TRUE BROTHERHOOD
At the same time, it appears clear that contemporary
ethica l systems remain incapable of producing authentic
bonds of fraternity, since a fraternity devoid of reference
to a common Father as its ultimate foundation is unable
to endure. True brotherhood among people presupposes and
demands a transcendent Fatherhood. Based on the recognition
of this fatherhood, human fraternity is consolidated:
each person becomes a “neighbour” who cares for others.
DIVERSITH
In the dynamics of history, and in the diversity
of ethnic groups, societies and cultures, we see the
seeds of a vocation to form a community composed of
brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another.
But this vocation is still frequently denied and ignored
in a world marked by a “globalization of indifference” which
makes us slowly inured to the suffering of others and closed
in on ourselves.
THERE SEEMS TO BE END
In many parts of the world, there seems to be no end to grave
offences against fundamental human rights, especially the right to
life and the right to religious freedom. The tragic phenomenon of
human trafficking, in which the unscrupulous prey on the lives and
the desperation of others, is but one unsettling example of this.
Alongside overt armed conflicts are the less visible but no less cruel
wars fought in the economic and financial sectors with means which
are equally destructive of lives, families and businesses.
ETHICAL SYSTEMS
At the same time, it appears clear that contemporary ethical
systems remain incapable of producing authentic bonds of
fraternity, since a fraternity devoid of reference to a common
Father as its ultimate foundation is unable to endure. True
brotherhood among people presupposes and demands a
transcendent Fatherhood. Based on the recognition of
this fatherhood, human fraternity is consolidated: each person
becomes a “neighbour” who cares for others.
FRATERNITY MY FRIENDS
Fraternity is an essential human quality, for we are relational beings.
A lively awareness of our relatedness helps us to look upon and to treat
each person as a true sister or brother; without fraternity it is impossible
to build a just society and a solid and lasting peace. We should remember
that fraternity is generally first learned in the family, thanks above
all to the responsible and complementary roles of each of its members,
particularly the father and the mother. The family is the wellspring of all
fraternity, and as such it is the foundation and the first pathway to peace,
since, by its vocation, it is meant to spread its love to the world around it.
REALISM IN POLITICS
The necessary realism proper to politics and economy cannot be
reduced to mere technical know-how bereft of ideals and unconcerned
with the transcendent dimension of man. When this openness to God is
lacking, every human activity is impoverished and persons are reduced
to objects that can be exploited. Only when politics and the economy
are open to moving within the wide space ensured by the One who loves
each man and each woman, will they achieve an ordering based on a
genuine spirit of fraternal charity and become effective instruments of
integral human development and peace.
