Awaiting Pope Benedict's "Caritas in Veritate"

[Initially published to First Things"First Thoughts"]

Well, it's official. The Vatican has announced that Benedict XVI's new encyclical, titled "Caritas in Veritate," will be released Tuesday, July 7:

Those participating in Tuesday’s conference will be: Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino and Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, respectively president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," and Stefano Zamagni, professor of political economy at the University of Bologna, Italy and consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Signed by the Holy Father on June 29th, the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and released in time for the G8 international summit in L'Aquila, Italy (July 8-10), Caritas in Veritate will be the first social encyclical to be written in almost two decades.

There has been much speculation as to what the encyclical will say. The Pope himself has given several helpful indications.

New Encyclical 'Caritatis in Veritate' just a week away?

• In preview of new encyclical, Benedict reprises 'dictatorship of relativism' speech, by John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter June 29, 2009.
• Italian newspaper reveals key paragraphs from Pope's upcoming social encyclical Catholic News Agency. June 28, 2009.

Pope Benedict Roundup!

Perhaps the two most significant events thus far this year for Pope Benedict XVI were his apostolic journey to Cameroon and Angola, Africa.

The pope's visit to Africa was a momentous occasion, but received precious little coverage by the mainstream media, apart from the fact that he might have mentioned something about condoms, and AIDS. As Martyn Drakard of MercatorNet exclaimed: "The international media has a woeful ignorance of Africa," and wonders: "Why don't they listen to someone who knows?":

As he flew from Rome to Cameroon for his first African trip, Benedict XVI held a press conference. He spoke of many things relevant to Africa: the credit crisis, its ethical dimension, its social welfare dimension; solidarity between the developed and developing world; corruption; the vibrancy of the faith and energy of the people; how he hopes to implement Catholic social teaching; and a forthcoming Synod of African Bishops. He even rebutted suggestions that he was “lonely” in the Vatican.

Yet what did the media pick up? That the Pope is opposed to condoms as a solution to Africa’s supposedly overwhelming problem: AIDS. And, in fact, he was right to say that condoms are only making the problem worse.

That pretty much set the tenor for the trip, as far as the [Western] media was concerned. As National Catholic Reporter's John Allen Jr. remarked:

"I don't think I've ever covered a papal trip where the gap between internal and external perceptions has been as vast as over these three days. It's almost as if the pope has made two separate visits to Cameroon: the one reported internationally and the one Africans actually experienced.

* * *

The Pope's visit to the Holy Land (Jordan and Israel, to be precise) received greater attention given its location and current events in the Middle East. On May 20th, during his general audience in St. Peter's Square, the Pope reflected on the various stages and sites of his pilgrimage:

... Throughout my visit I wished to be a pilgrim of peace, reminding Jews, Christians and Muslims alike of our commitment, as believers in the one God, to promote respect, reconciliation and cooperation in the service of peace. In Jerusalem, "the city of peace" sacred to the followers of the three great monotheistic traditions, this was the message I brought to the holy places, and particularly to the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock. One of the most solemn moments was the commemoration of the victims of the Shoah at Yad Vashem. My visit to the local Churches culminated in the Masses celebrated in Amman, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth. My pilgrimage ended in prayer on Calvary and before the Holy Sepulchre -- the empty tomb -- which continues to radiate a message of hope for individuals and for the whole human family.

For extensive coverage and commentary, do see Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Israel and the Holy Land.

* * *

On June 21st, Pope Benedict made a pastoral visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Graces in San Giovanni Rotondo, where the body of Saint Padre Pio has been on display for 40 years. Teresa Polk (Blog by the Sea) provides a helpful roundup of resources on the Pope's visit, from the Vatican and elsewhere.

Pope Benedict XVI prays in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City May 15, 2009. In the final act of worship of his visit, Benedict preached a message of hope for all mankind at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City. Source: Reuters May 2009

Continuing on with our Roundup

• In April, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a low-key [82nd] birthday with his brother at the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo. (Catholic News Service):

  The pope, who turned 82 April 16, had a very informal "family celebration" that included a visit by a small group of top Vatican officials, the Vatican's spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters.

  The officials, including the secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, visited the pope in the morning to offer their birthday wishes.

