Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Inside the VaticanOctober 07, 2020
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, speaks at a press conference for the release of Pope Francis' new encyclical, "Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship," at the Vatican Oct. 4, 2020. Also pictured are Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, secretary general of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

This week on the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and producer Colleen Dulle unpack their takeaways from Pope Francis’ new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti.”

Listen and subscribe to “Inside the Vatican” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The hosts discuss the pope’s unique interpretation of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Pope Francis devotes an entire chapter of the encyclical to the story, calling on his readers to imagine whether they are most like the Samaritan or the priest and Levite who pass by the wounded man. He examines today’s social issues in light of the parable, saying that it is rare today for someone to give his or her time as the Samaritan did, and that the Samaritan would have been unable to care for the man without the cooperation of institutions like the inn where the man rested and was treated.

Colleen recaps the new developments of the document, including the elevation of Francis’ ban on the death penalty to the level of an encyclical and the doubt he casts on whether modern wars are able to meet the requirements of a “just war” as described in just war theory. Gerry situates the encyclical in the rest of Francis’ pontificate, and the two discuss how “Fratelli Tutti” relates to “Laudato Si’.”

The hosts also discuss the document’s impact on Catholic-Muslim relations. Pope Francis has tied “Fratelli Tutti” to the document on human fraternity he signed last year with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and he chose a Muslim judge who worked with both religous leaders to officially present “Fratelli Tutti” at the Vatican. Gerry gives some insights from his interview with the judge.

Links from the show:

‘Inside the Vatican’ podcast: ‘Fratelli Tutti’ in 5 minutes

Colleen Dulle: VIDEO: Five takeaways from ‘Fratelli Tutti’

Gerard O’Connell: First Muslim to ever present a papal encyclical praises ‘Fratelli Tutti’

The latest from america

A leading figure in academic Catholic feminism after the Second Vatican Council, Anne E. Carr was also a renowned scholar and an inspiration to generations of theologians.
James T. KeaneJuly 01, 2025
At the time of his appointment as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost described in an interview one change he would like to see in the bishop selection process: greater involvement of lay people.
Colleen DulleJuly 01, 2025
Bishops from the conferences of Africa, Asia, and Latin America produced a joint document calling for climate justice ahead of the U.N. climate conference in November.
“One of the things I find most appealing about the award-winning writer and poet Mary Karr is her forthright, almost brutal, honesty.”
James Martin, S.J.July 01, 2025