"Fratelli Tutti" - An Introduction

A word from Archbishop Durocher:

Dear friends, I am happy to launch this new blog for the English sector of the Archdiocese of Gatineau. Here, you will find articles on a variety of topics of interest to parishioners of our area. I am happy to present our first post, a contribution from Nicole Fortier-Courcy of Gatineau. She is an Associate of the Franciscan missionaries of Mary, and has accepted to share of series of texts that will give us an overview of Pope Francis's encyclical on fraternity and social friendship, "Fratelli Tutti." I invite you to not only visit this blog regularly, but to share its content with the people you know. Warm blessings on all of you! 

+ Paul-André

Fratelli Tutti - Brothers and Sisters All

An Introduction

 

What a gift!  And what a joy for the associate members of the Franciscan missionaries of Mary: an encyclical letter from pope Francis, inspired by saint Francis of Assisi concerning fraternity and social friendship!  What a deep meditation on the life of this saint! And what a call for us!

At the beginning of the encyclical, we read: “God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters.” (par. 5)

Certainly, I agree with this statement, but how shall I be able to apply it in my daily life?

In its summary of the Pope Francis’s encyclical, the French religious magazine ‘Les Chemins franciscains’ (December 2020) stresses the fact that the letter’s methodology “translates into action what the Christian tradition contributes to a reflection to a world in dialogue.”

In his days, Francis of Assisi met with the sultan Malik-el-Kamil for a rich conversation.  Following his example, in our time, Pope Francis visited the orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew to discuss his encyclical ‘Laudato Si’; he later met with the grand imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb to  reflect on ‘Fratelli Tutti’.

However, as author Kim Thy recently said on CBC radio, “dialogue calls for openness.”

Personally, do I create space for ‘dialogue’ in my life?

How open-minded am I to ideas others than my own?

These are some of the considerations arising in my mind as I read the introduction of this encyclical letter, consisting of eight chapters.  May each of them become the object of our meditation over the next weeks.

Nicole Fortier-Courcy, associate of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (Gatineau community)

Translation: Marie-Thérèse Roy