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Wage zu träumen! Mit Zuversicht aus der Krise
»Wage zu träumen!« ist die persönliche Auseinandersetzung des Papstes, die ihn zum Verfassen der Enzyklika »fratelli tutti« bewegt hat. Mit »Wage zu träumen!« legt Papst Franziskus nun seine neue Regierungserklärung vor. Für ihn gibt es kein zurück zur Normalität vor der Corona-Pandemie. Vielmehr appelliert er an eine Neuausrichtung der Gesellschaft und erklärt, warum wir diese sicherer und gerechter gestalten müssen.
Die Corona-Krise hat die großen gesellschaftlichen Probleme wie ein Brennglas verdeutlicht. Wirtschaftliche Ungleichheit, Existenzängste und Sorgen um die Gesundheit bestimmen das tägliche Denken. Das Oberhaupt von weltweit über einer Milliarde Menschen hat dies mit großer Sorge beobachtet. Zugleich stellte er aber auch eine große Kreativität bei den Menschen fest, um mit dieser globalen Krise umzugehen.
In seinem neuen Buch möchte Papst Franziskus in einfacher und zugleich kraftvoller Sprache Hilfestellungen für den Weg aus persönlichen Krisen aufzeigen. Mit großer Offenheit schildert er, wie ihn drei persönliche Krisen zu einem Besseren verändert haben. Wir brauchen laut Franziskus Mut zur Veränderung – so können wir besser als zuvor aus der Krise hervorgehen.
Die Corona-Krise hat die großen gesellschaftlichen Probleme wie ein Brennglas verdeutlicht. Wirtschaftliche Ungleichheit, Existenzängste und Sorgen um die Gesundheit bestimmen das tägliche Denken. Das Oberhaupt von weltweit über einer Milliarde Menschen hat dies mit großer Sorge beobachtet. Zugleich stellte er aber auch eine große Kreativität bei den Menschen fest, um mit dieser globalen Krise umzugehen.
In seinem neuen Buch möchte Papst Franziskus in einfacher und zugleich kraftvoller Sprache Hilfestellungen für den Weg aus persönlichen Krisen aufzeigen. Mit großer Offenheit schildert er, wie ihn drei persönliche Krisen zu einem Besseren verändert haben. Wir brauchen laut Franziskus Mut zur Veränderung – so können wir besser als zuvor aus der Krise hervorgehen.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2020
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About the author
Pope Francis
1,327 books1,005 followersPope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; Spanish: Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) was the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he held ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pope since the Syrian Gregory III, who died in 741.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He was accused of handing two priests to the National Reorganization Process during the Dirty War, but the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March.
Throughout his public life, Pope Francis had been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, concern for the poor, and commitment to interfaith dialogue. He was credited with having a humble, less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he was known for favoring simpler vestments void of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had as Cardinal. He maintained that the church should be more open and welcoming. He did not support unbridled capitalism, Marxism, or Marxist versions of liberation theology. Francis maintained the traditional views of the church regarding abortion, euthanasia, contraception, homosexuality, ordination of women, and priestly celibacy. He opposed consumerism, irresponsible development, and supported taking action on climate change, a focus of his papacy with the promulgation of Laudato si'. In international diplomacy, he helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He was accused of handing two priests to the National Reorganization Process during the Dirty War, but the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March.
Throughout his public life, Pope Francis had been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, concern for the poor, and commitment to interfaith dialogue. He was credited with having a humble, less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he was known for favoring simpler vestments void of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had as Cardinal. He maintained that the church should be more open and welcoming. He did not support unbridled capitalism, Marxism, or Marxist versions of liberation theology. Francis maintained the traditional views of the church regarding abortion, euthanasia, contraception, homosexuality, ordination of women, and priestly celibacy. He opposed consumerism, irresponsible development, and supported taking action on climate change, a focus of his papacy with the promulgation of Laudato si'. In international diplomacy, he helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 361 reviews
December 14, 2020
This book was well-written and really good. Pope Francis has a clear-eyed moral critique of modern inequality, markets, and politics. It's refreshing to hear from a Christian leader about the sins of the powerful and wealthy. It should not be that rare, but so many churches have been co-opted by right-wing politics that it is unusual to have a Christian leader actually talk about the stuff Jesus actually cared about.
July 22, 2021
I am so glad to have been gifted this book. I am not Catholic, but I like this Pope and his ideas (which agree with mine, of course). This was written in response to 2020 and the pandemic. It is a hope for us to come out of this a better world, more caring, more conscious of one another and our planet.
It helps to remember that the USA is not the only country on the planet, nor is it the only one trying to negotiate this pandemic. That said, so much of what he says applied to our current political and social experience in 2020 and the 3 years prior that it helps to remind oneself of that fact.
An important book that should be read widely and thoughtfully.
*If you can, catch the PBS bio of Pope Francis, out this month. It is simply wonderful.
It helps to remember that the USA is not the only country on the planet, nor is it the only one trying to negotiate this pandemic. That said, so much of what he says applied to our current political and social experience in 2020 and the 3 years prior that it helps to remind oneself of that fact.
An important book that should be read widely and thoughtfully.
*If you can, catch the PBS bio of Pope Francis, out this month. It is simply wonderful.
May 16, 2023
a quick read that made me smile from page 1 all the way trough the end. so glad @liza woods let me borrow this because it was a much needed perspective on positive living and a reminder of how everyday life is still so beautiful despite all we’ve been through
so many good takeaways, i’ll have to add the rest at some point: (some verbatim & some summarized from pages that stood out to me..but honestly i’d copy & paste the whole book if i could):
-no one is the same after crisis, we are either better or worse
-life w/o crisis present is compared to a social setting: we know how to act & what to say when we’re comfortable; it’s when we are thrown off balance that reveals our hearts & values. that is also when we grow
-covid19 was our modern "Noah's Ark" moment
-it’s not enough to just feed the hungry, are we willing to sit with them as they eat? not just checking a box not treating everyone like they mean something
-all forms of punishment should have a goal of positively changed behavior; this should be clear on both sides
so many good takeaways, i’ll have to add the rest at some point: (some verbatim & some summarized from pages that stood out to me..but honestly i’d copy & paste the whole book if i could):
-no one is the same after crisis, we are either better or worse
-life w/o crisis present is compared to a social setting: we know how to act & what to say when we’re comfortable; it’s when we are thrown off balance that reveals our hearts & values. that is also when we grow
-covid19 was our modern "Noah's Ark" moment
-it’s not enough to just feed the hungry, are we willing to sit with them as they eat? not just checking a box not treating everyone like they mean something
-all forms of punishment should have a goal of positively changed behavior; this should be clear on both sides
December 10, 2020
Pope Francis writes a clarion call for Catholics to apply their faith to the needs of society and "mother earth." I am an agnostic who cares about the needs of our world and our lives.
