The second half of this encyclical focuses on this theme of common development. What does this mean?
43. Development of the individual necessarily entails a joint effort for the development of the human race as a whole. At Bombay We said: “(Humankind) must meet (humankind), nation must meet nation, as brothers and sisters, as children of God. In this mutual understanding and friendship, in this sacred communion, we must also begin to work together to build the common future of the human race.” (Cf. Address to representatives of non-Christian religions, Dec. 3, 1964: AAS 57 (1965), 132 [cf. TPS X, 153].) We also urge (people) to explore concrete and practicable ways of organizing and coordinating their efforts, so that available resources might be shared with others; in this way genuine bonds between nations might be forged.
This would certainly be a theme of the diplomat-turned-pope, that on many levels, people begin to come together, to encounter one another, and move forward. Pope Francis’ theme of accompaniment is definitely aligned. This would be less a matter of seeking out like-minded and like-opinioned people like social media emphasizes. The whole point would be for different people to share a common labor to a desired goal. We’ll explore this in detail over the next several weeks.
This encyclical letter is © Copyright – Libreria Editrice Vaticana, and can be found in its entirety at this link.
The image is of Lady Justice at the Central Criminal Court of London.
Catholic Sensibility 