Caritas in veritate

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Coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI.

Caritas in veritate ( Latin "Love in Truth") is the third encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI. , after Deus caritas est (“God is love”) and Spe salvi (“Saved in hope”). The social encyclical was signed on June 29, 2009 and published on July 7, 2009. In this encyclical the head of the Roman Catholic Church dealswith the current (summer 2009) economic and financial crisis , which is an opportunity for a radical rethink. In order toproperly usethe positive development opportunities of globalization , it should be animated with the "culture of love".

Outline of the encyclical

The encyclical consists of six chapters between the introduction and the end, the first of which is in detail that of Paul VI. Encyclical Populorum Progressio , written in 1967, deals with:

  • The message of Populorum progressio
  • The development of man in our time
  • Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society
  • Development of peoples, rights and duties, environment
  • The cooperation of the human family
  • The development of peoples and technology.

Topic and guiding thoughts of Caritas in veritate

The subject of the encyclical is the importance of love anchored in truth for all social action, especially in the holistic human development of society.

Benedict refers his new encyclical explicitly to the encyclical of his predecessor Paul VI. Populorum progressio and wants it to be understood as an update of the ideas developed there. It does not appear exactly forty years after its predecessor, but with the signing of the social encyclical at the end of the " Pauline Year " (to celebrate his 2000th birthday in 2008/09), Benedict XVI. Reverenz the Council Pope Paul VI, who named himself after the Apostle of the Nations. Within the church, this is also a signal that the German Pope does not approve of a return of Catholic social teaching to a purely academic-doctrinal behavior (cf. Gustav Gundlach SJ ). The social encyclical of Paul VI. its “maritainisme” (i.e., following Jacques Maritain's interpretation of Christianity as “humanisme intégral”, holistic humanism ) was held up not only by opponents of the Pope and the Council in 1967 . Pope Benedict affirmed: The love that man receives from God and that he is destined to spread is the main path of the Church's social teaching; everything emerges from it.

However, love only shine in truth. Without the truth, the love for sentimentality threatens to slip away or to be regarded as useful but dispensable for social developments and to remain limited to private relationships. Defending the truth is an essential form of love.

As examples of how the principle of love anchored in truth, caritas in veritate , takes shape in terms of social action, Benedict cites justice and the common good . Love includes justice, injustice contradicts it; Paul VI have described justice as the minimum of love. Love also includes looking after the other's well-being. Since people are integrated into a society and can only achieve their well-being in it, the orientation towards the common good as a prerequisite for the well-being of the individual is a requirement of love.

Only in love enlightened by reason and faith is it possible to achieve social goals that mean real, more human progress.

On the one hand, the encyclical CiV is more cautious in its judgment than some of its predecessors, but it is also clearer in detail. The church's “global mission” remains tied to its spiritual mission, but the ecclesiastical office claims less than ever its own “universal competence” to resolve political and social questions. However, the Pope by no means evades the explosive questions, so he does not allow his office to be cut back from “outside” to the spiritual realm. In particular, he argues several times that unethical management is unreasonable in the long term, also from an economic point of view.

Thoughts on globalization

The encyclical addresses the highly topical problems of globalization with optimism and performative statements . The Pope starts from the theological prehistory, thereby paying tribute to the visionary thoughts of Pope Paul VI. about a market economy model with the potential participation of all peoples, as a universal extension of the demands of the encyclical Rerum novarum of Pope Leo XIII. After the removal of the Iron Curtain , Pope John Paul II pleaded for a global re-planning of development , which he regarded as the main political cause of underdevelopment. He was open to the globalization that spread during his pontificate : a priori it was neither good nor bad, it would be what people made of it. He considered it important that globalization should always be directed in a more subsidiary manner.