The book is divided into three parts; a time to see, to choose, and to act. Throughout the book, he uses Bible stories as allegories. He starts by warning about three disastrous ways of escaping reality: narcissism, discouragement, and pessimism, explaining each and tying each to Covid and to events of todays world. He also uses the term, Covid, as a symbol of the challenges of todays world and a call to action. Once he has the problem identified, he uses stories from the Bible to identify actions of other imperfect persons.
The first section is beautiful and meaningful. The second section about choice, was about Catholic ideology and, while I found the basic thinking useful but not his applications. It is written for Catholics -- which was his purpose. The right to have a communion wafer has no value to me.
The third section, while still directed for his audience, was pulled together beautifully with challenges to action in three areas: land (mother earth,) lodging (general habitat,) and labor. He ends with a poem of hope.
He has outlined a direction for his church to address the needs of todays world -- a worthy read.
The book is divided into three parts; a time to see, to choose, and to act. Throughout the book, he uses Bible stories as allegories. He starts by warning about three disastrous ways of escaping reality: narcissism, discouragement, and pessimism, explaining each and tying each to Covid and to events of todays world. He also uses the term, Covid, as a symbol of the challenges of todays world and a call to action. Once he has the problem identified, he uses stories from the Bible to identify actions of other imperfect persons.
The first section is beautiful and meaningful. The second section about choice, was about Catholic ideology and, while I found the basic thinking useful but not his applications. It is written for Catholics -- which was his purpose. The right to have a communion wafer has no value to me.
The third section, while still directed for his audience, was pulled together beautifully with challenges to action in three areas: land (mother earth,) lodging (general habitat,) and labor. He ends with a poem of hope.
He has outlined a direction for his church to address the needs of todays world -- a worthy read.
December 16, 2020
I am constantly shocked by the heart of the pope. I am not Catholic, neither do I know much about the papacy, but his heart for those in need of mercy screams Christ to me. I can only fight to keep a conscious awareness of my neighbor in the way Pope Francis calls all people to. This book was not written for the church. It was written for a humanity that is going through a pandemic together, for the sake of that very same humanity leaving this united suffering with united care. Though the middle section lost me a little with all the talks about councils, his call for a unified mindset over the justice of the world (creation included!) is nothing short than the voice of God calling his people to partner with him as he designed it from the garden.
This book would be great for anyone with a high school reading level. So of his ideas get pretty metaphysical, but all in all the message can be found by most people.
This book would be great for anyone with a high school reading level. So of his ideas get pretty metaphysical, but all in all the message can be found by most people.
March 17, 2021
Pope Francis offers thought provoking ideas as we move forward after the pandemic.....
January 18, 2023
Provides much food for thought. Wrestles with questions of social injustice and human dignity and how we all have a role to play in bringing about a better post-Covid world. I haven’t come across anything remotely as coherent as this when it comes to discussing the impact and future of the world affected by Covid. Enlightening.
January 3, 2021
This book was remarkable and concisely discussed a lot of the topics on people’s minds right now. The Pope extends his hand to us and offers us a glimpse of what hope looks like in crisis. His sagacious and humble voice shines through in the prose. Highly recommend!
December 17, 2020
I was born and raised Catholic and although I don’t always agree with everything the church does and says, I have loved Pope Francis since Day 1. This book was well written and covered a wide range of topics from the murder of George Floyd to the push for priests to get married. His vision for a post-COVID world is inspiring. 4.5 stars!
December 12, 2020
Pope Francis has a vision for a much better post-COVID future for the world. He addresses a multitude of topics in Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future. With compelling arguments, he presents the idea that our emergence from COVID should not lead us back to the way things were before, but into a better, more thoughtful, and humane way of living. I've loved Pope Francis since he was first elected. This book only reinforced that for me. I rarely read a book more than once, but this is one that I plan to read again - and maybe take notes!
December 28, 2022
I love this book and love Pope Francis' thought more and more. He has an incredibly accurate view of the problem of polarization in our society and purposes ways of walking together and holding opposing views together that I believe is truly the way forward. The section on contradiction vs contraposition is a must read in today's world!
December 28, 2020
The Pope's first reactions to a COVID-19 world that emphasize the possibility of a turning point. Moves easily between folksy old stories, internal church debates and astute analysis of the political climate. I found it worth it as a quick read.
December 31, 2021
You can tell that the climate change movement is really gaining momentum when one of the best books on the subject that I’ve read this year is written by the Pope. I really didn’t expect that when I started reading this after it was recommended at a talk given at my church (Episcopal not Catholic). Wasn’t expecting Doughnut Economics which I read recently to be cross referred to in this book either.
The central message that the coronavirus crisis is a reckoning and that we just can’t go back to what we had before and that we need to act as a community rather than individual consumers was an encouraging one as well and made this the perfect book to finish the year off with.
The central message that the coronavirus crisis is a reckoning and that we just can’t go back to what we had before and that we need to act as a community rather than individual consumers was an encouraging one as well and made this the perfect book to finish the year off with.
February 20, 2022
i didn’t actually finish it
had a mild existential crisis towards the end with thoughts along the lines of “what the fuck am i doing”
it seems the answer can no longer be tryingmybesttogetthroughagenericselfhelpbooklacedwithaloadofbigotry
had a mild existential crisis towards the end with thoughts along the lines of “what the fuck am i doing”
it seems the answer can no longer be tryingmybesttogetthroughagenericselfhelpbooklacedwithaloadofbigotry
January 3, 2021
A definite worthwhile read from Pope Francis on his thoughts during the Covid-19 quarantine about how the world is at the threshold of potential change. As usual, Pope Francis doesn't give out a bunch of feel good platitudes but implores us to think more globally about helping the poor, while encouraging us to start right in our own neighborhood. I find his thoughts to be complex and challenging. I love how he will not forget the environment nor put it aside as an issue. The poor, the environment, finding community, these are the ways we are to love.
