Fratelli Tutti: Pope Francis’ New Encyclical on Human Fraternity and Solidarity
Photo © Tony Powell/Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington “In this storm, the façade of those stereotypes with which we camouflaged our egos, always worrying about our image, has fallen away, uncovering once more that (blessed) common belonging, of which we cannot be deprived: our belonging as brothers and sisters.”
—Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi Blessing, March 27, 2020 On Saturday, October 3, Pope Francis will travel to Assisi to the tomb of St. Francis to pray and sign his new encyclical Fratelli Tutti. On Sunday, October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, his encyclical on human fraternity and social friendship will be released to the world. On Monday, October 5, Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life will host a virtual Dahlgren Dialogue on the themes of the encyclical and Pope Francis’ call to recognize that we are all brothers and sisters at a time of a global pandemic, economic crises, and a United States presidential election. This Dahlgren Dialogue will begin and end with prayer from Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown. A distinguished group of leaders will outline the major elements of the encyclical and discuss its implication and applications in this moment of multiple crises.
- Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., is the under-secretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and has served in Canada, Latin America, Africa, and Rome.
- Edith Avila Olea is the policy manager at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and is a board member of Bread for the World. She was the justice and peace associate director for the Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Illinois.
- Claire Giangravé is the Vatican correspondent for Religion News Service where she covers Pope Francis and the global Catholic Church. She has worked previously at Crux, Catholic News Service, PBS, and MSNBC News.
- Sr. Nancy Schreck, OSF, is the program director of Excel, Inc. She is a former president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and a former vice-president and president of the Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque, Iowa.
Kim Daniels, associate director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, will moderate the conversation. Rev. Mark Bosco, S.J., vice president of Mission and Ministry at Georgetown, will lead the prayers. These leaders will address:
- What are the central themes of Fratelli Tutti?
- Why did Pope Francis choose this time and this topic for his new encyclical?
- Why is it called Fratelli Tutti, and why is that title generating controversy?
- What are its implications in a global pandemic and economic crisis?
- What are its applications in the United States, particularly a month before a major presidential election?
Dahlgren Dialogues, co-sponsored with the Georgetown Office of Mission and Ministry, are a series of substantive conversations with experienced leaders in the context of prayerful reflection on current topics at the intersection of faith and public life. This dialogue will have live closed captioning. For all other accommodation requests, please email cathsocialthought@georgetown.edu by October 2. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests after October 2.
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