--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The \"encounter\" with the people on the…" description: "\"The \"encounter\" with the people on the peripheries is intended to draw them into the circle of common care and concern - that call to encounter is, to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/george-weigel-9372_aggressive_the-encounter-with-the-people-on-the-per_2400522.jpg" --- # The "encounter" with the people on the peripheries is… ![“The "encounter" with the people on the peripheries is intended to draw them into the circle of common care and concern - that call to encounter is, to use a favorite world of John Paul II's, a call to solidarity. And that means, it seems to me, aggressive Catholic efforts to empower the poor - and…” quote by George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/george-weigel-9372_aggressive_the-encounter-with-the-people-on-the-per_2400522.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/george-weigel-9372_aggressive_the-encounter-with-the-people-on-the-per_2400522.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/george-weigel-9372_aggressive_the-encounter-with-the-people-on-the-per_2400522.jpg) > “The "encounter" with the people on the peripheries is intended to draw them into the circle of common care and concern - that call to encounter is, to use a favorite world of John Paul II's, a call to solidarity. And that means, it seems to me, aggressive Catholic efforts to empower the poor - and a profound Catholic challenge to all those cultural forces that are eroding stable families, which are the elementary schools where we learn to take responsibility for our lives, which is the highest exercise of freedom.” [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Solidarity requires drawing marginalized people into a caring community, empowering them against forces that weaken families and personal responsibility. **In simple terms:** Help the poor and protect families to uphold freedom. Key Takeaway Support community empowerment and family stability. Themes solidarity family responsibility freedom social justice Mood hopeful determined serious Type inspirational theological When to use this quote - non‑profit outreach - policy advocacy - faith‑based counseling - family education - grassroots organizing Key Concepts Catholic social teaching community building cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance community support with personal autonomy? - What role should the state play in reinforcing family stability? A Different Perspective May overlook individual agency in favor of collective solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggressive/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Care and concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care-and-concern/) [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Catholic Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic-challenge-6010981/) [Catholic Efforts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic-efforts-6010980/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Elementary school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-school/) [Elementary Schools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-schools/) [Empowering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowering/) [Encounter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest/) [John paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-paul/) [John paul ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-paul-ii/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Our lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-lives/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Peripheries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-peripheries-6010982/) [Periphery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periphery/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Solidarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solidarity/) [Stable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stable/) [Taking responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-responsibility/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The impact remains to be seen; I don't think we can measure the enduring impact of John Paul II, for example, for another hundred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/the-impact-remains-to-be-seen-i-don-t-think-we-can-measure-the/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [ Perhaps the dumbest of these story lines is that \[Pope\] Francis has re-opened conversation and debate in a Church that had been closed and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/perhaps-the-dumbest-of-these-story-lines-is-that-pope-francis-has-re/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [ These \[conservative\] people, if they're Americans, look back on the last 35 years of our ecclesial experience and take heart from that. 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Each day is a finished whole. The present day marks the boundary of our cares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/each-morning-is-a-new-beginning-of-our-life-each-day-is-a-finished/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“From the day I was born, more than any other of my siblings, the bond that developed between my maternal grandfather and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/from-the-day-i-was-born-more-than-any-other-of-my-siblings-the-bond/) [VD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vd/) > [“Nor is it the spirit of those Christians - alas, they are many - whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer-2/nor-is-it-the-spirit-of-those-christians-alas-they-are-many-whose/) [J.I. 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Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-l-evans/) ## More by George Weigel > [ But ripped out of context, \["Who am I to judge?" phrase\] has become an all-purpose filter through which everything else - including the pope's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/but-ripped-out-of-context-who-am-i-to-judge-phrase-has-become-an-all/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [“This life of ours . . . is a gift from God. It is not of our choosing. It comes to us by his choice. Since it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/this-life-of-ours-is-a-gift-from-god-it-is-not-of-our-choosing-it/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [ I hope \["reanimated the papacy"\] means that the new interest in the pope evokes a new interest in the Church's teaching, of which the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/i-hope-reanimated-the-papacy-means-that-the-new-interest-in-the-pope/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [In the Catholic view of things, abortion is a justice issue, not an issue of sexual morality... it is a civil rights issue, arguably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/in-the-catholic-view-of-things-abortion-is-a-justice-issue-not-an/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [ The pope \[Francis\] takes his vocabulary from his pastoral experience, not from the rhetorical tool kit of liberation theology, with its Marxist yammering about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/the-pope-francis-takes-his-vocabulary-from-his-pastoral-experience/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [What I hope my liberal friends (and I have more than a few) take from this pontificate is that mercy and truth are never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/what-i-hope-my-liberal-friends-and-i-have-more-than-a-few-take-from/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [The people who are behind the curve of the Catholic future are the institutional-maintenance types.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/the-people-who-are-behind-the-curve-of-the-catholic-future-are-the/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [ \[Pope Francis\]sees a world in need of the Gospel, and of friendship with Jesus Christ, as an antidote to the self-absorption and loneliness that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/pope-francis-sees-a-world-in-need-of-the-gospel-and-of-friendship/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [Be the Church - that is, be an evangelical movement that tells the world of God's passionate love for humanity. 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It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bethell/most-conservatives-by-which-i-mean-normal-people-have-little/) [Tom Bethell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bethell/) > [If I serve good and play aggressive from the baseline, I can beat everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karolina-pliskova/if-i-serve-good-and-play-aggressive-from-the-baseline-i-can-beat/) [Karolina Pliskova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karolina-pliskova/) > [I'm just trying to be aggressive. Be aggressive with my shot. Be aggressive going to the rim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-murray/i-m-just-trying-to-be-aggressive-be-aggressive-with-my-shot-be/) [Jamal Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-murray/) > [I see other teams playing aggressive, attacking football, they are games I switch on and watch. They are the football teams I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelos-postecoglou/i-see-other-teams-playing-aggressive-attacking-football-they-are/) [Angelos Postecoglou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelos-postecoglou/) > [You cannot will yourself to be happy while believing that you have no right to happiness, or that you are unworthy of it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/you-cannot-will-yourself-to-be-happy-while-believing-that-you-have-no/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [I have definitely noticed I am very passionate. So if I'm fighting with someone I'll be SO super loud and aggressive, and make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/i-have-definitely-noticed-i-am-very-passionate-so-if-i-m-fighting/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [ I think the president's \[Barack Obama\] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-position-has-been-very-clear-on/) [Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It is deeply concerning to learn that Linda Thomas-Greenfield repeatedly praised autocratic China's aggressive and troubling expansion into Africa during a 2019 speech at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hagerty/it-is-deeply-concerning-to-learn-that-linda-thomas-greenfield/) [Bill Hagerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hagerty/) [Browse all 1,351 Aggressive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggressive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The \"encounter\" with the people on the peripheries is intended to draw them into the circle of common care and concern - that call to encounter is, to use a favorite world of John Paul II's, a call to solidarity. 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