October 17, 2023
I ❤️ pope Francis so I really wanted to like this book but I felt like it was a little empty and kind of repetitive. Good ideas overall and a lot of call to action but not a lot of practical steps for the reader.
December 22, 2020
If you believe this man is a Christian and is a chosen person by our Lord Jesus, you clearly haven't being paying attention. Lucifer is his God
January 2, 2021
-I believe that what has persuaded us is the myth of self-sufficiency, that whispering in our ears that the earth exists to be plundered; that others exist to meet our needs; that what we have earned or what we lack is what we deserve; that my reward is riches, even if that means that the fate of others will be poverty.
-When that happens, we are flooded by doubts and questions: How to respond? What can we do? How can I help? What is God asking of us at this time?
And in asking these questions--not rhetorically, but silently, with attentive hearts, perhaps before a lit candle--we open ourselves to the action of the Spirit. We can start to discern, to see new possibilities, at least in the little things that surround us, or that we do each day. And then, as we commit to those small things, we start to imagine another way of living together, of serving our fellow beloved creatures. We can begin to dream of real change, change that is possible.
-Sin is a rejection of the limits that love requires.
-In other words, if you think abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty are acceptable, your heart will find it hard to care about contamination of rivers and the destruction of the rainforest. And the reserve is also true. So even while people will argue strenuously that these issues are different in moral terms, as long as they insist that abortion is justified but not desertification, or that euthanasia is wrong but polluted rivers are the price to pay for economic progress, we will remain stuck in the same lack of integrity that put us where we are now.
-Giving to the poor is just giving back to them what is theirs, for God intended the goods of the earth for all, without excluding anyone.
-How do we distinguish the spirits? They speak different languages; they use different ways to reach our hearts. The voice of God never imposes but proposes, whereas the enemy is strident, insistent, and even monotonous. The voice of God might correct us, but gently, always encouraging, consoling, giving us hope. The bad spirit on the other hand offers us dazzling illusions and tempting sensations, but they are fleeting. It exploits our fears and suspicions, and seduces us with wealth and prestige. If we ignore it, it responds with contempt and accusations, telling us: You're worthless.
-Just as none of us should reject other people because of their sins and failures but hep them be what they are meant to be, Christ's followers should love and listen to the Church, build her up, take responsibility for her, including her sins and failures.
-Rather than accusing others for their failures and limitations, I find some fault or attitude in myself. And I then turn to my Creator and my God and ask Him for the grace I need to move forward, confident that He loves me and cares for me.
-To see contrapositions as contradictions is the result of mediocre thinking that takes us away from reality. The bad spirit--the spirit of conflict, which undermines dialogue and fraternity--turns contrapositions into contradictions, demanding we choose, and reducing reality to simples binaries. This is what ideologies and unscrupulous politicians do. So when we run up against a contradiction that does not allow us to advance to a real solution, we know we are faced with a reductive, partial mental scheme that we must try to move beyond.
But the bad spirit can also deny the tension between two poles in a contraposition, opting instead for a kind of static coexistence. This is the danger of relativism or false irenicism, an attitude of "peace at any price" in which the goal is to avoid the conflict altogether. In this case, there can be no solution, because the tension has been denied, and abandoned. This is also a refusal to accept reality.
So we have two temptations: on the one hand, to wrap ourselves in the banner of one side or the other, exacerbating the conflict; on the other, to avoid engaging in conflict altogether, denying the tension involved and washing our hands of it.
The task of the reconciler is instead to "endure" the conflict, facing it head-on, and by discerning see beyond the surface reasons for disagreement, opening those involved to the possibility of a new synthesis, one that does not destroy either pole, but preserves what is good and valid in both in a new perspective.
-For what saves us is not an idea but an encounter. Only the face of another is capable of awakening the best of ourselves. In serving the people, we save ourselves.
-It is striking how neoliberal currents of thought have sought to exclude from the political arena any substantive debate about the common good and the universal destination of goods. What they promote instead is essentially the efficient management of a market and minimal government control. But the problem is that when the economy's primary purpose centers on profit, it is easy to forget that the earth's resources are for all, not the few.
-Recognizing the value to society of the work on nonearners is a vital part of rethinking in the post-Covid world. That's why I believe it is time to explore concepts like the universal basic income (UBI) also known as "the negative income tax": an unconditional flat payment to all citizens, which could be dispersed through the tax system.
The UBI could reshape relations in the labor market, guaranteeing people the the dignity of refusing employment terms that trap them in poverty. It would give people the basic security they need, remove the stigma of welfarism, and make it easier to move between jobs as technology-driven labor patterns increasingly demand. Policies like the UBI can also help free people to combine earning wages with giving time to the community.
With the same objective, it may well be time to consider reduced working hours with adjusted salaries, which can paradoxically increase productivity. Working less so that more people can gain access to the labor market is one aspect of the kind of thinking we urgently need to explore.
-When that happens, we are flooded by doubts and questions: How to respond? What can we do? How can I help? What is God asking of us at this time?
And in asking these questions--not rhetorically, but silently, with attentive hearts, perhaps before a lit candle--we open ourselves to the action of the Spirit. We can start to discern, to see new possibilities, at least in the little things that surround us, or that we do each day. And then, as we commit to those small things, we start to imagine another way of living together, of serving our fellow beloved creatures. We can begin to dream of real change, change that is possible.
-Sin is a rejection of the limits that love requires.
-In other words, if you think abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty are acceptable, your heart will find it hard to care about contamination of rivers and the destruction of the rainforest. And the reserve is also true. So even while people will argue strenuously that these issues are different in moral terms, as long as they insist that abortion is justified but not desertification, or that euthanasia is wrong but polluted rivers are the price to pay for economic progress, we will remain stuck in the same lack of integrity that put us where we are now.
-Giving to the poor is just giving back to them what is theirs, for God intended the goods of the earth for all, without excluding anyone.
-How do we distinguish the spirits? They speak different languages; they use different ways to reach our hearts. The voice of God never imposes but proposes, whereas the enemy is strident, insistent, and even monotonous. The voice of God might correct us, but gently, always encouraging, consoling, giving us hope. The bad spirit on the other hand offers us dazzling illusions and tempting sensations, but they are fleeting. It exploits our fears and suspicions, and seduces us with wealth and prestige. If we ignore it, it responds with contempt and accusations, telling us: You're worthless.
