On October 3rd, the eve of the feast of St Francis of Assisi (after whom the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy building is named), Pope Francis issued his third encyclical: Fratelli tutti. An encyclical is a document written by the Pope setting out Church teaching on a particular subject. Fratelli tutti (Italian: “All brothers [and sisters]”) is addressed to people of all faiths and none; and reflects on the theme of universal human fraternity. The central message of the encyclical is very simple: all human beings are brothers and sisters. Yet, this very simple message (which is shared by the major world faiths) has profound implications for our world and society.
From a Christian standpoint, human fraternity is rooted in our creation in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27) our common ancestry and history; and our common destiny (see Revelation 7:9-12). We are called to be attentive to the joys and hopes, grief and anguish of our fellow humans. Hence, no one may be indifferent to the plight of another. This concern for our brothers and sisters must be concrete and influence the way we go about our daily lives.
For instance, October is Black History Month. We are called to acknowledge the historical and continued suffering caused by slavery and racism. Even today, in Britain, people of colour continue to be victims of racial prejudice, discrimination and aggression. Even today, in many parts of the world, slavery and human trafficking are social realities. Can we ignore these realities?
Or consider xenophobia and negative attitudes towards immigrants (especially refugees and asylum seekers). What would the implications be if we viewed our relationship to immigrants as substantial as our relationship to our own biological brothers or sisters?
Closer to home: what are our obligations to our fellow humans in this time of the coronavirus pandemic? We may be in a ‘low risk’ category ourselves with respect to death or chronic aftereffects of the virus (and “low risk” does not mean “no risk”!) Does that mean we are free to pursue individual autonomy and ignore our responsibility to brothers and sisters who, because of age or pre-existing condition, are more vulnerable? Would we do that if they were members of our natural family?
When taken seriously, human fraternity challenges us to radically re-examine every aspect of our lives, every relationship, every choice or decision. Last year, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb jointly declared: “God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters.” Let us answer that call.
Grace and peace,
Fr Kensy Joseph SJ, Roman Catholic Chaplain