Dear Friends,
I write to you with a pastoral concern that touches all of us: the urgent need to build a culture of connection, compassion, and civility in a time when these virtues seem increasingly rare.
We live in an age of unprecedented connectivity, yet we are witnessing what Pope Francis called a “globalization of indifference.” Public discourse is often coarse and divisive, families and neighbors can drift apart, and our attention is consumed by screens rather than one another’s faces. Mother Teresa of Kolkata once said, “The greatest evil in the world is the lack of love, the terrible indifference towards one's neighbor.”
Indifference, she reminded us, is not simply a feeling—it is a refusal to act when we have a responsibility to act. It is turning ourselves from responsible disciples into passive bystanders.
Pope Francis, in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, warned that “indifference and the heartless individualism into which we have fallen is also a result of our sloth in pursuing higher values.” Instead of seeking comfort, security, wealth, or honor, he urged us to pursue the higher values of goodness, truth, and beauty.
Around us we see evidence of what some sociologists call a “compassion deficit.”
- Time pressure and hurry leave us with little emotional space for others. Studies show we are less likely to help when we feel rushed.
- Empathy blocks grow when we view compassion as weakness or when we feel overwhelmed by the suffering of many.
- Cultural shifts toward hyper-individualism and competition erode the communal values of respect, listening, and mutual responsibility.