-Just as none of us should reject other people because of their sins and failures but hep them be what they are meant to be, Christ's followers should love and listen to the Church, build her up, take responsibility for her, including her sins and failures.
-Rather than accusing others for their failures and limitations, I find some fault or attitude in myself. And I then turn to my Creator and my God and ask Him for the grace I need to move forward, confident that He loves me and cares for me.
-To see contrapositions as contradictions is the result of mediocre thinking that takes us away from reality. The bad spirit--the spirit of conflict, which undermines dialogue and fraternity--turns contrapositions into contradictions, demanding we choose, and reducing reality to simples binaries. This is what ideologies and unscrupulous politicians do. So when we run up against a contradiction that does not allow us to advance to a real solution, we know we are faced with a reductive, partial mental scheme that we must try to move beyond.
But the bad spirit can also deny the tension between two poles in a contraposition, opting instead for a kind of static coexistence. This is the danger of relativism or false irenicism, an attitude of "peace at any price" in which the goal is to avoid the conflict altogether. In this case, there can be no solution, because the tension has been denied, and abandoned. This is also a refusal to accept reality.
So we have two temptations: on the one hand, to wrap ourselves in the banner of one side or the other, exacerbating the conflict; on the other, to avoid engaging in conflict altogether, denying the tension involved and washing our hands of it.
The task of the reconciler is instead to "endure" the conflict, facing it head-on, and by discerning see beyond the surface reasons for disagreement, opening those involved to the possibility of a new synthesis, one that does not destroy either pole, but preserves what is good and valid in both in a new perspective.
-For what saves us is not an idea but an encounter. Only the face of another is capable of awakening the best of ourselves. In serving the people, we save ourselves.
-It is striking how neoliberal currents of thought have sought to exclude from the political arena any substantive debate about the common good and the universal destination of goods. What they promote instead is essentially the efficient management of a market and minimal government control. But the problem is that when the economy's primary purpose centers on profit, it is easy to forget that the earth's resources are for all, not the few.
-Recognizing the value to society of the work on nonearners is a vital part of rethinking in the post-Covid world. That's why I believe it is time to explore concepts like the universal basic income (UBI) also known as "the negative income tax": an unconditional flat payment to all citizens, which could be dispersed through the tax system.
The UBI could reshape relations in the labor market, guaranteeing people the the dignity of refusing employment terms that trap them in poverty. It would give people the basic security they need, remove the stigma of welfarism, and make it easier to move between jobs as technology-driven labor patterns increasingly demand. Policies like the UBI can also help free people to combine earning wages with giving time to the community.
With the same objective, it may well be time to consider reduced working hours with adjusted salaries, which can paradoxically increase productivity. Working less so that more people can gain access to the labor market is one aspect of the kind of thinking we urgently need to explore.
December 18, 2025
Pope Francis stood on business throughout this whole book and I quite respect that. “The only time you should be looking down on someone is when you offer them a helping hand up”
August 29, 2022
Maybe because I have read much of Pope Francis’s writing, this short collection of reflections did not strike me with as much force as I was anticipating. I do like what he has to say. There are some wonderful lines. But it was a bit too scattered for me.
April 28, 2021
In his newest, short novel, Pope Francis describes the opportunity that the world has following the COVID 19 pandemic. We can either resort to our old ways of neglecting the rights and values of all people, or we can move forward with inclusion and love for all. It was a very powerful book addressing the many injustices in our world right now. I thought he brought up some really good points on the connections between abortion, immigration, and how we should be extremely reverent when it comes to our home. Those descriptions will be the take-home message for me.
I won this hardcover book in a giveaway, but tragically it has been tainted by a banana that exploded in my backpack. Nonetheless, I managed to continue reading - even when I should be studying for my finals tomorrow.
I won this hardcover book in a giveaway, but tragically it has been tainted by a banana that exploded in my backpack. Nonetheless, I managed to continue reading - even when I should be studying for my finals tomorrow.
January 13, 2021
Do we ever need to hear this book? Pope Francis speaks up for making positive changes for the good of all in our world. He offers a deep critique of the economic and political systems that are obsessed with profit and that ignore widespread human and planetary destruction. He reminds us of our duty as Christians to serve. And he suggests a plan for creating a better world, based on the work of scientists and environmentalists and economists, using all of us ordinary people.
A few quotes from the book:
'In these difficult times, I take hope from the last words of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel: "I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). We are not alone. That is why we need not be afraid to go down into the dark nights of problems and suffering. We know that we don't have the answers all ready and neatly packaged, yet we trust that the Lord will open for us doors we had no idea were there.'
"What worried me about the antiracist protests in the summer of 2020, when many statues of historical figures were toppled in several countries, was the desire to purify the past. Some wanted to project onto the past the history they would like to have now, which requires them to cancel what came before. But it should be the other way around. For there to be true history there must be memory, which demands that we acknowledge the paths already trod, even if they are shameful. Amputating history can make us lose our memory, which is one of the few remedies we have against repeating the mistakes of the past....I recall this history not to praise past oppressors but to honor the witness and greatness of soul of the oppressed. There is great danger in remembering the guilt of others to proclaim my own innocence."
'In every personal "Covid," so to speak, in every "stoppage," what is revealed is what needs to change: our lack of internal freedom, the idols we have been serving, the ideologies we have tried to live by, the relationships we have neglected.'
Pope Francis brings up a fascinating new concept for me, the idea of contradictions being something he calls contrapositions. "Contrapositions," he writes, "involves two poles in tension, pulling away from each other: horizon/limit, local/global, whole/part, and so on. These are contrapositions because they are opposites that nonetheless interact in a fruitful, creative tension....To see contrapositions as contradictions is the result of mediocre thinking that takes us away from reality. The bad spirit---the spirit of conflict, which undermines dialogue and fraternity---turns contrapositions into contradictions, demanding we choose and reducing reality to simple binarities....(T)he bad spirit can also deny the tension between two poles in a contraposition, opting instead for a kind of static coexistence. This is the danger of relativism...an attitude of 'peace at any price' in which the goal is to avoid conflict altogether....The task of the reconcile is instead to 'endure' the conflict, facing it head-on, and by discerning see beyond the surface reasons for disagreement, opening those involved to the possibility of a new synthesis, one that does not destroy either pole, but preserves what is good and valid in both in a new perspective. This breakthrough comes about as a gift in dialogue, when people trust each other and humbly seek the good together, and are willing to learn from each other in a mutual exchange of gifts. At such moments, the solution to an intractable problem comes in ways that are unexpected and unforeseen...."