Pope Benedict XVI reiterates the views of his predecessor and adds from today's perspective that the globalization process, which would mean an explosion of interdependencies worldwide and would bring unprecedented interactivity , has many positive sides and offers diverse development opportunities. If you fail to understand this, you could miss out on the great opportunity to be part of it. From a Christian point of view, the encyclical locates hopeful points of contact between this new phenomenon and the gospel , which is a fundamental element of development: "The truth of the globalization process and its fundamental ethical criterion are given in the unity of the human family and in its progress in the good." Church, which has a mission of truth to fulfill under all circumstances, a completely new creative challenge in the globalized world. Inspired by the love and truth revealed in the gospel, Christians would have to become active shapers of globalization and align the impressive new dynamic of the global integration process with God's plan for a global human family.

The Pope thinks it is important to keep globalization open to transcendence , to fill it with the “culture of love” ( CiV No. 33: civiltà dell'amore ) and to “live and align in terms of relationship, community and participation” . In this way globalization could serve the holistic human development proclaimed in Populorum Progressio , which as a vocation affects the whole human being and all human beings and whose center is love. The Pope calls the holistic development of man as an answer to a divine calling; this development presupposes freedom in close connection with responsibility of the individual and of peoples. The globalized society makes people neighbors, but not siblings, this can only bring about a transcendent calling through God. This is an important goal of the church, which is why she wants to be fully committed to ensuring that the economic and social processes of globalization “lead to truly human results”. Globalization, this complex and polyvalent phenomenon, also brings with it potential dangers, such as new divisions or unknown damage; This, too, requires a thorough analysis that captures the diversity and unity of all dimensions of globalization - including the theological. In order to promote true development, Pope Benedict XVI advocates an interdisciplinary collaboration in which the different levels of knowledge interact . Knowledge is based on intelligence, "but if it wants to be wisdom, [...] it must be" seasoned "with the" salt "of love," he appeals to scientists and politicians.

Bioethics and protection of life

The encyclical recognizes technology as a means of overcoming material limitations. At the same time, Benedict XVI emphasizes. Responsibility - it should not only be asked for the “how”, but also for the “why”. He warns against “the development and promotion of in vitro fertilization , embryo research , possibilities of cloning and hybridization of humans.” Future possible “systematic eugenic birth planning”, like abortion, is an expression of a “culture of death”. In the same context, Benedict condemns euthanasia as "an expression of domination over life which, under certain conditions, is no longer considered worth living".

Reactions

The social ethicist Friedhelm Hengsbach SJ , who was not involved in the drafting of the text, criticized the encyclical as too weak; there were no concrete indications, and the argumentation was diffuse and only understandable for people who are rooted in Christianity.

The German Bishops' Conference and its chairman Robert Zollitsch, on the other hand, praised the work and the time of publication one day before the start of the G8 summit as a valuable contribution to the current globalization debate .

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Single receipts

  1. cf. The social encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI. ( Memento of the original from July 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at sueddeutsche.de, July 7, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sueddeutsche.de
  2. a b This also relates to the expression "culture of life as the fruit of the culture of truth and love", which is used in the encyclical Evangelium Vitae of John Paul II (Chapter IV) instead of a "culture of death" (abortion, Euthanasia, the death penalty, suicide, murder through hatred and violence, etc.) is demanded. The Easter Message 2010 of Benedict XVI calls for the Christian "civilization of love" as a positive option for the future: "The saving power of Christ's resurrection strength all mankind that they overcome the many and tragic expressions of a spreading" culture of death "to to build a future of love and truth in which every human life is respected and accepted. "
  3. Centesimus Annus , Encyclical of Pope John Paul II, 1991
  4. John Paul II, interview with the Catholic daily newspaper « La Croix », August 20, 1997
  5. ^ Pope Benedict XVI .: Encyclical Caritas in veritate. The Holy See, June 29, 2009, German version, §§ 69f., 75.
  6. ^ Social ethicist criticizes the Pope's encyclical - Friedhelm Hengsbach in conversation with Jürgen Zurheide . Deutschlandfunk, accessed on July 12, 2009
  7. ^ "Caritas in veritate" - Pope sees opportunities in crisis . n-tv, accessed July 7, 2009