Encyclicals — Papal writings
Pope Francis’ latest encyclical letter Fratelli tutti is a papal warning about a world that is at crossroads and showing clear signs of widening economic inequality. The present pandemic has made his message urgent and more relevant to all people of goodwill.
Encyclicals are the most authoritative form of papal writing, but they are not infallible. The encyclical — Fratelli tutti signed on October 3, 2020 in the Italian hill town of Assisi on the anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death is Pope Francis’ third and latest. Fratelli tutti covers topics such as fraternity, immigration, the alarming gap between rich-poor, economic inequalities and social injustices, health care imbalances and the widening political polarization in many countries.
Pope Francis’ previous encyclical, Laudato Si’, addressed responsibility for the environment, climate change and development. His first, Lumen fidei -The Light of Faith — released in 2013, months after he became pope, was written mostly by his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, with minor changes. In the lead-up to Laudato Si’ in 2015, the church held a splashy multimedia rollout in a Vatican hall for journalists, dignitaries and other church officials. This time, perhaps partly due to pandemic, the signing of Fratelli tutti away from Vatican in Assisi was quite simple with limited number of people. St Francis of Assisi has deeply influenced the pope, who took his name.
Fratelli tutti (Brothers All), the encyclical’s title prompted criticism for not using inclusive language after it was initially announced. In Italian, Fratelli means brothers but it is also used to mean brothers and sisters. The Vatican said it was taken from the “Admonitions”, or guidelines, written by St Francis of Assisi in the 13th century to his followers and could not be changed. The first words of the encyclical are part of a quotation from St Francis of Assisi, in which he commends a fraternity that crosses all boundaries of distance and culture as central to his followers.
Trickle-down economics decried
The Pontiff took direct aim at trickle-down economics, the theory favoured by rich and powerful that tax breaks and other incentives for big business and the wealthy eventually will benefit the rest of society through investment and job creation. A good economic policy, he stated, “makes it possible for jobs to be created and not cut”.
“The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem, however much we are asked to believe this dogma of neoliberal faith,” the pope laments.
“Neoliberalism simply reproduces itself by resorting to the magic theories of ‘spillover’ or ‘trickle’ — without using the name — as the only solution to societal problems,” he continued, referring to “trickle-down economics,” or the idea that as the rich accumulate wealth, money will automatically flow into the pockets of poor people.
The pope pointed to the pandemic’s fallout, including massive unemployment spikes around the world, as evidence that “not everything can be resolved by market freedom.” The pope wrote that the belief of early Christians — “that if one person lacks what is necessary to live with dignity, it is because another person is detaining it” — was still valid and more relevant to the present pandemic-stricken world.
Pope repeated his past calls on the importance of distribution or rather redistribution of wealth to help the poorest and for fairer access to natural resources by all. Those with ultra wealth must “administer it for the good of all” and rich nations are obliged to share wealth with poor ones. But he stated he was “certainly not proposing an authoritarian and abstract universalism”.
Conclusion
People need to know that encyclical letter Fratelli tutti is not meant for a cursory glance that can be used for partisan political bickering. “This is a legacy document,” said Monsignor Kevin Irwin, a research professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, who wrote an introduction to the English edition of the encyclical. “I think this pope is a big-picture person and he wants to make sure that this is perceived to be the Catholic Church at its best, being welcoming and inviting.”
Without naming countries or people, Pope Francis condemned politicians who “seek popularity by appealing to the basest and most selfish inclinations” or who enact policies of “hatred and fear towards other nations”.
In Fratelli tutti, Pope sets out a vision for a new world order post-pandemic and beyond nationalism and unfettered capitalism. He highlights the widening economic inequalities and divisive political rhetoric and the need to address these issues urgently for a fairer world that strives to promote social justice and universal fraternity. Basically, Fratelli tutti is not just for Catholics, but for all people of “good will.”
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