Encyclical Caritas In Veritate Research Articles

Globalism in Natural Law Theory: Pope Benedict XVI and Paul Francis Kōtarō Tanaka

Globalism in Natural Law Theory:Pope Benedict XVI and Paul Francis Kōtarō Tanaka Kevin M. Doak Does Benedict's 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate mark a shift away from an earlier interest in the natural law? Vincent Strand thinks so. In a 2017 article in the English edition of Nova et Vetera, he concludes that "because the practical conclusions reached by Benedict in Caritas in Veritate rest on an explicitly theological foundation rather than a philosophical foundation of the natural law," Caritas in Veritate marks "a new turn in Catholic social thought" away from Benedict's earlier interest in Thomism.1 Strand contrasts the Benedict in Caritas in Veritate who is all about "the gift" (grace) with what he calls "the neoconservative position" that draws on "a type of Thomism that separates the natural and supernatural spheres" and he concludes that Benedict's rejection of this separation of nature and grace in favor of everything as gift explains why he prescinds from the natural law in Caritas in Veritate. I find several problems with Strand's argument. In the first place, his characterization of a Thomism that draws a sharp line between nature and grace sounds to me like little more than a familiar stereotype in these kinds of theological debates. I think my colleague Stephen Fields has the better theological argument in the same issue of Nova et Vetera when he notes that Benedict "understands nature and grace as dialectically analogous" [End Page 653] in his 2005 encyclical Deus Caritas Est.2 Did Benedict drop his analogic understanding of the relationship of nature and grace in the four years between Deus Caritas Est and Caritas in Veritate and thus prescind from an earlier commitment to the natural law? One problem with that assumption is that even Strand recognizes (albeit in a footnote) that Benedict explicitly refers to the natural law in several places in Caritas in Veritate, although Strand points out that these references to the natural law "are not significantly developed."3 That is a fair point. In fact, Benedict never fully develops a theory of the natural law. That is not surprising, since he is a theologian, not a jurist. But that does not mean he does not rely on certain assumptions about what the natural law is when he brings up the natural law in his writings. I hope to clarify what those guiding assumptions about the natural law are. First, let us start with recognizing another problem with Strand's argument: that European scholars, Germans in particular, who have looked carefully at Benedict's legal philosophy have come to precisely the opposite conclusion from Strand about Benedict's interest in the natural law. Martin Rhonheimer argues that Benedict offers a fulsome defense of the natural law in his 2011 address to the German Bundestag—two years after his supposed rejection of the natural law in Caritas in Veritate. And Manfred Spieker argues that Benedict moves away from an earlier rejection of the natural law in a 1964 article—the only one of Benedict's publications that has the natural law in its title—to an embrace of the natural law, a move that he traced to sometime around the year 2000 in the context of the "certificate controversy" that arose over the liberalization of abortion in Germany. He reads the same encyclical as Strand, Caritas in Veritate, as part of a whole with Deus Caritas Est, the Regensburg address of 2006, and the Bundestag address. And this whole is a robust defense of basic human rights on the basis of the natural law. How shall we account for such divergent interpretations of Benedict's texts and his view of the natural law? To be fair to Strand, the English translation of Spieker's article did not come out until 2018, a year after Strand's argument appeared in Nova et Vetera. And while Rhonheimer's English article appeared in 2015, it was included in an anthology of legal scholars, making it easy for a theologian like Strand to miss. First of all, then, we must recognize a difference in the field of Benedict studies between Anglophone scholarship and Germanic scholarship. In the...

On Method, Nature and Grace in Caritas in Veritate

On Method, Nature and Grace in Caritas in Veritate Vincent L. Strand S.J. POPE BENEDICT XVI’s 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate [hereafter, CV; cited by § no. in parentheses below] elicited an enormous immediate response by religious and secular commentators. Vatican Radio reported that, two weeks after the encyclical’s release, 1,800 articles had been written about it.1 While the document received some critique from the Catholic left—such as from the liberation theologian Leonardo Boff, who exclaimed, “How good a dose of Marxism would be for the Pope!”—in general, the encyclical drew heavier fire from neoconservative and libertarian supporters of free market capitalism.2 [End Page 835] For example, according to George Weigel, CV “resembles a duck-billed platypus” with incisive passages written by the Pope himself mixed together with passages reflecting current Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace default positions that Weigel finds unimpressive. He suggests that the reader of CV note the former passages with a gold marker and the latter with a red marker, distinguishing those valuable passages to be kept and pondered from those to be disregarded.3 In a similar spirit, Michael Novak praises elements of the encyclical, in particular its “beautiful” discussion of caritas, but nonetheless insists that, “if we hold each sentence of Caritas in veritate up to analysis in the light of empirical truth about events in the field of political economy since 1967, we will find that it is not nearly so full in its veritas as in its caritas.”4 Thomas Woods, author of The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy, offers a boisterous libertarian critique of the encyclical, saying that, at worst, CV is “bewilderingly naïve, and its policy recommendations, while attracting no one to the Church, are certain to repel.”5 [End Page 836] These responses are noteworthy, given that the previous social encyclical, Centesimus Annus, was lauded by Weigel, Novak, and other Catholic neoconservatives.6 Upon first consideration, we might attribute the critique that CV elicited from these authors solely to the document’s specific economic and political policy recommendations: for example, its calls for redistribution of wealth and a world political authority (§§ 37 and 67). I would like to propose, however, that the [End Page 837] disagreement is more fundamental: it is not about the value of one economic theory or another, but instead about the role of economics as an autonomous science and about the degree to which Christianity should shape our economic and political thinking. The first part of this article will set a backdrop against which to consider these questions. It will offer a cursory exposition of the debate between Catholic neoconservatives (the so-called “Whig Thomists” long associated with the journal First Things7) and those thinkers associated with the journal Communio (sometimes referred to as “Augustinian Thomists”8). Second, I will argue that CV places Benedict’s thought in the latter camp. As I will show, this is due less to the content of Benedict’s theology than to its structure. I will suggest that CV contains a methodological newness that distinguishes it from earlier, more Thomistic social encyclicals: in CV, economic positions are obtained through revelation and a theological anthropology developed from Christological and Trinitarian reflection. Third, I will suggest that this methodology is an expression of Henri de Lubac’s position on nature and grace. The essay will conclude by naming several issues that merit further consideration. Christianity and Capitalism: A Debate A prolifically sustained argument in recent decades about the Church’s relationship to society has occurred between Catholic neoconservatives and the Communio school.9 It is not my intent here to offer a full exposition [End Page 838] of this debate. Instead, I would like to focus on their argument concerning the relationship of the Church to economics. Neoconservatives generally see the possibility of a smooth merger between democratic capitalism and Catholicism.10 At times, particularly in the work of Novak, this entails the strong claim that capitalism can be a source of spirituality.11 For his part, Weigel has proposed this merger by underscoring the virtue of creativity, which he finds present both in democratic...