Pope Francis also explains the concept of cynodality. "What characterizes a synodal path is the role of the Holy Spirit. We listen, we discuss in groups, but above all we pay attention to what the Spirit has to say to us."
A few quotes from the book:
'In these difficult times, I take hope from the last words of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel: "I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). We are not alone. That is why we need not be afraid to go down into the dark nights of problems and suffering. We know that we don't have the answers all ready and neatly packaged, yet we trust that the Lord will open for us doors we had no idea were there.'
"What worried me about the antiracist protests in the summer of 2020, when many statues of historical figures were toppled in several countries, was the desire to purify the past. Some wanted to project onto the past the history they would like to have now, which requires them to cancel what came before. But it should be the other way around. For there to be true history there must be memory, which demands that we acknowledge the paths already trod, even if they are shameful. Amputating history can make us lose our memory, which is one of the few remedies we have against repeating the mistakes of the past....I recall this history not to praise past oppressors but to honor the witness and greatness of soul of the oppressed. There is great danger in remembering the guilt of others to proclaim my own innocence."
'In every personal "Covid," so to speak, in every "stoppage," what is revealed is what needs to change: our lack of internal freedom, the idols we have been serving, the ideologies we have tried to live by, the relationships we have neglected.'
Pope Francis brings up a fascinating new concept for me, the idea of contradictions being something he calls contrapositions. "Contrapositions," he writes, "involves two poles in tension, pulling away from each other: horizon/limit, local/global, whole/part, and so on. These are contrapositions because they are opposites that nonetheless interact in a fruitful, creative tension....To see contrapositions as contradictions is the result of mediocre thinking that takes us away from reality. The bad spirit---the spirit of conflict, which undermines dialogue and fraternity---turns contrapositions into contradictions, demanding we choose and reducing reality to simple binarities....(T)he bad spirit can also deny the tension between two poles in a contraposition, opting instead for a kind of static coexistence. This is the danger of relativism...an attitude of 'peace at any price' in which the goal is to avoid conflict altogether....The task of the reconcile is instead to 'endure' the conflict, facing it head-on, and by discerning see beyond the surface reasons for disagreement, opening those involved to the possibility of a new synthesis, one that does not destroy either pole, but preserves what is good and valid in both in a new perspective. This breakthrough comes about as a gift in dialogue, when people trust each other and humbly seek the good together, and are willing to learn from each other in a mutual exchange of gifts. At such moments, the solution to an intractable problem comes in ways that are unexpected and unforeseen...."
Pope Francis also explains the concept of cynodality. "What characterizes a synodal path is the role of the Holy Spirit. We listen, we discuss in groups, but above all we pay attention to what the Spirit has to say to us."
September 23, 2021
The pandemic is history in the making, bringing changes to our lives that would have been thought impossible. Its effects have been borne unequally though, revealing the fault-lines of inequality, and reminding us just how precarious life really is. Together with resurgent populisms and looming climate disaster, there is a lot to be pessimistic about.
Into the fray steps Pope Francis. Let Us Dream is his call for change, a discussion of a wide range of issues such as ecclesiastical politics, good ecological living, poverty, the coronavirus, and the role of women in society.
With so much global uncertainty, it is easy to feel overwhelmed or paralysed: what can I do to save the environment?
There are two easy responses. The first is to indulge in our grief and long for everything to be overthrown, so as to wipe our hands clean of the need to actually do anything. The second is to harden our souls to the plights of others, and meet their suffering with indifference.
“Indifference blocks the spirit by closing us to the possibilities that God is waiting to offer us, possibilities that overflow our mental schemes and categories.” (20). For change to happen, we must first “go to the margins” of society to see what it is really like. But after looking and feeling, we must discern and act.
To read of poverty and suffering in the news is one thing, but to see it with your own eyes - to see the teeming squalor of Argentinian shantytowns, where lockdowns have confined people to tiny homes without running water - is another. This kind of encounter gives us a more tangible situation to focus upon, inviting us “to ponder, and to respond with hope” (11): we are moved, we are worried, but we are also compelled to action.
This follows the example of Christ, who moved among prostitutes, tax collectors, bandits, and other sinners. It’s an ethos at risk in the coronavirus age, with masks and lockdowns and other restrictions limiting our ability to make face-to-face connections. Those who love each other have a strong need to physically connect, to see, to touch, to satisfy the deep human impulse which draws us towards each other.
If the church loses this connection with the people - if she does not walk with the poor - then she may “[fall] back on the old temptation to become a moral or intellectual elite.” (120). Walking with the poor is not just about making them mere objects of paternalism, but empowering them to organise justice for themselves, so they may be the subjects of their own lives.
Francis uses the word perisseuo to describe this possibility of being moved to action. It is the Greek word used in psalm 23 to refer to the overflowing of the cup:
(Psalm 23:5, New International Version of the Bible)
God’s grace is not contained to any particular vessel, and there can be no everlasting figuration of temporal power that would perfectly capture it. We need to be capable of being moved, of having our old routines and categories overthrown. This is a case for change as well as preservation.
Tradition accommodates both. Francis denies traditionalism as a return to how things were, or as a frozen set of decrees that determine all forms of human association forever. Tradition is, in Gustav Mahler’s words, “not the worship of the ashes, but the preservation of the flame.”
Fundamentalism does not respect this balance. It offers a single formulation of the truth which reduces all questions to a single political answer.
The truth may be unyielding, but it also reveals and can therefore deceive. Francis compares the Hebrew and Greek words for truth: the Hebrew “emet” means firmness, fixity, that which does not deceive or change, while the Greek “aletheia” means that which reveals itself.
Truth is eternal, but its eternity is only ever glimpsed at. This is why Francis speaks of “discerning” the truth, of adopting an attitude which requires us to “leave space for this gentle encounter with the good, the true, and the beautiful.” (55). We must allow our cups to be filled up.
The encounter is not just a journey to the margins of society, it is also the resolution of tension between its elements. These tensions don’t have to erupt in violence. To understand how this is possible, Francis borrows some concepts from the philosopher Romano Guardini.