  The pope then had a private lunch with his brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, who turned 85 early this year

  From Ignatius Press: The Pope's Childhood, In His Own Words. Excerpt from Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium (Ignatius Press, 1997).

• The expected publication date of Pope Benedict's third encyclical, "Veritas in Caritate", is June 29, feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. For further coverage and commentary, see this roundup by Carl Olson (Insight Scoop).

• Public Reason and the Truth of Christianity: The Teachings of Pope Benedict XVI - an essay by Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the director of the Cardinal Van Thuân International Observatory, on the teachings of Benedict XVI on the role of reason and Christianity in the public square.

• The Pope Versus the Vatican Standpoint Magazine April 2009. George Weigel analyzes Benedict's working relationship with "an ineffectual Curia, whose gaffes undercut the papal message and erode its authority." "He dies in tears" Amy Welborn (Via Media) offers some thoughts on Ratzinger's Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life, which she has been reading.

• We are lucky this Pope is 'ecclesiastically incorrect', says Dr. Alcuin Reid (The Catholic Herald UK May 22, 2009).

• Vian’s Choice Delia Gallagher interviews Gian Maria Vian, director of L’Osservatore Romano -- in which he clarifies the role the Pope takes in influencing the content of the only newspaper of the Holy See:

  GIANI: I decide the editorial line of the paper, which I evaluate together with the heads of the paper’s departments: Vatican, international, cultural, and religious news.

  GALLAGHER: So the pope does not intervene directly?

  VIAN: The first request of the pope was: more room for international news, more attention to the Eastern Christians — Catholics such as the Maronites and the Melkites, but also the Orthodox churches — and more space for women.

  GALLAGHER: What did the pope mean by “more space for women”?

  VIAN: The pope wishes to highlight as much as possible the role of women in the Church and in the Roman Curia. Ssome even said that he had wanted a woman as director of L’Osservatore Romano, which has always been directed by lay people.

  I interpreted his request of more space for women as indicating both a desire to increase the number of women working at the paper — about a quarter of our staff are women — and I hired the first full-time woman journalist in the history of the paper, as well as giving more space to stories and issues about women. On bioethical issues, particularly abortion, I prefer that we have a woman write the story.

• Off the radar: Pope's teaching ministry finds little echo in media John Thavis (Catholic News Service):

  News coverage of Pope Benedict XVI tends to leap from big event to big event, so perhaps it's no surprise that after his Holy Land pilgrimage last month the German pontiff has fallen off the mainstream media radar. ...

  The pattern of media attention -- or lack of it -- has led some Vatican officials to privately lament what they see as a paradox of Pope Benedict's pontificate: the pope's primary focus and greatest talent is teaching, they say, but it's the kind of teaching that rarely breaks into the news cycle.

Pope Benedict XVI kisses an infant as he leaves his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Source: Associated Press

On a lighter note

• Pope on Facebook in attempt to woo young believers, by Phillip Puella (Reuters) May 22, 2009:

  You won’t get an email saying Pope Benedict added you as a friend and you can’t “poke” him or write on his wall, but the Vatican is still keen to use the networking site Facebook to woo young people back to church.

  A new Vatican website, www.pope2you.net, has gone live, offering an application called “The pope meets you on Facebook,” and another allowing the faithful to see the Pope’s speeches and messages on their iPhones or iPods.

• The Pope is a fan of Spitfire Ale, according to celebrity priest Father Michael Seed:

  [Brewer] Shepherd Neame pointed out that the Pope’s choice was unexpected as Spitfire’s famous tongue-in-cheek, Dad’s Army-style wartime humour advertising includes slogans such as ‘No Fokker Comes Close’ and ‘Goering, Goering, Gone’.

  Spitfire brand manager Charlie Holland added: "The Pope is not the first German to down a Spitfire but certainly the most famous.

  "We are delighted that His Holiness enjoys the unique taste of Spitfire, and we would encourage him to sample another of our fine Kentish ales – and try a Bishops Finger."

