'Individualism does not make us more free': Dissecting Pope Francis's Encyclical

In his newly released encyclical, Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis pens thousands of lines and cites dozens of previous theological and social texts in order to answer a simple question: How can modern society correct course towards a kinder and more loving world?

The papal document was released on Oct. 5 and is the third encyclical by Pope Francis. 

In Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis attempts to speak to the world. He says the advice is meant not only for the Catholic Church, not even for all Christians, but to the entirety of humanity.

“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,” Pope Francis said on his official Twitter account.

In comparison to his previous written works, it is remarkably aggressive in its assertions and light on comforting words — the words of a teacher and not a doting father.

The encyclical has indeed ruffled feathers amongst different communities of Catholics for its harsh words towards profit-driven economic models, the death penalty, immigration policy and more. The encyclical paints the pope’s vision of a communal society, asserting that the Christian tradition has never recognized the right to private property as absolute or inviolable and has stressed the social purpose of all forms of private property.

The central theme of the document is conflict on a global and interpersonal scale, which the pope claims are connected to one another and drawn up from historical violence and tension. The pope writes:

“Ancient conflicts thought long buried are breaking out anew, while instances of a myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism are on the rise. In some countries, a concept of popular and national unity influenced by various ideologies is creating new forms of selfishness and a loss of the social sense under the guise of defending national interests. Once more we are being reminded that ‘each new generation must take up the struggles and attainments of past generations, while setting its sights even higher.’ This is the path.”

Pope Francis takes a strong stand in his reasoning that words and ideas of fraternity and social harmony are useless when not encapsulated in actions and works. In particular, the pope lists and criticizes common slogans and phrases used to superficially encourage cooperation.

Early into the encyclical, Pope Francis makes an example of the phrase “opening up to the world” as an economic policy, saying:

“‘Opening up to the world’ is an expression that has been co-opted by the economic and financial sector and is now used exclusively of openness to foreign interests or to the freedom of economic powers to invest without obstacles or complications in all countries. Local conflicts and disregard for the common good are exploited by the global economy in order to impose a single cultural model.”

On the same subject, he also writes:

“As a rule, the advance of this kind of globalism strengthens the identity of the more powerful, who can protect themselves, but it tends to diminish the identity of the weaker and poorer regions, making them more vulnerable and dependent.”

These themes of authenticity in moral action and an authentic appreciation for all beings have recurred frequently in the works of Pope Francis. The pontiff has written and spoken extensively on the concept of “throwaway culture” and “disposability” in mankind.

In Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis asks if this willingness to discard that which is deemed useless and the proclivity to mask empty rhetoric with insincere words of power has extended even to our most fundamental thoughts of social structure. He writes:

“One effective way to weaken historical consciousness, critical thinking, the struggle for justice and the processes of integration is to empty great words of their meaning or to manipulate them. Nowadays, what do certain words like democracy, freedom, justice or unity really mean? They have been bent and shaped to serve as tools for domination, as meaningless tags that can be used to justify any action.”

The pontiff writes that by emptying these terms and ideas of actual meaning, we are allowing political and social initiatives to become infiltrated and appropriated for ulterior motives. In the pope’s view, the increasing intolerance of political opponents can be linked to this lack of clear meaning or ethical authenticity.

From this emptiness, the pope sees the emergence of today’s political extremists, writing:

“Today, in many countries, hyperbole, extremism and polarization have become political tools. Employing a strategy of ridicule, suspicion and relentless criticism, in a variety of ways one denies the right of others to exist or to have an opinion.”

His Holiness continues, saying:

“Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and to advance the common good, but only with slick marketing techniques primarily aimed at discrediting others. In this craven exchange of charges and counter-charges, debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation.”

The encyclical wraps this political radicalism back to the issue of disposability and throwaway culture seen in the world today.

