{"id":3074,"date":"2020-10-27T10:43:56","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T14:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/consistent-life.org\/blog\/?p=3074"},"modified":"2020-10-27T10:43:56","modified_gmt":"2020-10-27T14:43:56","slug":"fratelli-tutti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consistent-life.org\/blog\/index.php\/2020\/10\/27\/fratelli-tutti\/","title":{"rendered":"Fratelli Tutti \u2013 Consistent-Life Excerpts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Since Catholics in the United States have been observing October as Respect Life Month, we share excerpts from Pope Francis\u2019 recent encyclical letter <\/em>Fratelli Tutti<\/em><\/a> (a <\/em>print version<\/em><\/a> is available), touching on each of the threats to life mentioned in Consistent Life\u2019s mission statement.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Compiled by Julia Smucker<\/em><\/p>\n

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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, \u201cpersons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected, especially when they are poor and disabled, \u2018not yet useful\u2019 \u2013 like the unborn, or \u2018no longer needed\u2019 \u2013 like the elderly . . .<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Angels Unawares, commemorating migrants, inaugurated in St. Peter’s Square<\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201ccollateral damage\u201d. 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 na\u00efve for choosing peace.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cthe death penalty is inadmissible\u201d and the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide.<\/p>\n

269. Let us keep in mind that \u201cnot even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this\u201d. 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.<\/p>\n

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: \u201cThey shall beat their swords into plowshares\u201d (2:4). For us, this prophecy took flesh in Christ Jesus who, seeing a disciple tempted to violence, said firmly: \u201cPut your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword\u201d (Mt<\/em>26:52). These words echoed the ancient warning: \u201cI will require a reckoning for human life. Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed\u201d (Gen<\/em>9:5-6). Jesus\u2019 reaction, which sprang from his heart, bridges the gap of the centuries and reaches the present as an enduring appeal.<\/p>\n

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For more of our blog posts with religious aspects, see: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Consistent Life Consensus in Ancient Christianity<\/a><\/p>\n

The Early Christian Tradition<\/a><\/p>\n

On Praying for the Military<\/a><\/p>\n

Abortion and War are the Karma for Killing Animals<\/a><\/p>\n

Breaking Stereotypes in Fearful Times<\/a> (Islam)<\/p>\n

Why the Interfaith Approach is Important<\/a><\/p>\n

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Since Catholics in the United States have been observing October as Respect Life Month, we share excerpts from Pope Francis\u2019 recent encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti (a print version is available), touching on each of the threats to life mentioned in Consistent Life\u2019s mission statement.   Compiled by Julia Smucker   18. Some parts of our… <\/p>\n