At the “Political Fraternity” of Dorothy, in Paris, Catholics debate, share and engage

“Lord, we entrust to you our exchanges and our thirst for a more just world,” declares Alexis to conclude the prayer which opens each meeting of the Political Fraternity. It is 8 p.m. this Thursday, and around twenty young adults are gathered at the café-workshop Le Dorothy, in the Ménilmontant district (20th arrondissement of Paris). Alexis, 27, business support officer for the Île-de-France region and co-president of Dorothy, has been running the “Frat Po” for a year. “It was when I came to the Dorothy conferences three years ago that I met her. At the time, I thought that my passion for politics and my Christian faith were irreconcilable, explains the young man. I discovered that the Church had a strong and radical voice on social and political issues. It provides very concrete answers to questions of the common good, sharing of wealth… Here, we think together how to give substance to these answers, in the light of the Gospel, encyclicals and social sciences. »

A free debate

The group first listens to a teaching given by one of the facilitators on what the Church says about a contemporary issue: liberalism, poverty, living together… Then, in groups of four or five, the participants discuss texts from the Magistère or other authors. On this evening’s menu: some extracts from the social encyclical Rerum novarum (1891) and Cardinal Ratzinger’s note on the involvement of Catholics in politics. “These times of free debate allow for mutual enrichment. They bring together people from all walks of life. Most of the participants received training focused more on prayer and personal faith, but less on its collective character,” Alexis explains.

Once a quarter, the “Frat Po” meets for a whole weekend. Every year, she goes to Calais to understand the situation of migrants. “Many people become volunteers at Dorothy after going through the Frat. We serve coffee to people in the neighborhood, we provide workshops open to all… I am deepening my faith while putting myself at the service of the poorest,” appreciates Alexis. “The word of the Church calls for concrete political solutions,” he continues. And personal changes that can be put into practice here. »