In particular, Pope Francis condemns economic models and structures that place profit over human dignity. In the view of the pope, the deterioration of political intelligibility and the propensity for outright rejection of things that run contrary to our own interests combine to form a world rife with injustice and oppression:

“In today’s world, many forms of injustice persist, fed by reductive anthropological visions and by a profit-based economic model that does not hesitate to exploit, discard and even kill human beings. While one part of humanity lives in opulence, another part sees its own dignity denied, scorned or trampled upon, and its fundamental rights discarded or violated. What does this tell us about the equality of rights grounded in innate human dignity?”

An extensive portion of the encyclical’s second chapter is devoted to retelling, dissecting and drawing inspiration from the biblical story of the Good Samaritan — the man who aids a wounded traveler on the roadside without a care of his race or social status.

Pope Francis extolls this as a model of human behavior on a societal level and sharply denounces the idea of over-analysis or moralizing on the narrative, saying:

“The parable clearly does not indulge in abstract moralizing, nor is its message merely social and ethical. It speaks to us of an essential and often forgotten aspect of our common humanity: we were created for a fulfillment that can only be found in love.”

Expanding on this point, the pope makes a clear parallel to today’s political climate, likening xenophobia and rampant nationalism to the bystanders who turned away from the Judean in need. He expresses that faith and the human-focused philosophy it gestates must be critics of these social ills.

“Still, there are those who appear to feel encouraged or at least permitted by their faith to support varieties of narrow and violent nationalism, xenophobia and contempt, and even the mistreatment of those who are different. Faith, and the humanism it inspires, must maintain a critical sense in the face of these tendencies, and prompt an immediate response whenever they rear their head.”

Pope Francis implores the reader to look beyond “an abstract proclamation that ‘all men and women are equal’” and instead seek to make these political and social dogmas of tolerance manifest in the world directly.

Perhaps the most controversial portion of the encyclical comes in the pope’s new admonishment of the death penalty — a subject that is not surprising for those who have read the pontiff’s previous works.

In fact, one of the most historic aspects of the current papacy is the alteration of the Catholic Catechism, the official document on the Church’s teachings, that now condemns the use of the death penalty as punishment. 

However, in Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis reiterates these points strongly, and lays a heavy-handed direction for Christians to listen to him.

“All Christians and people of good will are today called to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, legal or illegal, in all its forms, but also to work for the improvement of prison conditions, out of respect for the human dignity of persons deprived of their freedom. I would link this to life imprisonment… A life sentence is a secret death penalty.”

The pope links this opposition to the death penalty with the radical love and peacefulness of his royal namesake, St. Francis of Assisi. In the encyclical, the pope offers total abandonment of execution as a manifestation of unconditional love and fraternity uncompromised by unnecessary moralizing or contemplation, saying:

“The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being and to accept that he or she has a place in this universe. If I do not deny that dignity to the worst of criminals, I will not deny it to anyone. I will give everyone the possibility of sharing this planet with me, despite all our differences.”

Fratelli tutti concludes with a final chapter ruminating on the role that religion can play in global fraternity and social cohesion.

This comes as little surprise, as the encyclical was partially inspired by the Pope’s ecumenical outreach with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, head of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In his writing, Pope Francis continues to refer to the powerful clergyman as “my brother Bartholomew,” a styling he has used on multiple occasions.

Portions of Fratelli tutti are quoted from the pope’s works with Bartholomew and are clearly at the forefront of the pontiff’s mind in his ecumenical dialogues:

“We Christians ask that, in those countries where we are a minority, we be guaranteed freedom, even as we ourselves promote that freedom for non-Christians in places where they are a minority. One fundamental human right must not be forgotten in the journey towards fraternity and peace. It is religious freedom for believers of all religions.”

In a surprise acknowledgement, the pope states at the end of his document that while he was inspired most prominently by Catholic figures such as St. Francis of Assisi, he also found wisdom in the words of non-Catholic spiritual leaders.

In particular, the pope acknowledges Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi.

Pope Francis recently gave the encyclical to a crowd of faithful in St. Peter’s Square after his Sunday recitation of the Angelus.

Timothy Nerozzi is a writer and editor from northeastern Pennsylvania. He covers religious issues with a focus on the Catholic Church and Japanese society and culture.