The General Assembly of the United Nations declared Feb. 4 (today) International Day of Human Fraternity. The Vatican invites Catholics to begin reading and reflecting on the latest encyclical of Pope Francis, “Fratelli Tutti” in response to the Day of Fraternity.
“Fratelli Tutti” provides a way “help spread the message of fraternity so necessary in this world enveloped in common suffering,” said Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
Visit (www.HumanFraternityDay.org) for more information. The cardinal said that deepening, promoting and implementing the encyclical “helps to build up the unity of the Church. This year, because of the narrow window of time for preparation, we can celebrate the International Day of Human Fraternity in simple ways: with prayer, meditating beforehand on the title of the document, preaching about it,” he suggested.
Looking ahead to 2022, the Vatican foresees initiatives for marking the International Day of Human Fraternity: making the contents well known to priests, deacons, pastoral workers and the lay faithful and engaging in fruitful exchanges with Catholic and secular media.
“Let us pray for one another, for the clergy, for the religious, for the faithful, and for all with whom we share this common home,” the cardinal said in a letter to Bishop Thomas Zinkula.
