Top Vatican diplomat says decline of the West not irreversible
- Apr 14, 2021
Pope Francis is presenting the Church’s “consistent message” and is inviting individuals and nations to “slow down and to listen and to engage with our brothers and sisters,” says Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton.
Pope Francis’s social encyclical sees the need for human fraternity as more than just an abstract concept, but as a concrete path toward peaceful coexistence in a world fraught by war, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The pre-publication controversy over the title of Pope Francis’ new encyclical illustrates how the Catholic Church itself needs to engage in dialogue and listening, just like society does, said a theologian invited by the Vatican to help present the document.
Since the title of the pope’s new encyclical Fratelli Tutti was announced a month ago, there’s been debate over the translation, with several groups arguing that the phrase – translated by some into English as “All Brothers” – is exclusive of women.
“Right now we’re experiencing a fraternity of pain all over the word,” Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi said, “a pain that strikes even the most powerful people in the world. We’ve felt our fragility, that we are all fragile.”
Today, the pope travels to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, to continue his effort to deliver on the expectations taking that name created.
The Vatican responded Wednesday to criticism that the title of Pope Francis’ upcoming encyclical on the post-COVID world is sexist, saying the document, “Fratelli Tutti,” (“Brothers All”) in no way excludes women.