![]() Hope is endemic in the Franciscan tradition similarly embraced and defined by the world’s Abrahamic Religions and complexity scientists. promotes and implements border crossing relationships among all kinds of “others”.synchronizes well with current systems theory (integral ecology).promotes a slow-paced contemplative lifestyle allowing.embrace creation’s beauty and creativity through the arts.empowers all voices to be heard and their needs met.sustains global sufficiency economics “enough” enabling health and dignity.evokes nonviolence implemented by personal discourse, dialogue, and encounters.elicits love for God, and all neighbors.demands human and other kinds to live sufficiently, with dignity and integrity.To such conditions the Franciscan intellectual tradition – especially its theological, spiritual, and ethical aspects – can bring mediation and/or resolution, and thus, hope. ![]() ![]() Today Earth’s inhabitants languish at the edge of ecological collapse amid conflicts at all levels. Ungrateful people use other creatures with impunity to meet daily survival needs, failing to recognize the Creator of such creatures as gifts and blessings. The obedient one “is subject and submissive to all persons in the world, and not only to human beings, but even to all beasts and wild animals so that they may do whatever they want with that person, in as much as it has been given to them from above by the Lord.” Further, Francis denounced human abuse of all other created entities. Francis asserted the life-sustaining virtue of mutual obedience among all the creatures. The “common thread” sustaining this tradition is the person and vernacular theology ( ex beneficio, not ex officio), of Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), “the Patron of Ecology.” Three major themes in Francis’ vernacular theology irrevocably link Franciscan spirituality, theology and ethics: the humanity of Christ, the mystery of God as generous love, and the sense of creation as family. The Franciscan intellectual tradition is characterized by core values and religious beliefs especially conversion, peacemaking, divine love and freedom, the primacy of Christ, the centrality of the Incarnation, Christ crucified, the sacramentality of creation, the goodness of the world, a wholistic understanding of the human person as imago Dei, emphasis on Gospel poverty and humility, and the development of affectus. How does your scholar and her/his text bring hope, i.e., inform, enlighten, or provide a strategy to resolve political divisiveness or climate emergency? Though Franciscan intellectual works usually are multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary – science, philosophy, theology, ethics, spirituality, aesthetics, arts, music, scripture, anthropology – and more, authors should be careful to focus their thesis. To wit, no literature exists that utilizes key Franciscan figures other than Francis, Clare, Bonaventure, or Scotus for discussing these two issues. Authors should select one Franciscan scholar (from any point in over 800-year tradition) and utilize a particular primary text by that scholar to address their chosen issue. This special issue invites writers to address one aspect of either existential problem. Each documents drew deeply on the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition as it provided great insight and wisdom toward resolving one of two global existential problems: life-threatening political divisiveness and a climate emergency. In 2015 Pope Francis promulgated Laudato Si’ – On Care for Our Common Home, and in 2020, Fratelli Tutti - On Fraternity and Social Friendship.
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