Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Inside the VaticanOctober 04, 2020
Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the tomb of St. Francis in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Oct. 3, 2020. The pope signed his new encyclical, "Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship," at the end of the Mass. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, was released today. The encyclical, which is the highest classification of papal document, is Francis’ diagnosis of the social problems plaguing our world—and his proposed cures.

In the 86-page document, Francis diagnoses a number of social ills, including what he’s called the “throwaway culture” that treats the environment, resources, and even people as disposable. He describes unjust economic systems that exploits workers in order to enrich a few wealthy people, and he goes into detail about the negative effects of both populism and globalization.

Listen and subscribe to Inside the Vatican on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast app.

Faced with these problems, Francis calls for “renewed hope,” proposing a reform of the United Nations to give poor countries more power in international decision-making, global denuclearization and an end to capital punishment. He calls instead for a culture based on an encounter with those who are different.

In this brief “Inside the Vatican” podcast update, host Colleen Dulle breaks down the document’s main themes.

More on Fratelli Tutti:

In new encyclical, Pope Francis envisions ‘renewed hope’ from universal love, open to ‘every man and woman’

Pope Francis closes the door on the death penalty in ‘Fratelli Tutti’

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

Delegates hold "Mass deportation now!" signs on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee July 17, 2024. (OSV News photo/Brian Snyder, Reuters)
Around the affluent world, new hostility, resentment and anxiety has been directed at immigrant populations that are emerging as preferred scapegoats for all manner of political and socio-economic shortcomings.
Kevin ClarkeNovember 21, 2024
“Each day is becoming more difficult, but we do not surrender,” Father Igor Boyko, 48, the rector of the Greek Catholic seminary in Lviv, told Gerard O’Connell. “To surrender means we are finished.”
Gerard O’ConnellNovember 21, 2024
Many have questioned how so many Latinos could support a candidate like DonaldTrump, who promised restrictive immigration policies. “And the answer is that, of course, Latinos are complicated people.”
J.D. Long GarcíaNovember 21, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers her concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 6, 2024, on the campus of Howard University in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Catholic voters were a crucial part of Donald J. Trump’s re-election as president. But did misogyny and a resistance to women in power cause Catholic voters to disregard the common good?
Kathleen BonnetteNovember 21, 2024