Some Highlights from Pope Leo’s New Encyclical

As I pointed out in Tuesday’s DM, a great emphasis on the dignity and rights of the individual courses through the pope’s encyclical, “Magnificent Humanity.” Another element that stands out to me is that the term “the common good” is invoked on 72 separate occasions! Clearly, Pope Leo is driving home the need for humanity to think more in terms of the whole than just in terms of nationhood or rugged individualism.

He talks of “building a city founded on the common good,” which is to be discerned by standards such as “the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home, and peace.”

I was very pleased to see early in the encyclical a reference to “original goodness,” a term that Thomas Aquinas invoked on several occasions and that I insist on in my term original blessing. (And that a certain recent German pope took severe umbrage at.) Says Pope Leo: “Creation bears the imprint of an original goodness that our human outlook must preserve, cultivate and bring to fulfilment.” Hooray! It is good to see this important concept make its way into official teachings—and from an Augustinian pope at that (since it was St. Augustine who talked first about “original sin,” a concept that is foreign to Jesus’ Jewish tradition). 

Continuing on, Pope Leo applies “original goodness” to the church’s work: In this regard, the Church… supports with humble firmness the choices that promote the dignity of every person, the cohesion of communities, and the good of all. The Church thus stands alongside the world without overpowering it, so that the promise of justice and peace that the Holy Spirit continues to sustain in the heart of humanity may come to fruition in every human endeavor.

He celebrates the term diversity and, in doing so, seems to be standing up to the Trump administration’s war on diversity, equality, and inclusion, DEI. For example, truth does not “fear diversity, but instead welcomes and guides it,” and diversity lies at the very heart of “the catholicity of the church,” which seeks to “embrace the entire human family” with its many “peoples and cultures.” He warns that politics often turns to misinformation and ridiculing opponents, and systematically cultivating fears and resentments. Thus, diversity is increasingly perceived as a threat, which fuels a desire for possession, a will to dominate, hegemonic ambitions, abuses of power, and a fear of those who are different, thereby creating an environment in which new conflicts can develop almost imperceptibly.

Indeed, the way we treat migrants constitutes a “litmus test for social justice today.” Migrants are being “forced to move due to poverty, violence, climate change, and environmental disasters.”

He criticizes the church on several important occasions, calls for an “examination of conscience for the church,” and asks for pardon for the lateness with which it condemned slavery (not until the late 19^th century under Pope Leo XIII!).  He praises the press and journalists for criticizing the church (for example, blowing the whistle on the priestly pedophilia scandal).

He insists that care should be taken for “the way decisions are taken and responsibilities are exercised” in the church, emphasizing that the key to a synodal awareness is “a culture of transparency, accountability and evaluation as key practices for missionary transformation.” He calls for “avoiding any form of paternalism that suffocates evangelical freedom.” He applies the principle of subsidiarity as “the guiding principle for governance and pastoral life”: The participation of the baptized in decision-making processes and their shared responsibility in the mission are achieved through genuine, rather than merely nominal, participatory bodies. Solidarity becomes central.

To be continued.

Quotations from Pope Leo, Magnifica Humanitas, numbered paragraphs in order of citation: 11, 14, 10, 25, 206, 81, 175, 146, 86, 87

Banner Image: A potential future Pope Leo seeks to prevent: humans unleashing cyber warfare. Composite image by 紅色死神 on Flickr.

Queries for Contemplation

Which among the points underscored here speak the deepest to you personally? And which do you think are most important for our culture to hear today?

Related Readings by Matthew Fox

Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality

Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality

Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth

A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice

Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ

Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society

Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision For a New Generation

Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson and Jen Listug: Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action