Vincent Kundukulam
Discussions on Fratelli Tutti are not over. Articles and books come out with new insights and new interpretations. Theologians propose different titles like ‘a canon for loving the neighbour’, ‘the tenets of universal nationalism’, ‘a philosophy of political love’, ‘a project for dialogue’ etc. to translate the wealth hidden in the encyclical letter. All these titles are remarkable as they throw light up on the diverse emphases of the document. Yet I would go for another title to qualify it namely ‘a gospel of peace’, for various reasons.
In the very first number of the Letter, Pope states that his objective is to propose a way of life marked by genuine love that transcends all sorts of barriers and observes fraternal openness (FT, 1). And in the following numbers, he refers to the visit of St. Francis of Assisi to the then Sultan Malik-el-Kami, which in fact put an end to the three centuries long war between Muslims and Christians during the Middle Ages. In all the chapters of this Letter, there are references related to the concept of peace, and the last three chapters are entirely dedicated to meditate on it. Finally, Pope ends the Letter by explaining how much he is inspired by Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu and Mahatmas Gandhi, all apostles of peace.
I don’t want to go on multiplying arguments to support my perspective about the document. My goal here is to highlight one aspect which I have not underlined in my previous deliberations. Among the various precautions to be taken for the success of peace-building ministry, Pope tells us that genuine peace is caught only through unity and not uniformity. Attempts to attain peace often fails because of the adamant attitude kept by a minority, which is invariably seen in all negotiating teams. This tiny fraction shall continually insist upon the superficial factors and force everyone to accept their views. What happens is that while doing so they forget the underlying unity among them in matters of essential values.
Only people with an undivided self and unitive vision can see the underlying unity among varied ideologies, cultures and faiths. As Paul F. Knitter points out, persons who believe in one loving God, don’t see diversity as a problem to be resolved; but as a blessing. They understand that when God reaches out to people in their differing contexts and times, diversity is natural. And, since the same God of love is behind all multiplicities, people with God’s heart can experience the underlying unity in diversity. Unfortunately, the above-stated unitive vision is not seen in everybody. Pope invites us to look beyond our particular interests (FT, 245). The genuine peace is acquired only when people of different perceptions and views work together, side-by-side, in pursuing goals that benefit everyone (FT, 228).
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