Joseph Ratzinger on "Faith and the Future"

Faith and the Future Ignatius Press (March 2009). SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2009 – What the future holds has always been of great fascination for people. It has also become a theme for Pope Benedict’s new book, Faith and the Future (Ignatius, 160 p. hardcover). With growing concern among believers about the future of faith, many wonder how in all the confusion of modern trends faith could subsist. How does man’s faith affect how he lives now, and his eternal blueprint? In his philosophical, very understandable, and surprisingly prophetic presentation, Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) approaches this issue from a variety of angles and finishes off with a sketch of the future of the Church. The book’s five chapters were originally presented in 1969-70 by then-Fr. Ratzinger as radio addresses on German and Vatican radio. “Faith is being shaken to its foundation by the crisis of the present …”, says the Pope. “How great is the fascination of the future in a period when we witness history being set unusually in motion and see human possibilities beginning to develop, positively and negatively, along roads that lead we know not where.” In Faith and the Future, the Pope addresses key issues that both synergize – and can work against – a genuine and loyal Church of Christ. They are knowledge, existence, philosophy, hope of men, and the state of the Church. On the future of the Catholic Church, then-Fr. Ratzinger paints her scenario rather prophetically. From the crisis of today, Fr. Ratzinger says, the church “will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity. As the number of her adherents diminishes … she will lose many of her social privileges. …As a small society, [the Church] will make much bigger demands on the initiative of her individual members.” Ratzinger goes on to predict that the Church “will be a more spiritual Church, not presuming upon a political mandate… It will be hard-going for the Church, for the process of crystallization and clarification will cost her much valuable energy. It will make her poor and cause her to become the Church of the meek…The process will be long and wearisome as was the road from the false progressivism on the eve of the French Revolution – when a bishop might be thought smart if he made fun of dogmas and even insinuated that the existence of God was by no means certain… But when the trial of this sifting is past, a great power will flow from a more spiritualized and simplified Church. Men in a totally planned world will find themselves unspeakably lonely. If they have completely lost sight of God, they will feel the whole horror of their poverty …” He wraps up his analysis with this. “The Church is facing very hard times. The real crisis has scarcely begun. We will have to count on terrific upheavals. But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult … but the Church of faith. She may well no longer be the dominant social power to the extent that she was until recently; but she will enjoy a fresh blossoming and be seen as man’s home, where he will find life and hope beyond death.” From Faith and the Future Press Release - Ignatius Press. Reviews Benedict XVI, Modern Man, by Mike Potemra. NRO "The Corner" June 25, 2009.

Anticipating Pope Benedict XVI's new social encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate" - to be released this summer (?)

Sandro Magister devotes his latest column to the papal encyclical on economics and Catholic social doctrine, "Caritas in veritate" ("Charity in Truth"):

It is expected to be signed by the pope on June 29, and released at the beginning of summer. It underwent various revisions, all of which left Benedict XVI dissatisfied until the last one.

Unlike the encyclical on hope, written by the pope himself from the first line to the last, and unlike the encyclical on charity, the first half of which was also written entirely by the pope, many minds and many hands have worked on "Caritas in Veritate." But in any case, Benedict XVI will leave his mark on it, already visible in the words of the title, which indissolubly link charity and truth.

Magister mentions a Catholic scholar by the name of Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, of the same generation as the Pope, and whose thought the latter employed (as Cardinal Ratzinger) in a January 19, 2004 discussion in Munich with the philosopher Jürgen Habermas on the theme "Ethics, religion, and the liberal state."

According to Magister:

In a pivotal 1967 essay, he presented what was later called the "Böckenförde paradox": the thesis according to which "the secularized liberal state lives by presuppositions that it cannot guarantee."

[...]

in an article for "Süddeutsche Zeitung," also published in Italy in May by the journal of the Sacred Heart fathers in Bologna, "Il Regno" – and presented in its entirety further below – Böckenförde applied his "paradox" to capitalism as well, but in much more devastating terms.

In his judgment, the principles on which the capitalist economic system is founded can no longer stand. Its current collapse is definitive, and has revealed the inhuman foundations of this system. The economy must therefore be rebuilt from the ground up, not on principles of egoism, but of solidarity. It is up to the states, and European countries in the first place, to take control of the economy. And it is up to the Church, with its social doctrine, to accept the testimony of Marx, who saw correctly.

Understandably, Böckenförde's recommendation for a revival of Karl Marx was met with much incredulity and disdain (which Magister provides in detail), noting: "after the publication of "Caritas in Veritate," it will therefore be interesting how Böckenförde comments on it."

