Fratelli Tutti – Consistent-Life Excerpts
Since Catholics in the United States have been observing October as Respect Life Month, we share excerpts from Pope Francis’ recent encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti (a print version is available), touching on each of the threats to life mentioned in Consistent Life’s mission statement.
Compiled by Julia Smucker
18. Some parts of our human family, it appears, can be readily sacrificed for the sake of others considered worthy of a carefree existence. Ultimately, “persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected, especially when they are poor and disabled, ‘not yet useful’ – like the unborn, or ‘no longer needed’ – like the elderly . . .
20. This way of discarding others can take a variety of forms, such as an obsession with reducing labor costs with no concern for its grave consequences, since the unemployment that it directly generates leads to the expansion of poverty. In addition, a readiness to discard others finds expression in vicious attitudes that we thought long past, such as racism, which retreats underground only to keep reemerging. Instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think.
107. Every human being has the right to live with dignity and to develop integrally; this fundamental right cannot be denied by any country. People have this right even if they are unproductive, or were born with or developed limitations. This does not detract from their great dignity as human persons, a dignity based not on circumstances but on the intrinsic worth of their being. Unless this basic principle is upheld, there will be no future either for fraternity or for the survival of humanity.
Angels Unawares, commemorating migrants, inaugurated in St. Peter’s Square
255. There are two extreme situations that may come to be seen as solutions in especially dramatic circumstances, without realizing that they are false answers that do not resolve the problems they are meant to solve and ultimately do no more than introduce new elements of destruction in the fabric of national and global society. These are war and the death penalty.
261. Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil. Let us not remain mired in theoretical discussions, but touch the wounded flesh of the victims. Let us look once more at all those civilians whose killing was considered “collateral damage”. Let us ask the victims themselves. Let us think of the refugees and displaced, those who suffered the effects of atomic radiation or chemical attacks, the mothers who lost their children, and the boys and girls maimed or deprived of their childhood. Let us hear the true stories of these victims of violence, look at reality through their eyes, and listen with an open heart to the stories they tell. In this way, we will be able to grasp the abyss of evil at the heart of war. Nor will it trouble us to be deemed naïve for choosing peace.
263. There is yet another way to eliminate others, one aimed not at countries but at individuals. It is the death penalty. Saint John Paul II stated clearly and firmly that the death penalty is inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice. There can be no stepping back from this position. Today we state clearly that “the death penalty is inadmissible” and the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide.
269. Let us keep in mind that “not even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this”. 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.
270. I ask Christians who remain hesitant on this point, and those tempted to yield to violence in any form, to keep in mind the words of the book of Isaiah: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares” (2:4). For us, this prophecy took flesh in Christ Jesus who, seeing a disciple tempted to violence, said firmly: “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt26:52). These words echoed the ancient warning: “I will require a reckoning for human life. Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed” (Gen9:5-6). Jesus’ reaction, which sprang from his heart, bridges the gap of the centuries and reaches the present as an enduring appeal.
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For more of our blog posts with religious aspects, see:
The Consistent Life Consensus in Ancient Christianity
Abortion and War are the Karma for Killing Animals
Breaking Stereotypes in Fearful Times (Islam)
Why the Interfaith Approach is Important
Unfortunately I think this encyclical misses some important points. First, religious freedom in the Muslim world. It’s quite shameful that in many Muslim countries in the world there is still the death penalty for the “crime” of apostasy. Pope Francis should have mentioned this very important question, since it’s impossible to have any kind of brotherhood with people who believe that if you leave your religion you should be killed. Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb, even more shamefully, supports the death penalty and doesn`t condemn it totally for apostasy, if the apostate becomes a “danger to Islam”. Even more strangely, the pope hardly mentions the abortion question, specially since he condemns the death penalty and he should know that several anti-death penalty organizations, like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and even the United Nations, support abortion. He should have stated the hypocrisy of that contradiction. I know plenty of statements of Pope Francis against abortion, so this omission is puzzling. So, I find this encyclical quite theologically poor and misses some important points.