Under the major subheading "Social Dialogue for a New Culture" (paragraphs 199-202), Pope Francis says, "Some people attempt to flee from reality, taking refuge in their own little world; others react to it [i.e., reality] with destructive violence" (paragraph 199; he further discusses reality in paragraphs 204, 212, and 213). Then Pope Francis quotes himself as saying, "'A country flourishes when dialogue occurs between its many rich cultural components: popular culture, university culture, youth culture, artistic culture, technological culture, economic culture, family culture, and media culture'" (paragraph 199; bibliographic note 196; subsequently, he envisions the possible emergence of a new culture in paragraphs 215-221; he specifically discusses indigenous peoples and indigenous popular cultures in paragraph 220).
In Pope Francis' 2020 post-synodal apostolic exhortation about the Amazon region of South America, he describes his vision not only of indigenous peoples in the Amazon region, but by extension, of indigenous peoples around the world today:
But also see my OEN article "Pope Francis' New Apostolic Exhortation Is Visionary" (dated February 14, 2020):
Next, Pope Francis says, "Dialogue is often confused with something quite different: the feverish exchange of opinions on social networks, frequently based on media information that is not always reliable. These exchanges are merely parallel monologues" (paragraph 200).
Next, Pope Francis says, "Indeed, the media's noisy potpourri of facts and opinions is often an obstacle to dialogue, since it lets everyone cling stubbornly to his or her own ideas, interests, and choices, with the excuse that everyone else is wrong. It becomes easier to discredit and insult opponents from the outset than to open a respectful dialogue aimed at achieving agreement on a deeper level" (paragraph 201).
Next, Pope Francis says, "Lack of dialogue means that in these individual sectors people are concerned not for the common good, but for the benefits of power or, at best, for ways to impose their own ideas" (paragraph 202; the common good is a major theme of Catholic social teaching).
Under the minor subheading "Building together" (paragraphs 203-205), Pope Francis says, "Authentic social dialogue involves the ability to respect the other's point of view and to admit that it may include legitimate convictions and concerns. Based on their identity and experience, other have a contribution to make, and it is desirable that they should articulate their positions for the sake of a more fruitful public debate" (paragraph 203).
Two points:
(1) But the pope's wording here about "the ability to respect" reminds us that not all people have developed this ability. It is fine and good for the pope to characterize such people as "attempt[ing] to flee from reality" or "react[ing] to it with destructive violence" (paragraph 199), but people who have not developed the ability to respect others loom large as problematic.
(2) The pope's wording here about "the ability to respect the other's point of view and to admit that it may include legitimate convictions and concerns" certainly extends to his doctrinally conservative point of view.
For relevant reading, see the American scholar of religion Philip Jenkins' book The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003) and the American Jesuit theologian Mark S. Massa's book Anti-Catholicism in America: The Last Acceptable Prejudice (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2003).
Under the minor subheading "The BASIS of Consensus" (paragraphs 206-210), Pope Francis says, "The solution is not relativism. Under the guise of tolerance, relativism ultimately leaves the interpretation of moral values to those in power, to be defined as they see fit" (paragraph 206). See paragraph 202, quoted above, for his discussion of how political power may not be aligned with the common good.
Under the next minor subheading "Consensus and truth" (paragraphs 211-214), Pope Francis says, "Acknowledging the existence of certain enduring values, however demanding it may be to discern them, makes for a robust and solid social ethics" (paragraph 211).
In the next paragraph, the pope says, "The dignity of others is to be respected in all circumstances, not because that dignity is something we have invented or imagined, but because human beings possess an intrinsic worth superior to that of material objects and contingent situations. This requires that they be treated differently [but differently from what? -- from one another? - or from the way we treat material objects?]. That every human being possesses an inalienable dignity is a truth that corresponds to human nature apart from all cultural change. For this reason, human beings have the same inviolable dignity in every age and no one can consider himself or herself authorized by particular situations to deny the conviction or to act against it" (paragraph 213).
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