* * *

There is much speculation as to the contents of the encyclical. (Via Wikipedia), "In what seems to have been an unintentional release of marketing materials, some basic themes were announced by Ignatius Press ... The announcement was removed from the publishers website approximately one month later". The announcement read:

Pope Benedict's third encyclical, Love in Truth (Caritas in Veritate), applies the themes of his first two encyclicals -love and hope (God Is Love, Saved in Hope) – to the world's major social issues. Drawing on moral truths open, in principle, to everyone (the natural law) as well as on the teachings of the gospel (revelation), Pope Benedict addresses Catholics and non-Catholics alike, challenging us all to recognize and then to confront the social evils of our day. The first part of the encyclical examines the dynamic teaching of Benedict's predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. [...] In the second part Benedict surveys the social issues that confront the human race today-assaults on the dignity of the human person such as the attack on human life, poverty, issues of war and peace, terrorism, globalization, and environmental concerns.

In a visit with the newly appointed Lithuanian ambassador to the Vatican in November 2008, Pope Benedict provided a glimpse into the encyclical's message:

Since love of God leads to participation in the justice and generosity of God toward others, the practice of Christianity leads naturally to solidarity with one's fellow citizens and indeed with the whole of the human family. It leads to a determination to serve the common good and to take responsibility for the weaker members of society, and it curbs the desire to amass wealth for oneself alone. Our society needs to rise above the allure of material goods and to focus instead upon values that truly promote the good of the human person.

Later, in a March 2009 question-and-answer session with parish priests and clergy in the Diocese of Rome, the Pope responded to the petition of Father Giampiero Ialongo, for "the courage to denounce an economic and financial system that is unjust at its roots" and "an authoritative word, a free word, which will help Christians ... to administer the goods that God has given, and that he has given for all and not only for a few, with evangelical wisdom and responsibility":

As you know, for a long time we have been preparing an encyclical on these issues. And on this long path I see how difficult it is to speak competently, because if the economic reality is not addressed competently, one cannot be credible. And, on the other hand, we must speak with a great ethical consciousness, created and inspired by a conscience forged by the Gospel. In the end, it is about human avarice as sin or, as the Letter to the Colossians says, of avarice as idolatry. We must denounce that idolatry that is opposed to the true God and that falsifies the image of God through another god, "mammon."

[...] Because egoism, the root of avarice, consists in loving myself more than anything else and of loving the world in reference to myself. It happens in all of us. It is the obscuring of reason, which can be very learned, with extremely beautiful scientific arguments but which, nevertheless, can be confused by false premises. [...] Without the light of faith, which penetrates the darkness of original sin, reason cannot go forward. But it is faith, precisely, that then runs into the resistance of our will. It does not want to see the way, which would be a path of self-denial and of correction of one's own will in favor of the other, not of oneself.

[W]hat is needed is the reasonable and reasoned denunciation of the errors, not with great moral statements, but rather with concrete reasons that prove to be understandable in today's economic world. [...] To realize that these great objectives of macro-science are not realized in micro-science — the macroeconomics in the microeconomics — without the conversion of hearts. If there are no just men, there is no justice either […] Justice cannot be created in the world only with good economic models, even if these are necessary. Justice is only brought about if there are just men. And there are no just men without the humble, daily endeavor of converting hearts, and of creating justice in hearts.

The encyclical was initially intended to be published on the occasion of the forty year anniversary of Paul VI's Populorum Progressio (1967); since then release dates have been announced and subsequently withdrawn four times.

Related

• Awaiting Benedict XVI's 3rd Encyclical: Comments of Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace February 1, 2009.
• Econ encyclical 'more on ethics than structure', by John Allen Jr. (National Catholic Reporter) March 5, 2009.
• Pope Benedict's Critique of Capitalism Against The Grain September 27, 2007 - an investigation of Cardinal Ratzinger's thought on the subject as indicated in his address to the Latin American Bishop's Council (CELAM) in May 2007; and his essay on "Market Economy and Ethics", published in English under the title “Church and economy: Responsibility for the future of the world economy,” Communio 13 (Fall 1986): 199-204.

