On July 7, 2009, the eve of the G-8 meeting, Pope Benedict XVI released his latest encyclical letter titled “Caritas in Veritate” or Charity in Truth.
The Pope begins his encyclical by reminding us that love is the driving force which leads people to justice and peace. “Charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine.” The Pope then makes the case for the necessity of linking charity to truth. “Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the ‘economy’ of charity, but charity in its turn needs to be understood, confirmed and practised in the light of truth.”
The introduction ends with this timely comment, given the current economic crisis. “The Church does not have technical solutions to offer and does not claim ‘to interfere in any way in the politics of States.’” However, the Pope concludes, the Church does have a responsibility to preach truth and the promotion of human dignity in all aspects of society.
The encyclical is divided into six chapters:
1) The message of Populorum Progressio (Pope Paul VI’s encyclical issued right after the close of Vatican II)
2) Human Development in Our Time
3) Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society
4) The Development of People, Rights and Duties, the Environment
5) The Cooperation of the Human Family
6) The Development of People and Technology
The Pope reminds us that we do not work alone and that we can accomplish nothing without God. He ends the encyclical with the words from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honour.”
It would be interesting to see what the G-8 meeting results would be if the leaders truly put Paul’s words to practice.
