Fratelli Tutti

Pope Francis signing the Encyclical at the Assisi altar.

Pope Francis has just issued his third Encyclical, a lengthy treatise on fraternal love, entitled ‘Fratelli Tutti’, (All brothers) the words of St Francis himself. He signed the document  in Assisi on the eve of the saint's feast day. In the introduction, Pope Francis says: “I offer this social Encyclical as a modest contribution to continued reflection, in the hope that in the face of present-day attempts to eliminate or ignore others, we may prove capable of responding with a new vision of fraternity and social friendship that will not remain at the level of words. I have sought to make this reflection an invitation to dialogue among all people of goodwill. It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Here we have a splendid secret that shows us how to dream and to turn our life into a wonderful adventure. No one can face life in isolation… We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead. How important it is to dream together… By ourselves, we risk seeing mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together.”

Towards the end of the Encyclical, the Pope shares this beautiful prayer to the Creator:

Lord, Father of our human family, you created all human beings equal in dignity: pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter, dialogue, justice, and peace. Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence, and war. May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth. May we recognize the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of us, and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects, and shared dreams. Amen.