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer at Monte Cassino

O God, our Father,
inexhaustible font of life and peace,
welcome into your merciful embrace
those who fell in the war that raged here,
those who fell in every war that has bloodied the earth.
Grant that they may rejoice in the light that does not fade,
that they glimpsed and desired in faith
during their earthly pilgrimage.
You, who in Jesus Christ, your Son,
offered to suffering humanity
the greatest testimony of your love,
and who through his Cross redeemed the world
from the dominion of sin and death,
grant to those who are still suffering
because of fratricidal war
the power of invincible hope,
the courage of daily acts of peace,
the active confidence in the civilization of love.

Pour forth your Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,
upon the men of our time,
so that they may understand that peace
is more precious than any corruptible treasure,
and may tirelessly work all together
to prepare for new generations
a world where justice and peace reign.
Father, good and merciful,
make us your sons and daughters in Christ,
perseverant builders of peace
and untiring servants of life,
the inestimable gift of your love.

Amen.

translation of the prayer recited by Benedict XVI today in a private visit to the Polish military cemetery of Monte Cassino.

Happy 82nd Birthday, Pope Benedict XVI!

On April 16, 1927 (Holy Saturday), Joseph Ratzinger was born in Marktl am Inn, and is baptized the same day.

Reflecting on this experience in his memoirs (Milestones, p. 8), he says:

To be the first person baptized with the new water was seen as a significant act of Providence. I have always been filled with thanksgiving for having had my life immersed in this way in the Easter Mystery . . . the more I reflect on it, the more this seems fitting for the nature of our human life: we are still waiting for Easter; we are not yet standing in the full light but walking toward it full of trust.

Triduum

As we enter into the Holy Triduum, I'd like to invite a reading of Pope Benedict's catechesis given during yesterday's general audience, appropriately deemed by Sandro Magister "A Handbook for Holy Week":

Dear brothers and sisters, Holy Week, which for us Christians is the most important week of the year, offers us the opportunity to be immersed in the central events of Redemption, to relive the Paschal Mystery, the great mystery of the faith. Beginning tomorrow afternoon, with the Mass "In Coena Domini," the solemn liturgical rites will help us to meditate in a more lively manner on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord in the days of the Holy Paschal Triduum, fulcrum of the entire liturgical year. May divine grace open our hearts to comprehend the inestimable gift that salvation is, obtained for us by Christ's sacrifice. [Read the rest]

• Way of the Cross at the Collosseum led by Pope Benedict XVI.
• The homilies of Pope Benedict XVI for Holy Week 2009 will be made available here, on the Vatican website.

Pope Benedict's Visit to Israel and the Holy Land

Given the momentous nature of this particular visit, we're pleased to announce that the Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club's official coverage will be carried out at Pope Benedict's Visit to Israel and the Holy Land -- a new blog established exclusively for this task.

Preparing for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Israel

[Crossposted to Catholic Friends of Israel].

On March 26, 2009, the Vatican released the Pope's itinerary for his 12th international trip, which will take place May 8-15. As reported earlier, the visit will re-trace the steps of Pope John Paul II's historic visit, howbeit with an additional day allowing for more interreligious and ecumenical meetings.

We will be providing regular roundups of news, commentary and coverage of the papal visit. As expected, most of the stories over the past weeks have to do with the basic logistics of the trip.

• The Israel Foreign Ministry has decided that "In accordance with rules of hospitality and dignity," Israel will not prevent Pope Benedict XVI from wearing his pectoral cross when he visits the Western Wall. (The Boston Pilot March 22, 2009).

• Haaretz reports that Israel will invest NIS 5.7 million in hosting an event conducted by Pope Benedict during his visit to Israel in May:

  will conduct a large mass on Mount Precipice, the Nazareth site where Jesus is said to have leapt to avoid an angry mob. The ceremony is expected to draw some 35,000 worshippers.

• The Pope will return home using Israel’s national airline carrier, El Al Airlines. (Focus on Travel News, March 29, 2009).

• Jewish citizens are concerned that security measures might interrupt prayer at the Western Wall (Ynetnews.com):

  Gabi Sheinin, one of the Quarter's residents, stated: "Just like the visit of a chief rabbi at the Vatican doesn't cause the Vatican to shut down, we expect the same approach when the pope visits a place holy to the Jewish people."

• The John Paul II Foundation will sponsor a marathon linking the cities of Jerusalem and Rome between April 23 and May 27, thus coinciding with Pope Benedict XVI’s May 8-15 visit to Israel. (Catholic News Agency March 27, 2009).