“Dialogue and Friendship” is the 6th chapter of Pope Francis’s Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti of the Holy Father Francis on fraternity and social friendship. In this work, Pope Francis proposes a way of life with emphasis on a love that transcends the barrier of geography and distance. And one of the best ways to materialize this vision is through dialogue and the development of friendships within and across borders. Pope Francis writes:
Approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground: all these things are summed up in the one word “dialogue”. If we want to encounter and help one another, we have to dialogue.
Social Dialogue for a New Culture
Here, Pope Francis enumerates, among other things, the types of dialogue and the people involved in them, the benefits derived from dialogue, and nature and dynamics of dialogue.
To the first, Pope Francis talks about dialogue between generations, dialogue among our people, readiness to give and receive while remaining to the truth.
To the second, Pope Francis argues that a country flourishes when constructive dialogue occurs between its many rich cultural components: popular culture, university culture, youth culture, artistic culture, technological culture, economic culture, family culture and media culture.
But what dialogue is not?
Pope Francis argues that dialogues should not be confused with the feverish exchange of opinions on social networks which are frequently based on media information that is not always reliable. Pope Francis famously calls these exchanges “monologues”. For Pope Francis, monologues are dangerous and divisive because they engage no one, their content are frequently self-serving and contradictory.
Then Pope Francis talks about obstacles to dialogues, such as the media’s noisy potpourri of facts and opinions. For Pope Francis, this makes one clings stubbornly to his or her own ideas, interest, and choices, with the excuse that everyone else is wrong.
Pope Francis further argues that this subjectivist attitude of people in social media tends to be manipulative as it dominates discussions and tilt public opinion. And this manipulation has been used not only by governments, but also by education, economics, politics, and even in religion.
And so, for Pope Francis, what is happening today is not really dialogue. What is happening is that discussions or assemblies are mere negotiating sessions in which individuals attempt to seize every possible advantage, rather than cooperating in the pursuit of the common good.
Pope Francis then talks about the heroes of the future: those who can break with this unhealthy mindset and determine respectfully to promote truthfulness, aside from personal interest. God willing, such heroes are quietly emerging, even now, in the midst of our society.
Building Together
What Pope Francis would to emphasize here is for us to engage in authentic social dialogue, which is characterized by the ability to respect the other’s point of view and to admit that it may include legitimate convictions and concerns. Pope Francis writes:
Indeed, “in a true spirit of dialogue, we grow in our ability to grasp the significance of what others say and do, even if we cannot accept it as our own conviction. In this way, it becomes possible to be frank and open about our beliefs, while continuing to discuss, to seek points of contact, and above all, to work and struggle together”.
Given the complexity of our society today, Pope Francis calls us to appropriate interdisciplinary dialogues. This means using different approaches and methodologies in addressing a single reality. And this also means respecting and learning from other perspectives.
Basis of Consensus
Here, Pope Francis talks about the solution or alternative to the problem of “monologue” as opposed to dialogue. And he clearly emphasized the fact that “relativism” cannot be the solution. This is because, for Pope Francis, relativism “relativism ultimately leaves the interpretation of moral values to those in power, to be defined as they see fit”. Pope Francis writes:
In the absence of objective truths or sound principles other than the satisfaction of our own desires and immediate needs … we should not think that political efforts or the force of law will be sufficient … When the culture itself is corrupt, and objective truth and universally valid principles are no longer upheld, then laws can only be seen as arbitrary impositions or obstacles to be avoided.
And so, if relativism is not the answer, what then is the solution?
According to Pope Francis, the answer is “consensus” and the “truth”, which for Pope Francis is attained through dialogue. Pope Francis contends that if society is to have a future, it must respect the truth of our human dignity and submit to that truth. Hence, to reiterate, dialogue is necessary.
New Culture
Here, Pope Francis calls for a new culture, that is, a culture of encounter. Pope Francis urges people to be passionate about meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, planning a project that includes everyone. According to the Pope Francis, this should become an aspiration and a style of life, and the subject of this culture is the people, not simply one part of society that would pacify the rest with the help of professional and media resources.
And according to Pope Francis, the lasting and enduring result of this new culture is “peace”.
Lastly, on Recovering Kindness
In this concluding section, Pope Francis calls us to be kind. Despite all the evil things around, we can be kind towards other people. And by kindness, Pope Francis means we can be gentle, pleasant, and supportive. We don’t need to be rude or coarse. We need not offend others by word or deed. And we can always help others and ease their burden. We can also speak of words of comfort, strength, consolation, and encouragement, instead of words that demean, sadden, anger, or show scorn. We can smile to people and listen to them.
Concluding Remarks
Indeed, for Pope Francis, dialogue is respectful, strive for consensus, and seeks the truth. Dialogue opens the way to a culture of encounter so that encounter becomes a passion, a desire, and a way of life. Those who dialogue recognize, befriend, and respect other persons.
It also important to remember that life is the art of encounter given that we are social beings. Pope Francis has repeatedly invited us to build a culture of encounter capable of transcending our differences and divisions. This means working to create a many-faceted polyhedron which represents a society where differences coexist, complementing, enriching and reciprocally illuminating one another, even amidst disagreements and reservations. This also means finding ways to include those on the peripheries of life. The word “culture” points to something deeply embedded within a people, its most cherished convictions and its way of life. And finally, to speak of a “culture of encounter” means that we, as a people, should be passionate about meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, planning a project that includes everyone. This should be our aspiration and a style of life.