As he did in his previous encyclical, Laudato Si', Pope Francis draws again on the spirit of Francis of Assisi, the saint who expressed his brotherhood and friendship with all creatures, and especially those who were poor and abandoned. In this new encyclical on fraternity and social friendship, Pop...

As he did in his previous encyclical, Laudato Si', Pope Francis draws again on the spirit of Francis of Assisi, the saint who expressed his brotherhood and friendship with all creatures, and especially those who were poor and abandoned. In this new encyclical on fraternity and social friendship, Pope Francis offers many points that speak to contemporary social issues: the death penalty; the practical limitations of "just war" teaching; the plight of migrants and refugees, and a warning against building walls that deny our common humanity. But underneath all these topical issues is a call to discernment and conversion.