Guardini distinguishes between contraposition (Gegensätze) and contradiction (Widersprüche). Contraposition involves two poles in tension that pull away from each other: horizon/limit, local/global, whole/part. Life is full of these polarities, which interact in a “fruitful, creative tension.”
On the other hand, contradictions demand that we pick sides: good or evil, right or wrong. These are not complements or counterparts, but negations of each other: where good flourishes, evil must languish.
Contrapositions might cause conflict - when we confuse them for contradictions - but they also open the way for dialogue and understanding. Francis quotes Patmos by Friedrich Hölderlin: “Where there is danger/Grows the saving power also.” By being open to dialogue and “walking together”, we have the possibility of resolving these tensions within a greater whole that respects both.
This is an intriguing idea, though it’s not always clear whether a particular dichotomy would be a contraposition or contradiction. I would have liked to see Francis give some examples; alas, this is not really a philosophy book, and his discussion is brief. However, based on comments made elsewhere, the European Union might be seen as an example that navigates the tensions of local/global.
We might turn contrapositions into contradictions, but the opposite tendency is also a danger: to treat all contrapositions as equally valid in their own right, thus siloing off communities and people. Such relativism rejects solidarity and cuts us off from the common good. The end of this turning inwards is what Pope Francis calls “the isolated conscience”.
No one chooses his identity freely. We are born into families and communities, with a particular upbringing, all of which determines who we are more so than our individual choices. This ultimately ties us together in bonds of mutuality and reciprocity.
The isolated conscience rejects this. He neglects his stake in society and refuses to participate - to even acknowledge - the common good. He understands others only through sterile analytical or legal categories, an act which puts him outside his own people, literally beyond the understanding of himself: for “the people” is not a logical concept. “It can only ever really be approached through intuition, by entering into its spirit, its heart, its history and traditions.” (102).
The distinction between contraposition and contradiction helps us make sense of what Pope Francis means by “the gentle encounter”: we all walk different paths, and the only way to navigate our differences is to allow for the encounter with one another, out of which may flow a genuine connection and a fruitful resolution. Without this connection, we are paralysed - impotent, helpless, strangers even to ourselves.
In addition to this more philosophical discussion, Let Us Dream also has lots of practical methods for applying these ideas to your own life. For example, as an antidote to an isolated conscience, Francis discusses how the sixth-century monk Dorotheus of Gaza - who spent long periods in the desert alone - would practice “self-accusation”, a searching for his own faults: “In accusing ourselves, we ‘lower’ ourselves, making room for the action of God to unite us.” (74).
He also discusses sound ecological living. The environment is not a problem that can be separated from how we live our everyday lives. Global perspectives tend to prescribe universal political or technocratic solutions, which operate somewhat in isolation of our personal lives and commitments.
Francis is weary of this. In his encyclical Laudato si’ - written just before the Paris Accords, and apparently a strong influence on them - he cautions against the organisation of humanity along technocratic lines. Technocratic mindsets do not respect the limits of nature: “We begin to believe in power, confusing it with progress, so that whatever boosts our control is seen as beneficial.” (34). Yet this is exactly what has put creation at risk.
Francis also makes the case for allowing women to make more contributions within the church. He explains why they should be allowed to participate in the dicasteries (the departments of the Holy See). Regarding whether women should be able to become deaconesses, he argues yes. The role of deacon has always been more integrated with the local life of a community, in the distribution and management of food and alms, but also in the daily life of the laypeople. Women have always been an important part of this, and so may yet have roles to play as deaconesses.
This seems convincing. But Francis stops very abruptly at the idea of women priests. If women can be deaconesses, why can’t they also be priests? His opponents - both TradCaths and liberals - seem to have a point here: his position feels like an unsatisfactory midpoint. I didn’t see why he was able to draw the line where he does. This is a very broad book though, covering too much to let it dwell too long on one subject, which perhaps lets him get away with skipping on detail here.
If there is an overarching lesson in this book, it is that our troubles cannot be overcome by any one solution: a reduction of the problem of climate change or social injustice to political organisation is exactly the kind of exasperated thinking which confuses power with progress: if only our mastery over nature were greater, and we just used it in the right way, all of our problems would go away…
Let Us Dream makes the case for a re-imagining of human affairs along the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. It has serious philosophic and theological content, without being too dry or abstract to apply to your own life. And I was impressed with just how well-written it was, not only in the breadth of literature drawn upon, but also in how the editor, Austin Iverleigh, has phrased every sentence.
Grief and fear are the easy emotions. What this book offers is hope: an openness to the possibility of our worldly categories being filled up and overflowing with God’s grace.
Read this review on Substack.
Into the fray steps Pope Francis. Let Us Dream is his call for change, a discussion of a wide range of issues such as ecclesiastical politics, good ecological living, poverty, the coronavirus, and the role of women in society.
With so much global uncertainty, it is easy to feel overwhelmed or paralysed: what can I do to save the environment?
There are two easy responses. The first is to indulge in our grief and long for everything to be overthrown, so as to wipe our hands clean of the need to actually do anything. The second is to harden our souls to the plights of others, and meet their suffering with indifference.
“Indifference blocks the spirit by closing us to the possibilities that God is waiting to offer us, possibilities that overflow our mental schemes and categories.” (20). For change to happen, we must first “go to the margins” of society to see what it is really like. But after looking and feeling, we must discern and act.
To read of poverty and suffering in the news is one thing, but to see it with your own eyes - to see the teeming squalor of Argentinian shantytowns, where lockdowns have confined people to tiny homes without running water - is another. This kind of encounter gives us a more tangible situation to focus upon, inviting us “to ponder, and to respond with hope” (11): we are moved, we are worried, but we are also compelled to action.
This follows the example of Christ, who moved among prostitutes, tax collectors, bandits, and other sinners. It’s an ethos at risk in the coronavirus age, with masks and lockdowns and other restrictions limiting our ability to make face-to-face connections. Those who love each other have a strong need to physically connect, to see, to touch, to satisfy the deep human impulse which draws us towards each other.
If the church loses this connection with the people - if she does not walk with the poor - then she may “[fall] back on the old temptation to become a moral or intellectual elite.” (120). Walking with the poor is not just about making them mere objects of paternalism, but empowering them to organise justice for themselves, so they may be the subjects of their own lives.
