Five years after the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on fraternal love, and amid a rise in political violence, the leader of the nation’s Catholic bishops is pleading for a rediscovery of – and respect for – a common humanity.
“I ask every American to reflect on the value of every human life. I beg you to see Christ in every person, even those whose politics you oppose,” said Archbishop Timothy P Broglio, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and head of the US Archdiocese for the Military Services.
The archbishop shared his thoughts in an 1 October pastoral invitation for reflection ahead of the fifth anniversary of Fratelli Tutti, which Pope Francis penned in 2020 as an exploration and exhortation on the issues of human fraternity and social friendship.
Archbishop Broglio’s reflection was released just days after several high-profile killings, including deadly attacks on a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan and a Catholic church in Minnesota, and the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university campus.
While not naming those specific incidents, Archbishop Broglio lamented that “places once regarded as safe harbors to grow and learn – our schools, universities, and churches – have become sites of heartbreaking tragedy and bloodshed.”
He called for a renewed embrace of the Gospel values, including the corporal works of mercy, listening and dialogue.
The archbishop concluded his reflection with a call to pray “that we may discover anew that all are important and all are necessary, different faces of the one humanity that God so loves. Amen.”
