Fratelli Tutti:
Pope Francis on social friendship and offering mutual support
In his Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis considers what makes for a healthy human society. Drawing on our Christian tradition he sees that it can be found in fostering social friendship and offering mutual support.
He argues that this is God's will for all people, and Pope Francis encourages cooperation between peoples and commitment to having a loving care for our neighbour, across every political, religious, economic, cultural divide.
Pope Francis is also clear that this is no easy option and considers the obstacles within ourselves and in our communities and systems. But he writes hopeful for change, healing and growth.
Fratelli Tutti is a prophetic work, one very much for our time, and offering a sure guide to a future that will be more wholesome and holy than our present.
The letter is available on-line here, and is published by CTS and available from them or any good Catholic book shop.
A brief introduction to the letter, by Fr Damien Howard SJ, can be downloaded here.
And available below is a series of booklets to enable an individual - or better still a group - to read the document section by section, with opportunity to reflect and discuss the various themes.
Each booklet contains the full text of a particular chapter or section of the Letter. However, some of the chapters are quite long! And so each booklet also contains a selection of key passages chosen to allow those whose time is more limited also to engage with the matters raised by Pope Francis, and contribute to any discussion.
Image: Francis gives his mantle to a poor knight, from series of frescoes by Giotto in the Upper Basilica, Assisi. Sourced at http://www.friar.org/about-st-francis where you can find the full sequence of frescoes and commentary on them.
He argues that this is God's will for all people, and Pope Francis encourages cooperation between peoples and commitment to having a loving care for our neighbour, across every political, religious, economic, cultural divide.
Pope Francis is also clear that this is no easy option and considers the obstacles within ourselves and in our communities and systems. But he writes hopeful for change, healing and growth.
Fratelli Tutti is a prophetic work, one very much for our time, and offering a sure guide to a future that will be more wholesome and holy than our present.
The letter is available on-line here, and is published by CTS and available from them or any good Catholic book shop.
A brief introduction to the letter, by Fr Damien Howard SJ, can be downloaded here.
And available below is a series of booklets to enable an individual - or better still a group - to read the document section by section, with opportunity to reflect and discuss the various themes.
Each booklet contains the full text of a particular chapter or section of the Letter. However, some of the chapters are quite long! And so each booklet also contains a selection of key passages chosen to allow those whose time is more limited also to engage with the matters raised by Pope Francis, and contribute to any discussion.
Image: Francis gives his mantle to a poor knight, from series of frescoes by Giotto in the Upper Basilica, Assisi. Sourced at http://www.friar.org/about-st-francis where you can find the full sequence of frescoes and commentary on them.
