics has been marred by narrow populism, individualism, selfishness, over reliance on the market, poor leadership and other factors. However, a better way is possible. People are capable of coming up with “shared goals that transcend their differences”. What is needed is a more participative model that includes popular movements and the excluded in the process of building a common destiny (no. 169), and we need leaders who care less for their own popularity and are more interested in the good they can do for all in society (no. 197).
Pope Francis goes on to discuss the need for dialogue, which is not to be confused with a feverish exchange of opinions and facts. Authentic dialogue involves “the ability to respect the other’s point of view” (no. 203). Through dialogue it is possible to arrive at consensus, at the interests of society and at objective truth (no. 212). Pope Francis asks us to create a “culture of encounter” based on a “social and cultural covenant” that “respects and acknowledges the different worldviews, cultures and lifestyles that coexist in society”. This covenant will acknowledge that different groups will remain faithful to their different principles. Such a covenant is only possible by a love which transcends our differences (no. 219–221). Finally, “kindness” should be cultivated to create a healthy social atmosphere in which misunderstandings and conflict can be avoided and the quest for consensus is facilitated (no. 224).
In many places there are open wounds and a need for healing and “renewed encounter”. People who were fierce enemies have to learn to speak the truth about their history and make an effort to understand one another (no. 226). Negotiation will be necessary at times. The most impoverished and vulnerable must be included in the process. Inequality must be overcome. Forgiveness is an important part of the process, but it does not mean renouncing one’s own rights. Loving an oppressor does not mean allowing him to continue oppressing. Those who suffer injustice will continue defending their own rights (no. 241). It is important not to seek vengeance, but serious historical injustice should be remembered. Forgiving does not mean forgetting (no. 250).
Religions have an important part to play in the process of building fraternity in society, and inter-faith dialogue is part of that process. The Church must not remain on the sidelines in the building of a better world. The Church has a public role – she works for the advancement of humanity and of universal fraternity (no. 276). In their fraternal meeting, Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb made an appeal for peace, justice and fraternity which concluded: “We declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard” (no. 285).
In concluding, Pope Francis mentions that he has been inspired particularly by Saint Francis of Assisi, but also by brothers and sisters who are not Catholic: Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi and many more; and he adds specifically Blessed Charles de Foucauld (no. 286).
Reading Fratelli Tutti with a particular interest in the struggle for racial justice, the following questions and suggestions come to mind. They are meant to prompt further reflection :
How would we characterise the world around us? Do we share Pope Francis’s concern about the current state of the world? What gives us hope?
Reflecting on the parable of the Good Samaritan, in what ways are we robbers, victims, passers-by, inn keepers and good neighbours?
How do we move towards a new sense of community - based on solidarity, cooperation and care for all?
In relation to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, how do we ‘welcome, protect, promote and integrate’?
Are those who are long-settled in the UK offered the rights of full citizenship or are they treated as outsiders?
How do we offer one another more opportunities for genuine encounter where we are mutually enriched by our different backgrounds?
How do we help to create a more participative and inclusive politics which, through dialogue, enables us to come up with shared goals that transcend our differences.
How to we cultivate an approach to leadership which genuinely seeks the common good?
How do we encourage genuine dialogue and a culture of encounter at all levels – from the local to the global?
How do we come to better understand our true history, heal open wounds, forgive without forgetting and establish justice for all?
What role do Churches and other Faith Communities have in all the above?
What can we learn from St Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi, and Bl. Charles de Foucauld regarding the struggle for racial justice today?
Richard Zipfel writes on behalf of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ) and is currently the Secretary to CARJ Trustees.