Dr. Leonard DeLorenzo of Notre Dame joins me on the Catholic School Matters podcast to discuss Part 4 of Fratelli Tutti (chapters 5 & 6) which focuses on politics and dialogue. Pope Francis is calling out politicians—and all of us—to a higher form of politics. But first, he discusses the dangers of populist movements which are taking hold around the world.

In recent years, the words ‘populism’ and ‘populist’ have invaded the communications media and everyday conversation. As a result, they have lost whatever value they might have had, and have become another source of polarization in an already divided society… Nowadays it has become impossible for someone to express a view on any subject without being categorized one way or the other, either to be unfairly discredited or to be praised to the skies (paragraph 156)

The new type of politics calls for us to heed the call of the vulnerable. After all, we need to be mindful of the suffering around us and try to alleviate it to the best of our ability. If that became our goal in politics, we would be less concerned with winning and competition.

There are plenty of examples of the contradictions and competitive ethos of politics and Dr. DeLorenzo and I spend a little time talking about them as well as exploring issues like Obama’s speech at Notre Dame and the support many Catholics have for the death penalty.

Francis calls us to tenderness and love and we discuss how tenderness seems to have little place in our politics. After all, the parable of the Good Samaritan calls us to express the interior movement of tenderness, which leads us to discuss what Christian masculinity means. Without tenderness and kindness, we lose the meaning of charity. “Kindness frees us from the cruelty that at times infects human relationships, from the anxiety that prevents us from thinking of others, from the frantic flurry of activity that forgets that others also have a right to be happy” (224).

Chapter six focuses on truth and dialogue. Francis cautions us against relativism. “We need to learn how to unmask the various ways that the truth is manipulated, distorted and concealed in public and private discourse” (208). Shouldn’t we all be spending a little bit more time (especially as educators!) working on how to unmask the information. “Relativism always brings the risk that some or other alleged truth will be imposed by the powerful or the clever” (209). Again, the consistent theme of knowing one’s history is important to recognize.

Dr. DeLorenzo talked about looking for the assumptions underlying arguments and the agendas which shift the interpretations of data. He argues for the power of concentration and giving students proper material to focus on. The purpose of the podcast is to help you in your study of Fratelli. Please join in the study and look for resources posted here.

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Dr. Tim Uhl

Check out the past episodes from this season:

• Part Four, Fratelli Tutti, with Dr. Leonard DeLorenzo
• Part Three, Fratelli Tutti, with Dr. Carmen Nanko-Fernández
• Part Two, Fratelli Tutti, with Fr. Joe Corpora
• Part One, Fratelli Tutti, with Dr. Ann Garrido
• 12 Christmas podcasts: Michael Deegan of the Archdiocese of NY, Nicole Garnett of Notre Dame law school on religious charters, Maka Black Elk on truth & healing, Dr. Jeannine Hill Fletcher on The Sin of White Supremacy, Dr Leslie Lipovski from the Diocese of Arlington & St. Isidore Virtual Catholic School, Mary Flock of the Diocese of Orange & St. Polycarp Virtual Catholic School, Bruce Davis of Catholic Virtual, Jeff Hausman of AVLI, Kyle Pietrantonio of DIA Schools, Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski of VLCFF, Frankie Jones of ACE, and Mike Derrick of San Diego Cristo Rey HS.
• Thought Leaders: Dave Stuart, Jr., George Couros, Dr. Christian Dallavis from Partnership Schools; Dr. Debbie Sullivan & FADICA reports;
• Pandemic-focused podcasts: Fr. Eric Ramirez, SJ from Regis Jesuit HS; John Galvan from the Diocese of San Diego; Elizabeth Goettl, CEO, Cristo Rey Network; Dr. Tim McNiff of Engineering Tomorrow.; Dr. Brandi Odom Lucas of Verbum Dei (Cristo Rey) HS; Jenny Oliver, the principal of St. Joe's in Auburn, CA; Br. John Montgomery, FSC, the principal of Cathedral High in Los Angeles; Leanne Geise, president of Dominican High in Wisconsin; August 19, 2020 Bea Kaleva (MT attorney) on COVID-related legal issues;
• August 12, 2020 Dr. Daryl Hagan of the Diocese of Evansville on reopening

Feb 15, 2021 "Fraternity of All"

Feb 8, 2021 "Mercy"

Feb 1, 2021 "Fratelli Tutti"

Jan 25, 2021 "The Common Good"

Jan 18, 2021 "School Boundaries"

Jan 11, 2021 "Reading List on Racism"

Jan 4, 2021 12 Days of Christmas Podcasts

Nov 9, 2020 "God in Disguise"

Nov 2, 2020 "Sharks and Survival"

Oct 26, 2020 "Mt. Rushmore Controversy"

Oct 19, 2020 "The Cleveland Partnership"

Oct 5, 2020 "Governance Reform"

Sep 28, 2020 "Autonomy & Radar"

Sep 21, 2020 "Learning While Doing"

Sep 14, 2020 "Connecting the Disconnected"

Aug 31, 2020 "Racial Injustice"

Aug 24, 2020 "Figuring it Out"

Aug 17, 2020 Serenity Prayer

May 24, 2020 Value Proposition During Uncertain Times

For previous newsletters, click this link