Francis uses the word perisseuo to describe this possibility of being moved to action. It is the Greek word used in psalm 23 to refer to the overflowing of the cup:
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
(Psalm 23:5, New International Version of the Bible)
God’s grace is not contained to any particular vessel, and there can be no everlasting figuration of temporal power that would perfectly capture it. We need to be capable of being moved, of having our old routines and categories overthrown. This is a case for change as well as preservation.
Tradition accommodates both. Francis denies traditionalism as a return to how things were, or as a frozen set of decrees that determine all forms of human association forever. Tradition is, in Gustav Mahler’s words, “not the worship of the ashes, but the preservation of the flame.”
Fundamentalism does not respect this balance. It offers a single formulation of the truth which reduces all questions to a single political answer.
The truth may be unyielding, but it also reveals and can therefore deceive. Francis compares the Hebrew and Greek words for truth: the Hebrew “emet” means firmness, fixity, that which does not deceive or change, while the Greek “aletheia” means that which reveals itself.
Truth is eternal, but its eternity is only ever glimpsed at. This is why Francis speaks of “discerning” the truth, of adopting an attitude which requires us to “leave space for this gentle encounter with the good, the true, and the beautiful.” (55). We must allow our cups to be filled up.
The encounter is not just a journey to the margins of society, it is also the resolution of tension between its elements. These tensions don’t have to erupt in violence. To understand how this is possible, Francis borrows some concepts from the philosopher Romano Guardini.
Guardini distinguishes between contraposition (Gegensätze) and contradiction (Widersprüche). Contraposition involves two poles in tension that pull away from each other: horizon/limit, local/global, whole/part. Life is full of these polarities, which interact in a “fruitful, creative tension.”
On the other hand, contradictions demand that we pick sides: good or evil, right or wrong. These are not complements or counterparts, but negations of each other: where good flourishes, evil must languish.
Contrapositions might cause conflict - when we confuse them for contradictions - but they also open the way for dialogue and understanding. Francis quotes Patmos by Friedrich Hölderlin: “Where there is danger/Grows the saving power also.” By being open to dialogue and “walking together”, we have the possibility of resolving these tensions within a greater whole that respects both.
This is an intriguing idea, though it’s not always clear whether a particular dichotomy would be a contraposition or contradiction. I would have liked to see Francis give some examples; alas, this is not really a philosophy book, and his discussion is brief. However, based on comments made elsewhere, the European Union might be seen as an example that navigates the tensions of local/global.
We might turn contrapositions into contradictions, but the opposite tendency is also a danger: to treat all contrapositions as equally valid in their own right, thus siloing off communities and people. Such relativism rejects solidarity and cuts us off from the common good. The end of this turning inwards is what Pope Francis calls “the isolated conscience”.
No one chooses his identity freely. We are born into families and communities, with a particular upbringing, all of which determines who we are more so than our individual choices. This ultimately ties us together in bonds of mutuality and reciprocity.
The isolated conscience rejects this. He neglects his stake in society and refuses to participate - to even acknowledge - the common good. He understands others only through sterile analytical or legal categories, an act which puts him outside his own people, literally beyond the understanding of himself: for “the people” is not a logical concept. “It can only ever really be approached through intuition, by entering into its spirit, its heart, its history and traditions.” (102).
The distinction between contraposition and contradiction helps us make sense of what Pope Francis means by “the gentle encounter”: we all walk different paths, and the only way to navigate our differences is to allow for the encounter with one another, out of which may flow a genuine connection and a fruitful resolution. Without this connection, we are paralysed - impotent, helpless, strangers even to ourselves.
In addition to this more philosophical discussion, Let Us Dream also has lots of practical methods for applying these ideas to your own life. For example, as an antidote to an isolated conscience, Francis discusses how the sixth-century monk Dorotheus of Gaza - who spent long periods in the desert alone - would practice “self-accusation”, a searching for his own faults: “In accusing ourselves, we ‘lower’ ourselves, making room for the action of God to unite us.” (74).
He also discusses sound ecological living. The environment is not a problem that can be separated from how we live our everyday lives. Global perspectives tend to prescribe universal political or technocratic solutions, which operate somewhat in isolation of our personal lives and commitments.
Francis is weary of this. In his encyclical Laudato si’ - written just before the Paris Accords, and apparently a strong influence on them - he cautions against the organisation of humanity along technocratic lines. Technocratic mindsets do not respect the limits of nature: “We begin to believe in power, confusing it with progress, so that whatever boosts our control is seen as beneficial.” (34). Yet this is exactly what has put creation at risk.
Francis also makes the case for allowing women to make more contributions within the church. He explains why they should be allowed to participate in the dicasteries (the departments of the Holy See). Regarding whether women should be able to become deaconesses, he argues yes. The role of deacon has always been more integrated with the local life of a community, in the distribution and management of food and alms, but also in the daily life of the laypeople. Women have always been an important part of this, and so may yet have roles to play as deaconesses.
This seems convincing. But Francis stops very abruptly at the idea of women priests. If women can be deaconesses, why can’t they also be priests? His opponents - both TradCaths and liberals - seem to have a point here: his position feels like an unsatisfactory midpoint. I didn’t see why he was able to draw the line where he does. This is a very broad book though, covering too much to let it dwell too long on one subject, which perhaps lets him get away with skipping on detail here.
If there is an overarching lesson in this book, it is that our troubles cannot be overcome by any one solution: a reduction of the problem of climate change or social injustice to political organisation is exactly the kind of exasperated thinking which confuses power with progress: if only our mastery over nature were greater, and we just used it in the right way, all of our problems would go away…
Let Us Dream makes the case for a re-imagining of human affairs along the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. It has serious philosophic and theological content, without being too dry or abstract to apply to your own life. And I was impressed with just how well-written it was, not only in the breadth of literature drawn upon, but also in how the editor, Austin Iverleigh, has phrased every sentence.
Grief and fear are the easy emotions. What this book offers is hope: an openness to the possibility of our worldly categories being filled up and overflowing with God’s grace.
Read this review on Substack.
January 2, 2021
“Open yourself, decenter, and transcend.”
