What…? Politics…?

 Pope Francis has a vision. He shared it with us partially in his first encyclical, Laudato si. There he invited all of us to reposition ourselves in the midst of our wonderful environment. Because we belong to it, and it belongs to us, we need to care for it. Then he opened the lens further with his encyclical Fratelli tutti. Here we have seen he invites us to look at ourselves…for if we are not in right relations with all in our global family, we will never be able to care for the earth. We have reflected on the sorry state of things (Chapter 1). Then he grounded us in scripture with the Good Samaritan parable, asking us to check what role we play (Chapter 2). Next he shocked us into imagining ‘an open world’ (Chapter 3). And in Chapter 4 he dared us to open our hearts to the whole world.

 What next? Well, in Chapter 5 he dares to talk about the forbidden topic: politics. He doesn’t shy away from it, nor must we. He calls for a ‘better kind’ of politics, one that puts the common good of all first. And there’s the rub. No more putting short-term advantage first; no more looking only to self- interest or the good of my group only. Shockingly, he calls for “a world authority regulated by law” that would have the power to provide for the common good, eliminate hunger and poverty, and defend fundamental human rights” (172). As if that was not shocking enough, he then calls for the reform of the United Nations, and the reform of economic institutions and international finance so that the family of nations has real teeth to get something done.

 Talk about a vision…! The better kind of politics Francis is calling for must be capable of reforming and coordinating institutions for long-term common good. Its major goal should be the total elimination of world hunger. He decries the waste of food worldwide while millions go hungry (189). No one must be excluded, no one must have fewer rights because of gender or birthplace (121). All of this flows from a change of heart…a new way nations see one another, a global ethic in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and a shared responsibility in the whole human family (127). It is coming…all of us in our own way, need to help midwife it…!