Brothers, All: a Review of Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti
On the vigil of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi last year, Pope Francis gave us a beautiful new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (Brothers, All). The name comes from St. Francis’ own words, calling us all to love one another, to remember that we are all related in the human family. What a timely call this is, in these days of pandemic, injustice, racism, xenophobia, and political strife. How very hard it is to love one another, yet how vital it is to our communal thriving and our individual holiness. In eight short chapters, Pope Francis leads us on the way to friendship and to love.
We can’t hope to banish the darkness without acknowledging its presence, and that’s where Pope Francis starts—with our wars and creeping nationalism, giving rise to what he calls, “new forms of selfishness.” (11) In our disregard for the common good, the rich grow richer, while the poor become more desperately deprived. At their core, all of these sins against the common good are about indifference, a failure to see in every human being the image of God.
After laying out the contours of our crisis, Pope Francis turns to an extended reading of a parable we all know and love, the story of the good Samaritan. He asks us to consider: who is abandoned by the wayside in our day, and how can we give of ourselves to serve them? He calls us, “to emerge from our comfortable isolation and to be changed by our contact with human suffering.” (68)
All of our moral values, Pope Francis tells us, are to be judged by love and the creation of a sense of mutual belonging that excludes no one. He calls us to solidarity, an interdependence that holds at its core the belief that we are all responsible for one another. Individualism, he reminds us, “does not make us more free, more equal, more fraternal.” (105) Individualism must never take precedence over the common good.
Moving on to discuss immigration, Pope Francis reminds us of our call to welcome the stranger. Our interactions with others who are different from us in faith or culture must be rooted in an openness to a genuine encounter. We cannot simply meet our own individual needs and then close our doors, or our borders, behind us. We must be careful, he warns, that our homes do not become enclosures that keep others out.
Furthermore, what affects one of us, Pope Francis says, affects all of us. Echoing God’s original covenant with Israel, he reminds us of the communal salvation that is at the heart of God’s plan for the world. “We need to develop the awareness, “he writes, “that nowadays we are all saved together or no one is saved. Poverty, decadence, and suffering in one part of the earth are a silent breeding ground for problems that will end up affecting the entire planet.” (137)
Turning then to politics, Pope Francis rebukes in the strongest terms structures that prioritize the economy over human lives. The marketplace alone will not solve our social problems; it cannot be relied upon to eventually produce equality and dignity. The problems of politics, he argues, are also caused by selfishness, and the antidote is, as ever, love, but that love must be carried from abstraction into concrete action.
Popular movements that address social ills are necessary; structural reforms are an expression of love on a political scale. “It is an act of charity to assist someone suffering,” Pope Francis tells us, “but it is also an act of charity, even if we do not know that person, to work to change the social conditions that caused his or her suffering.” (186) Politics, he insists, cannot be a mere quest for power, but instead must be used as a means of securing human rights and the common good. If we must stop and help the injured person on the side of the road in our individual lives, so must we do the same on a larger scale in our politics: “Politics too must make room for a tender love of others.” (205)
To love concretely, we must start by entering into true dialogue with each other, instead of merely speaking in parallel monologues. Pope Francis returns again to the concept of “a culture of encounter,” which “means that we, as a people, should be passionate about meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, planning a project that includes everyone.” (216) We must be ready to sacrifice all that stands in the way of the common good.
Mary Beth Keenan, @mbkeenan_captures.
Pope Francis calls us to begin anew, striving to achieve peace but never forgetting that “inequality and lack of integral human development make peace impossible” (235). Speaking of the atrocities and human rights violations that plague the world, Pope Francis reminds us that Jesus never incited or condoned violence; he calls for an end to all wars. The death penalty is likewise inadmissible, Pope Francis reminds us, and he calls all Christians to work toward its abolition. He summons us, once again, to tenderness and compassion: “Let us not remain mired in theoretical discussions, but touch the wounded flesh of the victims.” (261)
Finally, Pope Francis calls us to make peace with those of other religions and to be constantly on guard that we do not use our faith to justify antagonizing others. “We believers,” he says, “are challenged to return to our sources, in order to concentrate on what is essential: worship of God and love for our neighbor, lest some of our teachings, taken out of context, end up feeding forms of contempt, hatred, xenophobia or negation of others.” (282) The encyclical concludes with two beautiful prayers, one for all believers in Abrahamic faiths, and one for all Christians.
This is a lot to take in! Here are a few reflection questions to take to prayer with you as you ponder Pope Francis’ call to tenderness and solidarity.
Where in your life do you see someone wounded on the side of the road, someone who is being ignored and forgotten? How can you help? Consider these questions both on an individual level and a communal level. If you have time, read and meditate on the beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
How can you cultivate a culture of true encounter with people who are different from you? Where can you make an effort to listen and to affirm the sacred in others with your undivided attention?
We are all called to take our part in the great work of redemption of all creation. Ask God with open arms and an open heart where He might be calling you to love concretely.
If you’d like to read the full encyclical, it is available on the Vatican website. Click here to access the text.
Meet Cameron Bellm
Cameron Bellm is the author of A Consoling Embrace: Prayers for a Time of Pandemic. After finishing her PhD in Russian literature, she traded the academic life for the contemplative life, part of which is raising two young sons with her husband in Seattle. She is a great lover of both Ignatian and Franciscan spiritualities, Catholic social teaching, and strong black coffee. Her deepest joys are reading, writing, and finding new ways to pray. You can find her on Instagram at @krugthethinker.