An Italian Ambassador Praises the 2023 G20 Theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future” and Calls it a Reflection of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Fratelli Tutti

There is a movement within political circles that is increasingly bringing everyone closer together. One Earth, One Family, One Future will be the theme of the 2023 G20 International Forum, which will be held in India later this year. [1] This message is based on Pope Francis’ encyclical “Fratelli Tutti,” which asserts that all of the world’s economies, cultures, religions, and politics are interconnected and interdependent. These were the words of Ambassador Vincenzo de Luca, who praised the G20 for selecting this theme, which he said “strongly resonated with the Pope’s appeal” for a “universal brotherhood” as reflected in “Fratelli Tutti.” [2]

In other words, the G20, which consists of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, will meet this year to work on strengthening their connections with one another, as instructed in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. Keep in mind that the G20 comprises two-thirds of the world’s population and 80% of the global economy.

The Italian ambassador was quoted as saying:

• Italian Ambassador to India Vincenzo de Luca praised India’s G20 theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the earth is one family)” and said it strongly resonated with the Pope’s appeal for universal brotherhood as reflected in the term “Fratelli Tutti.” [2]

• The Italian envoy had recently organized an inter-religious dialogue to mark the International Day of Human Fraternity in which representatives of Bahai, Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Islamic, Jain and Sikh faiths participated. [2]

• The Italian envoy said, “The call to fundamental unity of all human and non-human beings on the face of the earth, contained in the Maha Upanishad and engraved in the entrance hall of the Parliament of India, strongly resonates with the Pope’s appeal for universal brotherhood contained in the encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’.” [2]

• He added, “And without deeper fraternity and unity, also other global challenges such as poverty and inequality, energy and food crises, and most of all, climate change cannot be adequately addressed. [2]

These 20 political powers will not only be gathering to promote economic cooperation, trade, peace, and development, but it is clear that another more sinister agenda will also be encouraged. We need to look no further than the Pope’s encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, which advocates the idea of a single global system of government, economy, culture, and religion:

“If only we might rediscover once for all that we need one another, and that in this way our human family can experience a rebirth, with all its faces, all its hands and all its voices, beyond the walls that we have erected” (Fratelli Tutti, #35).

“Real and lasting peace will only be possible on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family” (Fratelli Tutti, #127)

“Although this has always been true, never has it been more evident than in our own day, when the world is interconnected by globalization. We need to attain a global juridical, political and economic order which can increase and give direction to international cooperation for the development of all peoples in solidarity. Ultimately, this will benefit the entire world” (Fratelli Tutti, #138).

“The Church has a public role over and above her charitable and educational activities. She works for the advancement of humanity and of universal fraternity. She does not claim to compete with earthly powers, but to offer herself as a family among families, this is the Church … The Church is a home with open doors, because she is a mother. And in imitation of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, we want to be a Church that serves, that leaves home and goes forth from its places of worship, goes forth from its sacristies, in order to accompany life, to sustain hope, to be the sign of unity to build bridges, to break down walls, to sow seeds of reconciliation.” (Fratelli Tutti 276).

Some of these ideas appear reasonable on the surface, but there are some real problems associated with this kind of vision for the future. Any geopolitical and religious new world order will result in the loss of our individual rights, personal liberties, and the basic freedoms and protections granted to individuals in a society. These rights are typically considered to be inherent and inalienable, meaning that they cannot be taken away. On the other hand, the so-called “common good” refers to the overall well-being of a global society or community. It is the idea that the interests of the group as a whole should take precedence over the interests of any one individual or group. This will serve as the rationale for the impending Sunday law crisis.

The conflict between personal freedom and the common good can arise when the exercise of an individual’s rights is seen as potentially harmful to the wider community, as in the case of the recent pandemic. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many governments implemented arbitrary and oppressive measures to try to slow the spread of the virus and protect public health. We have since learned that many of these measures not only failed to protect the people but instead created other serious health and social problems.

Some of these measures included lockdowns, quarantines, and restrictions on gatherings, travel, and even free speech. These measures had an impact on individual rights such as the freedom to move about and assemble with others, the right to worship and work, and in some cases, the right to receive life-saving medical treatment. This was all done for the common good. The term “common good” appears 34 times in Fratelli Tutti. We can see the direction in which this “common good” is leading us.

In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis does not provide any kind of balance. He promotes the idea that the common good takes precedence over our individual rights. Regrettably, this indicates that our US constitution is becoming worthless. It’s unfortunate that the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists adopted this stance during the pandemic and still adheres to this “common good” philosophy. Soon, we know that the Mark of the Beast will be imposed on society for several reasons. However, we know that one of the main justifications for enacting a Sunday law will be that doing so is the only way to safeguard the common good of all members of society.

“Communications from the spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. They will lament the great wickedness in the world and second the testimony of religious teachers that the degraded state of morals is caused by the desecration of Sunday” (Great Controversy, p. 590).

“Yet this very class put forth the claim that the fast-spreading corruption is largely attributable to the desecration of the so-called ‘Christian Sabbath,’ and that the enforcement of Sunday observance would greatly improve the morals of society” (Great Controversy, p. 587).

Sources

[1] https://www.g20.org/en/g20-india-2023/logo-theme/

[2] https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/140223/italian-envoy-hails-g20-theme-on-one-family-as-fratelli-tutti.html