The Pope calls for politics to rediscover his vocation to work for the common good

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – People who think politics is sinking to new lows can find comfort in knowing that Pope Francis is also concerned about the degradation of what church teaching has described as a “high calling. “.

“Political life is no longer about healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and promote the common good, but only about clever marketing techniques aimed primarily at discrediting others. In this cowardly exchange of accusations and counterattacks, the debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation, ”the Pope wrote in his new encyclical.

The encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship”, was published on October 4 and urges Christians and all people of good will to recognize the equal dignity of all people and to work together to build a world. where people love and care for you. another as brothers and sisters.

Building that world, he insisted, requires “encounter and dialogue”, processes that allow people to speak from their experience and culture, listen to each other, learn from each other and find ways to work together for the common good.

“Today, in many countries, hyperbole, extremism and polarization have become political tools,” the Pope wrote. “Employing a strategy of relentless mockery, suspicion and criticism, in a variety of ways, one denies the right of others to exist or have an opinion.”

The “social aggression” often found on social media has spilled over into mainstream political discourse, he said. “Things that until a few years ago no one could say without running the risk of losing universal respect can now be said with impunity, and in the crudest terms, even by some political figures.”

Archbishop José H. Gómez of Los Angeles, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement that “in analyzing conditions in the world today, the Holy Father provides us with a powerful and urgent vision for renewal. moral of politics and political and economic institutions from the local level to the global level, calling us to build a common future that truly serves the good of the human person ”.

“For the church,” he added, “the Pope is challenging us to overcome individualism in 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. . “

In the encyclical, Pope Francis had particularly harsh words for politicians who have “fostered and exploited” the fear of immigration, ignoring the fact that migrants and refugees “possess the same intrinsic dignity as anyone.”

“No one will openly deny that they are human beings,” he said, “but in practice, by our decisions and the way we treat them, we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human. For Christians, this way of thinking and acting is unacceptable, since it puts certain political preferences before the deep convictions of our faith: the inalienable dignity of each human person regardless of their origin, race or religion ”.

Pope Francis has often insisted that he is not calling for open borders and unregulated migration and, in the document, he again insists on the right of people not to be forced to migrate.

International aid to help people overcome extreme poverty in their countries of origin is essential, he said, but if that development takes too long, people have the right to migrate to ensure the good of their families.

“Certain populist political regimes, as well as certain liberal economic approaches, hold that the influx of migrants must be avoided at all costs,” he wrote. “You don’t realize that behind such abstract and hard-to-support statements, a large number of lives are at stake.”

For Christians, he said, the answer cannot be simply to withdraw from political engagement. Instead, they must act at the local level to build relationships of trust and assistance and to support politicians and political platforms that promote the common good.

“While individuals can help others in need, when they come together to initiate social processes of fraternity and justice for all, they enter the ‘field of charity in its broadest form, namely political charity,'” he said.

Getting practical, Pope Francis explained that “if someone helps an elderly person cross a river, it is a good act of charity. The politician, on the other hand, builds a bridge, and that too is an act of charity ”but on a larger scale.