Pope Francis: Fraternity and Social Justice
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Andreas SOLARO / AFP
"It is possible to wish for a planet that offers everyone land, home and work," writes Pope Francis in his new encyclical "Fratelli tutti", which is about brotherhood and social justice.
On around 150 pages, the pontiff hardly leaves out a topic that is currently of socio-political relevance: the corona pandemic, capitalism, populism, migration, poverty, selfishness.
Francis writes about the dream of a just and peaceful society, which to himself "seems like a utopia from other times" - but which he wants to revive and put into practice.
Omnipotence fantasies and a devious individualism
On the way there are obstacles to overcome.
A "comfortable, cold and widespread indifference" has taken hold, a disenchantment "hidden behind a deceptive illusion of believing that we are all powerful and forgetting that we are all in the same boat," he writes.
It is the third teaching letter from the Pope from Argentina.
Most recently, five years ago, he presented the highly regarded eco-encyclical "Laudato Si '" on the exploitation of man and nature.
At that time, as in the current letter, the Pope lamented a "sneaky" individualism that ignored the fact that man is a social being who would not be able to "understand himself" without a broader network of relationships.
It is urgently necessary to recognize that "we will only overcome the problems of our time together or not at all".
The letter puts solidarity against egoism - even in the case of the pandemic.
Corona is not a divine punishment
The corona crisis is not a divine punishment, emphasizes Francis, but "reality itself, which sighs and rebels".
It is to be feared that once the health emergency has been overcome, everything will remain the same and, as is so often the case, nobody will learn from history.
The "save yourself who can" would then become an "all against all" - "and that will be worse than a pandemic".
Francis' utopia of a new togetherness applies to all people, believing Catholics as well as agnostics or members of other faiths.
Francis refers several times to a document from 2019 that he signed with the Grand Imam of Cairo, Ahmed al-Tajib, in Abu Dhabi ("The brotherhood of all people - For a peaceful coexistence in the world").
The Pope also names US civil rights activist Martin Luther King, the South African Anglican Desmond Tutu and Mahatma Gandhi as sources of inspiration.
"Stubborn, exaggerated, angry and aggressive nationalisms"
To sign the encyclical, the 83-year-old Pope traveled to the birthplace of his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, on Saturday.
The fact that the papal letter was followed by the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, among others, shows that the papal letter is also being noticed far beyond church circles.
He praised the "extraordinary modernity" of the encyclical and said that the pandemic had actually taught the Italians that they "are all siblings".
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Guiseppe Conte on his arrival in Assisi: "extremely modern"
Photo: Gian Matteo Crocchioni / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
With politicians and populists, Francis is harshly judged.
"Stubborn, exaggerated, angry and aggressive nationalisms" revived, all historical consciousness was apparently forgotten.
The best way to rule is to sow hopelessness and constantly arouse suspicion.
This also manifests itself in digital communication.
Christians are also not immune from being "shamelessly aggressive" and fanatical on the Internet: "Even in the Catholic media, borders can be crossed; defamation and defamation are often naturalized, and any ethics and any respect for the reputation of others seem outside before staying. "
No role model for brotherhood, a "primitive game of disqualification".
How does political charity work?
Francis urges a "political charity" that focuses on the common good and can create better institutions and solidarity structures.
"Above all, those who bear government responsibility must be prepared to renounce so that encounters are possible."
Politics should never submit to economics - "and economics not to the dictates and the efficiency-oriented paradigm of technocracy".
The fragility of global systems in the pandemic has shown that not everything can be solved through the free market.
Private ownership is not absolute
The pontiff made no secret of his anti-capitalist attitude in "Laudato Si '".
In the third chapter of "Fratelli tutti" he emphasizes quite frankly that private property is not absolute and at best a secondary natural right.
Citing John Paul II, he writes that the Christian tradition has always emphasized the social function of every form of private property.
"The principle of the common usufruct of the goods created for all is the basic principle of the whole social-ethical order; it is a natural, naturally given and priority right."
Here the pontiff shows an almost radical idea of social property relations.
Refugees - more of everything, please!
Fraternal responsibility must also apply to refugees, writes Francis.
The Pope has very specific proposals here: he calls for, among other things, more visas to be issued, simpler application procedures, the establishment of humanitarian corridors, appropriate accommodation, consular support, unrestricted access to justice, the possibility of opening bank accounts, freedom of movement and the possibility of working.
Women are hardly an issue
Even the title of the encyclical caused a lack of understanding in Germany: "Fratelli tutti", "All brothers", said many Catholic women excluded half of the faithful.
The papal media director Andrea Tornielli thereupon declared that it was "absurd" to imply that Francis wanted to address "all sisters and brothers, all men and women of good will".
In the German version published on Sunday lunchtime, the title was then "Fratelli tutti - about brother and sisterhood and social friendship", and "brotherhood" appeared more frequently in the text.
In the encyclical, women are hardly an issue.
Societies around the world are "far from being organized in such a way that they clearly reflect that women have exactly the same dignity and rights as men," it says.
The society of the Catholic Church apparently included.
Francis' new encyclical formulates dreams and utopias that seemed long forgotten, but gained new relevance during the crisis.
She denounces massive social undesirable developments that urgently need to be corrected.
She relies on virtues such as honesty, solidarity and a sense of responsibility.
Nothing is naive in the thought cosmos of the man from Argentina.
He calls on every man and woman to counteract, to take concrete action.
Local, national, global or universal.
Everyone as he can.
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