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Volunteers distribute free copies of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano with the cover on Pope Francis ‘encyclical, “‘ Fratelli Tutti, on fraternity and social friendship”, at the end of the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square at Vatican 4 October (CNS / Reuters / IPA / Sipa USA)
The publication of Pope Francis’ latest encyclical has been greeted by several leading American Catholics as a letter that speaks directly to a deeply polarized church and country struggling to overcome racial, economic and political divisions.
All brothers, signed on October 3 and published on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4, challenges rampant capitalism and the market economy, reiterates that the death penalty is inadmissible, and condemns populist and “narcissistic” leaders who they care about their popularity over the common good.
Social Judge Simone Campbell said that many of the issues are particularly important in the face of a presidential election and a legislative deadlock.
“Pope Francis is sending a simple but jarring message to our world: We must go beyond continued division and come together to build a world worthy of all of God’s children,” said Campbell, executive director of Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. . “His words are an indictment against rampant individualism, ‘catch it’ politics and economic exploitation.
“It is remarkable that Pope Francis traveled to Assisi to remind us of St. Francis’s teachings on community and inclusion at a time when economic and racial inequality is so prominent in the United States and around the world. At this time of great danger, the elected leaders of the United States have failed in their responsibility to care for the least among us, “his statement continued.
“Pope Francis calls for a renewal of politics as ‘one of the highest forms of charity’ because at its best, politics must ‘seek the common good.’ wrote Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity University in Washington on Twitter. “Will Americans be able to recognize this as the true purpose of politics? We have a long journey ahead of us!”
Writing in The Washington Post, political commentator EJ Dionne, a Catholic, said that while Francis writes with a much broader audience in mind than just the United States and that he does not believe the Pope is trying to influence the choice between the President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden, the lessons of the encyclical feel especially close to home.
The pope’s condemnations, Dionne wrote, of “’empty individualism’, a ‘narrow and violent nationalism, xenophobia and contempt, and even the mistreatment of those who are different’, and ‘a cold, comfortable and globalized indifference'”, will make “It is much more difficult for conservative and right-wing Catholics to insist that the only Orthodox vote is for Trump” in the election.
John Carr, director of the Initiative for Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, said in a statement that “the encyclical affirms and applies the principles of Catholic social teaching to the ‘new things’ of 2020: a global pandemic, economic crisis, political polarization, isolation and social exclusion “.
“In this letter, Pope Francis asks us to extend the ‘brotherhood’ of our own families to a suffering world and to expand the ‘friendship’ from the personal to the political and global,” Carr wrote.
Among the Catholic hierarchy of the United States, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez, who is president of the bishops’ conference, welcomed the document as “an important contribution to the rich tradition of social doctrine of the Church.”
“By analyzing conditions in the world today, the Holy Father provides us with a powerful and urgent vision for the moral renewal of politics and political and economic institutions from the local to the global level, calling us to build a common future that truly serve the good of the human person ”, wrote Gómez.“ For the Church, the Pope challenges us to overcome the individualism of our culture and to serve our neighbor with love, seeing Jesus Christ in each person and seeking a society of justice and mercy , compassion and mutual concern. “
Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago said the document is “intended to be a defining document and a teaching body for the pontificate of Pope Francis.”
“With this powerful encyclical letter, addressed to all people of good will, the Holy Father reminds us once again why he is considered a preeminent moral teacher, and at an extraordinarily critical and tense moment in human history,” he wrote Cupich in a statement.
Several other bishops also took to social media to welcome the document. Bishop Ed Scharfenberger of Albany, New York He said the document offers “encouragement for all members of God’s family to know that they are loved, that they are connected.” Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, encouraged Catholics to avoid snapshots of the document and take time to digest the 43,000-word letter before commenting on it. “Think and pray while you read” he said. “The world will be no worse and your soul will thank you.”
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, an organization that works against the death penalty and for restorative justice, praised the document in a statement for highlighting the death penalty, dedicating a dozen mentions to the matter.
“Social encyclicals are designed to point out the most pressing social problems of our day,” said Vaillancourt Murphy. “By dedicating a section of All brothers On the subject of the death penalty, Pope Francis has harnessed the full weight of the Church’s teaching behind his opposition to capital punishment. “
“The meaning of the document is further marked by its publication during the Month of Respect for the Life of the Church, and a few days before the annual commemoration of the World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10,” he added.
Francis’ reiteration of the inadmissibility of the death penalty comes less than two weeks after the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast honored U.S. Attorney General William Barr, prompting a backlash from Catholics across the country over the the fact that, at his behest, the Trump administration resumed executions, ending a nearly two-decade bipartisan detention.
While much of the initial reaction to the encyclical has been commendable, several theologians expressed disappointment that the document, which has already come under fire for its title, a quote from St. Francis that translates directly as “Brothers all “He does not quote any woman in the text.
Theological ethicist Kevin Ahern of Manhattan College used Twitter to Note that he had read the document twice and reviewed the footnotes and was “amazed at the absence of recognized women’s voices.”
“I’m not surprised at this point, but it all makes the good parts of the text seem less shiny and new,” he wrote.
For those still working their way through the entire text, Jesuit P. James Martin offered a brief synopsis, saying that it is based on Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment and care for creation.
“If the #Laudato Si message was ‘Everything is connected'” wrote Martin on Twitter “#Fratelli Tutti’s message is ‘Everyone is connected’.”
[Christopher White is NCR national correspondent. His email address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @CWWhite212.]
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