Berkley Center

Rev. Drew Christiansen, S.J., examines global indifference today as it represents a massive loss of humanity and solidarity on an intercontinental scale. He argues that acedia, “a lack of care,” exists in our world deprived of hope and magnanimity as the international community lacks the vision, the will, and the generosity to commit to the global common good. Drawing on the words of Pope Francis, he prescribes “the globalization of hope” as a remedy to the presence of acedia in public life. Hope lifts human aspiration and widens the soul’s embrace, making possible works of solidarity that make peace, in the fullest sense, possible. He concludes that hope is essential to building a culture of peace for the twenty-first century, especially in the harsh challenges of recent years. This article appears in Educatio Catholica: Educating to Fraternal Humanism, published in April 2018.