Fratelli Tutti - Book Review

Book Review by: Br. Larson Kim Baltazar, OFMCap.
Encyclicals are a common method for the Supreme Pontiff to speak to the faithful
about the issues of the day. They are offered as both a social commentary and a guide
toward exploring solutions that should be done collectively by all humankind. The title
of the encyclicals of all the successor of St. Peter as we all know is always taken from the
first few words of the letter.
In his present encyclical, Pope Francis quoted again from the very words of our
Seraphic father Saint Francis of Assisi after his first Franciscan encyclical “Laudato Si”
which taken from the first words of Canticle of creatures. “Fratelli tutti” which means
“brothers and sisters, all” was now taken from the Admonitions of our Seraphic Father to
all the brothers and sisters of the whole Franciscan Order which contains his principles
and guidance for the whole Order. Pope Francis draws our attention to point out this
admonitions, in which Saint Francis “calls for a love that transcends the barriers of
geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother ‘as much
as when he is far away from him as when he is with him’”.
Our Seraphic Father Saint Francis is most known for finding God in poverty and
simplicity, in contemplation and in work, as well as in the natural environment, seeking
friendship with all God’s creatures. He is often depicted surrounded by birds and wild
animals (wolf of gubbio) wearing the coarse woolen tunic worn by the poor peasants of
his native Umbria. As the Pope puts it in Fratelli tutti, “Wherever he went, he sowed
seeds of peace and walked alongside the poor, the abandoned, the infirm and the
outcast, the least of his brothers and sisters. One of Pope Francis major inspirations for
this new encyclical was the episode in which Saint Francis visited Sultan Malik-el-Kamil,
in Egypt, at the time of the crusades, as an effort to end conflict between Christians and
Muslims. This offered as a model of Christian love, which the ‘poor man of Assisi’ lived
out also in his homeland. As the Pope puts it, “In the world of that time, bristling with
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watchtowers and defensive walls, cities were a theatre of brutal wars between powerful
families, even as poverty was spreading through the countryside. Yet there Francis was
able to welcome true peace into his heart and free himself of the desire to wield power
over others”.
Our Holy Father Pope Francis offers his newest encyclical, Fratelli tutti, as a
vision for a post-pandemic world. The Pandemic has shed greater light on the global
problems that Catholic social encyclicals have drawn attention ever since. In fact, Pope
Francis indicates in Fratelli Tutti that during the time of writing, the Covid-19 virus
“erupted, exposing our false securities.” He points out that the world has not met the
challenge posed by the pandemic but, through individual and collective conversion, has
an opportunity to come out the other side renewed if it takes a communal approach to
issues such as immigration, poverty, war, racism, capital punishment, international
relations, the dignity of women, liberty and all other major issues of the world today.
Pope Francis begins Fratelli tutti by summarizing some of the major calamities
challenging the world right now but does not dwell there for long. It is a radical
challenge, offering a blueprint for a world after a coronavirus. It turns the world upside
down, placing human dignity to the center. And it links back to the message of
connectedness which also at the heart of Laudato Si.
The Gospel story at the heart of Fratelli tutti is the parable of the Good
Samaritan. Jesus’ provocative story of the foreigner who acts as a true neighbor to the
wounded man robbed and beaten by the side of the road offers as a challenge to act the
way the Good Samaritan act in the Gospel. Using the parable of the Good Samaritan, he
explores the perennial question of “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus asks us to be present to
those in need of help, regardless of whether or not they belong to our social group. In
this case, the Samaritan became a neighbor to the wounded Judean. By approaching and
making himself present, he crossed all cultural and historical barriers. Jesus concludes
the parable by saying: “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37). Pope Francis acknowledges the
challenges faced by the individuals and nations as they respond to the “likewise”
command.
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Also central to this encyclical is the conviction that love for all brothers and
sisters will not take away from politics. As he insisted in the “Healing the World”
catechesis and Laudato si, love is civic and political, not something that is only felt or
acted upon amongst friends and families in the private sphere. Love is not only a
personal relationship, but should also be at the heart of our political decision-making.
This encyclical calls for the creation of a new kind of solidarity to tackle the crises the
world is currently facing. Pope Francis calls on us all to play our part in building peace,
and to focus on becoming a brother to others – in particular to welcome migrants, and
to resist racism, prejudice and discrimination.
This encyclical is addressed to all the people of goodwill, “Fratelli tutti – Brothers
and sisters, all”. Laudato si addressed all those living on this planet, to draw attention to
the common home in which we live. In a similar way Fratelli tutti invites people to
“dream as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children
of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or
her beliefs and convictions, each of our with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters
all” Addressing us in this way, the pope highlights the global solidarity needed to heal
the world of the other sicknesses (social, spiritual, ecological) which the pandemic has
thrown to us. So, the encyclical is not only addressed to world leaders, but to all, seeking
the participation of every person in preparing a better future.
Nevertheless, Fratelli tutti makes it clear that politics is indispensable to the goal
of “universal fraternity and social peace”. There is a responsibility on the part of world
leaders to demonstrate the virtues that make for a better kind of politics as Pope
Francis states that; “Government leaders should be the first to make the sacrifices that
foster encounter and to seek convergence on at least some issues. They should be ready to
listen to other points of view and to make room for everyone.”
The ultimate aim of Fratelli tutti is to remind us all that the spring from which all
the great institutional achievements of modernity originate is the command to love our
neighbor and that even a culture which would solve all social problems but was no
longer consciously connecting all its activities back to this source, would only be “a
resounding gong or a clanging cymbal”.

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Book Review by: Br. Larson Kim Baltazar, OFMCap.

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