Fraternity is an issue that has always preoccupied the Church, which from the beginning has seen in her head, Christ, the brother of his brothers and sisters. We have several antecedents - both near and far - that, in some way, will have inspired the new encyclical "Fratelli Tutti". We refer both to the words of Pope Francis himself in some of his meetings or liturgical celebrations, as well as to certain magisterial documents.
- Text Alejandro Vázquez-Dodero
An encyclical, "Fratelli TuttiThe title of the book, "The World of the Humanity", is addressed to the whole of humanity, to the heart of each person, without the title "The Humanity of the Humanity of the Humanity". "Brothers all"Contrary to what some people think, it refers only to men and does not include women. This title chosen by the Pope is nothing more than a literal quotation from St. Francis - Admonitions, 6, 1: FF 155 - and is naturally not modifiable, as he himself has pointed out.
Encyclical Lumen Fidei
Lumen Fidei was published on June 29, 2013 by the current pontiff, and in its point 54 invites us to "return to the true root of fraternity". A fraternity that, unlike what modernity pretends, refers to a common Father, and goes beyond the mere construction of a universal fraternity among men based on equality.
Encyclical Laudato Si
Published on May 24, 2015, with that great pretense of discovering the glory that God deserves through creation, among other purposes. The Roman Pontiff, referring to St. Francis of Assisi, highlights his well-known communication with every creature. He says, "entered into communication with everything created (...)". In fact, she referred to every creature with the sweet name of "sister"..
Laudato Si'In his book "Universal Communion," which he calls "universal communion," and in a display of integration of the human heart, he invites us to reflect on the fraternal consequences of mistreatment or indifference to the other creatures of this world. He goes so far as to affirm that "any cruelty to any creature is contrary to human dignity". Because, as the Pope will conclude, we are all together as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, "intertwined by the love that God has for each of his creatures".
In Chapter V, the Holy Father refers to the desirability of greater dialogue among the world's religions, given that the majority of the world's inhabitants declare themselves to be believers. This is in favor of the construction of "networks of respect and fraternity".
Other magisterial references and papal pronouncements
The encyclical Populorum Progressio The Declaration of St. Paul VI, published on March 26, 1967, deals with the need to promote the development of peoples.
Among other references to fraternity, he will say that "Man must meet man, nations must meet each other as brothers and sisters, as children of God. In this mutual understanding and friendship, in this sacred communion, we must likewise begin to act as one to build up the common future of mankind.".
With regard to the promotion of fraternity, he points out that "Between civilizations, as between people, a sincere dialogue is indeed a creator of fraternity."
In the solemn Te Deum of 2006, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI called for the promotion of "the transforming power of social friendship," an expression that Pope Francis uses again in his new encyclical.
Finally, in the Pope's Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi, February 3-5, 2019- signed, together with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, the "Document on Human Fraternity for world peace and common coexistence". It was a milestone in the path of interreligious dialogue, within the framework of the consideration that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Father.
Consequently, through the dialogue with the world of St. Paul VI, the dialogue of peace of St. John Paul II and the dialogue of charity in truth of Benedict XVI, we find ourselves today in the "dialogue of friendship" announced by Francis, which is nothing more than a reflection of the fraternity to which we are all universally called.
