Fratelli Tutti and Social Entrepreneurship: Managing Tensions within a Culture of Care

Abstract

The encyclical Fratelli Tutti in Catholic social thought invites its readers to a culture of care in the contemporary context. This paper elaborates on three important considerations in putting this culture of care into practice in business, specifically for social entrepreneurs. First, the new encyclical challenges social entrepreneurs to creatively address ethical issues in a transnational world. Second, the document further emphasizes the focus on businesses as embedded within an integrated community, balancing the challenges between the local and global community. Third, this challenge includes going beyond the same metrics, assumptions, and strategies inscribed in traditional business and economics that often prioritize profit over all else. The paper uses Habi, a social enterprise, as an example of how these three considerations are operationalized.

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Keywords

Care Ethics, Catholic Social Thought, Fratelli Tutti, Social Entrepreneurship