Caritas in Veritate: Good News for Society

Abstract

Introduction (1) ANNOUNCED FOR 2007 to mark fortieth anniversary of Populorum Progressio (1967) of Pope Paul VI and twentieth of Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987) of Blessed John Paul II, Caritas Veritate (2) was originally intended to celebrate memory of these two encyclicals, especially for their treatment of human development. It would turn take up issue of development new and changed situation of a globalized world, for social issues that beset humanity days of Popes Paul and John Paul had now become global. The economic crisis of 2008-09 prompted Pope Benedict XVI to treat ethics of economics greater detail context of human development. somewhat delayed promulgation of encyclical; but on feast of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29, 2009), Pope signed new social encyclical, and month of St. Benedict (on July 7, 2009) it was promulgated just before meeting of G-8 L'Aquila, Italy. Like many others beginning with Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum of 1891, Caritas Veritate is a social encyclical. (3) In it insights of theology, philosophy, economics, ecology, and politics have been harnessed to formulate a coherent social teaching that places human person with his total and integral development at center of all world systems of thought and activity. Man and his salvation were at center of mission and ministry of Jesus Christ as revelation of love of Father (Jn 3:16) and truth of man's creation God's image and of his transcendent vocation to holiness and to happiness with God. is setting of two concepts, love and truth, (4) which drive encyclical. Lying at heart of mission and ministry of Jesus, love and truth correspond with and describe essential character of life and activity of man on earth. The human person receives God's love as a gift and is furthermore endowed with a vocation to become a gift and a source of love return. This dynamic of charity received and given is what gives rise to Church's social teaching, which is caritas veritate re sociale: proclamation of truth of Christ's love society (Civ 5). The res socialis (human society) forms contextual reference of Church's social teaching, and it has evolved dramatically over past 120 years. Pope Leo XIII was concerned about misery of workers days after industrial revolution and influence of Marxism; Pope Pius XI addressed crisis of 1929; Popes John XXIII and Paul VI dealt with decolonization and emergence of third worldism; Pope John Paul II faced issues stemming from fall of Berlin Wall and political changes Eastern Europe; and now Pope Benedict XVI is addressing globalization, underdevelopment, and recent financial, economic, moral, and anthropological crises (cf. Civ 75). To these changing situations, social encyclicals steadily reapply basic principles of Church's social teaching. So the Church's social doctrine illuminates with an unchanging light new problems that are constantly emerging. (5) It was this sense that Pope Pius XII believed that papal encyclicals, even when they are not ex cathedra, can nonetheless be sufficiently authoritative to end theological debate on a particular question. (6) The issuing of encyclicals indicates a high papal priority for an issue at a given time; but they are not only means available to popes to teach on social issues. It is pontiff who decides under what circumstances an encyclical should be issued (7) in order to shed light of Gospel on social questions of his time. (8) And this is precisely what Caritas Veritate seeks to do our day. Thus Caritas Veritate continues tradition of popes exercising their prophetic and teaching office order to provide guidance for way Church lives accord with Gospel's message and virtues. …