The New York Times article, “Pope Francis: A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts,” from November 26, 2020 is essentially a condensed version of this book. His overarching message is that the suffering COVID-19 has wrought can be used for transformation, but if we instead choose to maintain the status quo and bolster “hyperinflated individualism,” ignoring the needs of the most vulnerable and disenfranchised, things will only get worse for humanity and all of creation. While there are some things that I don’t agree with and that are not consistent with my own spiritual beliefs, overall I believe that his ideas come from a place of deep love and compassion, particularly with regard to the environment, immigration, and the economy. And I agree that those that care only about what they perceive as a violation of their “freedom” have completely lost their spiritual center and are numb to the suffering of others and that those that long only for things to go back to “normal” are entirely missing the point. More than anything, I agree with Pope Francis that food, shelter, and meaningful work are the birthright of all people and that as a global community we should be ensuring that the needs of all are met.
One caveat: I grew up Catholic and have lived in Rome, and though it has been many years since I identified as Christian, the historical Jesus continues to be a very important influence in my life. Therefore, I was quite comfortable with reading this text. Some teachings of the Catholic church do come up. If that is not of interest or is uncomfortable for you, I recommend simply reading the New York Times article.
The New York Times article, “Pope Francis: A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts,” from November 26, 2020 is essentially a condensed version of this book. His overarching message is that the suffering COVID-19 has wrought can be used for transformation, but if we instead choose to maintain the status quo and bolster “hyperinflated individualism,” ignoring the needs of the most vulnerable and disenfranchised, things will only get worse for humanity and all of creation. While there are some things that I don’t agree with and that are not consistent with my own spiritual beliefs, overall I believe that his ideas come from a place of deep love and compassion, particularly with regard to the environment, immigration, and the economy. And I agree that those that care only about what they perceive as a violation of their “freedom” have completely lost their spiritual center and are numb to the suffering of others and that those that long only for things to go back to “normal” are entirely missing the point. More than anything, I agree with Pope Francis that food, shelter, and meaningful work are the birthright of all people and that as a global community we should be ensuring that the needs of all are met.
One caveat: I grew up Catholic and have lived in Rome, and though it has been many years since I identified as Christian, the historical Jesus continues to be a very important influence in my life. Therefore, I was quite comfortable with reading this text. Some teachings of the Catholic church do come up. If that is not of interest or is uncomfortable for you, I recommend simply reading the New York Times article.
February 3, 2021
"Let Us Dream" is a book written by Austin Ivereigh with the cooperation of Pope Francis. Ivereigh gathered information from interviews with Pope Francis, his letters, his articles, etc. It is very current because it is dealing with Covid-19 and its effects.
The book is divided into three parts: the problem, exploring ideas, and actions. In this method, the pope offers suggestions and methods for people to take. But it takes all people, no one can do it alone. People are made to help each other and that's how to solve the problems, especially conscious of the marginalized people. They have to be included. Every person must have a dignified existence, especially the people who are considered poor.
It is a very easy read and offers many good discussion points. The prologue was a little frightening because of its apocalyptic warning but the book ends with Alexis Valdes poem on Hope.
We'll value more what belongs to all
than what was earned.
We'll be more generous
and much more committed.
The book is divided into three parts: the problem, exploring ideas, and actions. In this method, the pope offers suggestions and methods for people to take. But it takes all people, no one can do it alone. People are made to help each other and that's how to solve the problems, especially conscious of the marginalized people. They have to be included. Every person must have a dignified existence, especially the people who are considered poor.
It is a very easy read and offers many good discussion points. The prologue was a little frightening because of its apocalyptic warning but the book ends with Alexis Valdes poem on Hope.
We'll value more what belongs to all
than what was earned.
We'll be more generous
and much more committed.
January 19, 2023
In Let Us Dream Pope Francis has given us much needed global leadership and optimism for a world coming to terms with the Covid pandemic, and the social/economic/environmental injustices it has exposed. As world leaders retreat into populism and protectionsim, Pope Francis argues that the pandemic shows our interdependency and need for collective action. As many look for a return to normal, Pope Francis (among others) is calling for a reset and a 'new frontier of fraternity'. He illustrates how he emerged better from crises in his own life and offers a blueprint for building a better world. As is central to all Pope Francis' thinking, serving the needs of the poor and caring for our common home are at heart.
Many will no doubt see this as too blatantly political, but it is all firmly rooted in the Gospels.
Five stars are not for the literary qualities, but the importance of the message. A slight book but one that should have a great impact if we listen.
Many will no doubt see this as too blatantly political, but it is all firmly rooted in the Gospels.
Five stars are not for the literary qualities, but the importance of the message. A slight book but one that should have a great impact if we listen.
March 13, 2021
This book was written as the Pope's response to the pandemic. He makes a case for placing human dignity at the core of our society and structuring things so that the poor, marginalized, migrant, outcast, elderly etc. are able to become the protagonists for once. He advocates for the unborn, the prisoner, the refugee. He rails against populist political thinking and examines the ways we disagree with each other on important issues. I love our Pope. I love that his strengths are so different from the strengths of his predecessors and the way he spotlights issues in nuanced ways applicable to the universal Church. A beautiful little book. I could have highlighted every page.
December 23, 2020
Me pareció un libro muy oportuno en estos momentos al mostrar las reflexiones del Papa con respecto a lo que la crisis del Covid debe suponer para nuestras vidas y nuestro mundo.
Me sorprendió el estilo tan personal en que esta escrito, aportando perspectivas muy reveladoras... desde su amplia y profunda visión de la Iglesia y del mundo.
Esta lleno de propuestas valiosas que te dejan pensando para hacer cambios personales.
Me sorprendió el estilo tan personal en que esta escrito, aportando perspectivas muy reveladoras... desde su amplia y profunda visión de la Iglesia y del mundo.
Esta lleno de propuestas valiosas que te dejan pensando para hacer cambios personales.
May 17, 2021
I can certainly sense a note of frustration in Francis’ voice when he talks about certain topics (mainly conservatives eg. Opposition to vaccines/climate change/refugees/etc). He has an ambitious and hopeful vision for the future based upon the three Ls - land, lodging, and labour.
Francis’ final note - that we adopt/consider Universal Basic Income - is a really progressive economic statement which I wasn’t expecting to hear be so explicitly promoted by him.
Francis’ final note - that we adopt/consider Universal Basic Income - is a really progressive economic statement which I wasn’t expecting to hear be so explicitly promoted by him.
April 21, 2025
A time to see, choose and act.
“Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”
“Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”
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