WCC NEWS: Reflection on International Women's Day finds “Fratelli tutti” bridges the gap between theological vision and political will

As she joined women from Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, and Catholic perspectives, World Council of Churches deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri offered an ecumenical perspective on Fratelli tutti, the third encyclical of Pope Francis on fraternity and social friendship. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 04 March 2021 The women were reflecting during a special webinar held to commemorate International Women's Day on 3 March.  Phiri reflected first on the linguistic constraints associated with the word “fraternity” as patriarchal language, maintaining that the other phrase found in the subtitle of the encyclical, “social friendship,” helps bridge the linguistic gap. “From a Christian theological standpoint, I find the use of the word ‘friendship’ significant, especially in an interreligious context,” she said.  Phiri’s second point was that Fratelli tutti seeks to bridge the gap between theological vision and political will. “One of the important thrusts of this document is to inspire a new vision of fraternity and social friendship that will not remain at the level of words,” she said. “This gap between our words and decisions must become a priority of religious institutions.” The current COVID-19 context has exacerbated gender inequalities globally, continued Phiri. “In many ways the document offers the world a fresh opportunity for turning into reality our hopes of a world of justice and equality,” she said. “In so doing, we become what the Christians call a community of equals.” The webinar was organized by the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations and the Pontifical Council for Culture in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.    See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland