āFratelli tuttiā: A radical blueprint for post-Covid world
By Devin Watkins
ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ Francisās third encyclical, Fratelli tutti, has set off a wave of appreciation throughout the Catholic Church.
CAFOD, as well as the bishops of Ireland and New Zealand, are working to spread the Holy Fatherās call for a society that puts human dignity at its center.
Blueprint for a better world
Christine Allen, director of the Catholic international development charity in England and Wales, CAFOD, says the encyclical is a āradical blueprint for a post-coronavirus world.ā
In a statement, Ms. Allen highlights the ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ās message regarding the relationship between politics and poverty.
āPolitics is failing the poor,ā she notes, āand it is shameful that some political decisions that are made affect the poorest, plunging them further into poverty, suffering and despair.ā
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, hopes were high that greater solidarity would arise from the suffering left in its wake, says Ms. Allen. But lately, she laments with ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ Francis, there has been a rush āto return to politics āas normalāā one of self-interest and indifference to the plight of those left behind.ā
ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ Francis, she adds, offers a āvision for real and lasting change, by calling on us to build community at all levels ā personal, societal and global, where walls of fear and distrust are replaced by a āculture of encounterā, and our solidarity with others restores human dignity.ā
Now, says the director of CAFOD, is the time to improve the structures of the global economic system, for the benefit of the poor and marginalized.
Solidarity with the marginalized
Separately, the Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, has welcomed Fratelli tutti as a message of love and solidarity for those in Ireland who suffer on the margins of society.
ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ Francis, he says, āmakes a special appeal in the name of justice and mercy for the orphan, the poor, the stranger, the migrant, the refugee and all those on the āmarginsā, the āperipheriesā of life and society.ā
Archbishop Martin says he feels challenged by the ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ās reminder that āSome peripheries are close to us, in the city centers, or in our families.ā
The Archbishop of Armagh notes that this message is an invitation to the Irish āto consider who might be left out, who we tend to shuffle over into the margins of society and perhaps try to forget.ā
The gaze of a homeless person or images of refugees on the news, he says, can lead us to āfeel sorry for them but never really question our own values, lifestyle, or attitudes.ā
Rather, notes Archbishop Martin following ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ Francisā lead, solidarity means looking into the faces of the poor and most vulnerable, and trying to help them.
āOur civilisation is not omnipotent,ā he concludes, āso we need to respect the innate dignity of each other ā from family to stranger ā with love and practical support, so that the human race can flourish.ā
Radical change for our lives
On the other side of the globe, Cardinal John Dew has added his voice to the chorus, saying Fratelli tutti invites us to do more than just make small changes to our lives.
āRather it is very much about a way to re-read and to live the Gospel for our times.ā
The vice-president of New Zealandās Catholic Bishops Conference says the ŠÓMAPµ¼ŗ½ās message touches on the very survival of our contemporary world. āIt is that serious. It is that compelling. It is that demanding,ā he says.
Fratelli tutti, urges Cardinal Dew, āis an invitation for everyone to broaden our perspective to view a world without borders and to view every single person on the planet, and yes, the planet itself, as brother and sister.ā
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