Rome (Italy). “Fratelli tutti”, is the third encyclical of Pope Francis. The document has the subtitle On fraternity and social friendship. The Pope will sign it on the afternoon of October 3, 2020 in Assisi, after the Mass celebrated in the Franciscan Basilica.
We are experiencing a serious world situation that the pandemic has worsened by spreading a smoke of sadness and fear. Faced with such a great challenge, an equally great response is needed. Humanity can respond to evil with Good.
For this Pope Francis proposes a “Pact of brotherhood”. If “everything is related”, and if “we are all in the same boat” – as he recalled on March 27, 2020 in St. Peter’s Square, in the middle of the lockdown – everyone’s commitment is necessary to create a more just world, peaceful and sustainable, continuing to grow in the awareness that everyone lives in a common home as members of the same family.
Pope Francis therefore urges us to tear down walls, to come out of fear, to look each other in the eye and to see the face of Jesus in the other who suffers, to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters. Therefore, belonging all to the same family means bearing in mind that authentic care for life and relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice, and fidelity towards others.
The pandemic has highlighted even more the interdependence between human beings. And the Pope says that to get out of the crisis better we need to act together: “And we will do it – he said – in the light of the Gospel, of the theological virtues, and of the principles of the social doctrine of the Church. Together we will explore how our Catholic social tradition can help the human family heal this world that suffers from serious diseases. It is my desire to reflect and work all together, as disciples of Jesus who heals, to build a better world, full of hope for future generations, to ‘build a civilization of love’, as Saint Paul VI loved to say”.