Laudato Si’ y la educación ecológica. Implicaciones para la educación católica

In Laudato Si’ Pope Francis has offered a ‘position paper’ on care for the common good. Chapter Six, ‘Ecological Education and Spirituality’, is especially relevant for those overseeing the operation of Catholic schools. A deeper understanding of Laudato Si’ can be gained from comparison with two magisterial documents written by Pope Emeritus: the message for the World Day of Prayer for Peace in 2007 and the encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Pope Benedict XVI, 2009a, 2009b). Study of the issues raised in these texts offers a broad frame of reference. Using the method of document analysis, our understanding of Laudato Si’ can be viewed in the context of contemporary magisterial teaching on education. This term now marks a fresh direction in the underlying principles of Catholic education.

]¿A quién esperar en tiempos de globalización?: Entre Benedicto XVI y Alasdair MacIntyre

In this paper we seek to analyze the encyclical Caritas in veritate based on the idea of globalization as a hermeneutical key to the whole document. We think...

Caritas in Veritate – Love and Truth an Implication of a Good Society

Love and truth are the two attributes of a well-functioning society. Unfortunately, these two basic values are often being devalued in the modern world. The reason for this is the lack of a sense of justice. Especially because in the social and cultural context the truth is often relativized. In this context it is worth analysing the Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate , in which one should pay attention to a construction of the society in which today’s human person lives.Love and truth are the two attributes of a good society in with each human is equipped. From the very beginning, the human person is called to be directed by love and truth. He or she is called to this truth by his or her Christian life and ontic dimension of his or her nature. Society without love and truth will be threatened with agony, because it will not only stop developing but also its wrongly understood economical status will become a road to nowhere. That is why we should definitely accept the thesis that homo economicus must convert into homo religiosus in the name of love and truth, so that society will be good. Let love in truth leads to a good society, which the whole world is for us.

Visión humana y cristiana del desarrollo social: Benedicto XVI

Pope Benedict XVI, in his third encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Charity in Truth, (2009) makes an analysis from the Christian perspective, on the development in a globalized society. Charity in truth in Christianity is the operating principle that attempts to explore in depth the principal guiding criteria for human beings, two of them of maximum impact: justice and the common good. Benedict XVI makes some considerations on human development in the current debate. He mentions some important deviations, well known in the international arena, and then from the perspective of the Christian conscience and its transcendental dimension looks into the human beings, their rights and obligations on human progress and into the global human family, as the center and purpose of the development of peoples.

La lógica del don en el horizonte de la sociedad civil

In this article I discuss the encyclical Caritas in veritate, Benedict XVI having as key to reading the market, the state and civil society, which form a union in which the osmotic person, free and responsible, can be expressed in terms of development. The market goes through the contract, the State by just laws and civil society for the gift and gratuity. In this context, civil society is essential to not close man between the market and the state.

«¿Cómo debemos vivir?»: Propuestas de ética social a la luz de la teoría de las capacidades y de la Cautas in veútate

This article tries ―from the perspective of social― moral highlight the anthropological turn of the Encyclical Caritas in veritate that, consistent with the contemporary philosophies of otherness and of the gift, recognizes the fragility of the human hallmark and key methodological of social morality. It also notes the need to complete this reflection with an adequate theory of emotions in the public sphere.

A Thematic Analysis of “Love” and “Truth” in Caritas in Veritate

The encyclical Caritas in veritate uses love as its guiding theological theme, and this innovation exposes the encyclical to critical reflections from some of the greatest theological minds of the mid-twentieth century. This article attempts to revive these critiques in order to analyze Benedict XVI’s use of caritas. Does Benedict’s use of love differ from his predecessors, and is it in any way more adequate? Are the critiques leveled against a social ethic of love merely the product of a hopelessly cynical age, or is love merely a species of interpersonal amity-inapplicable to broader social contexts? Does the fusion of love with the fundamentally contested notion of truth clarify what the Pope means by caritas, or is this conceptual marriage fraught with imprecision and inconsistencies?

Love and Truth in Social Involvement of the Church

This study begins with a brief outline of the essence of the whole encyclical Caritas in veritate. Benedict XVI expresses the desire for „the dialogue with the world”. He understands this dialogue as a special kind of the service of the Church towards eternal love and truth, fully revealed in Christ. The dialogue of the Church with the world, in the spirit of love and truth, is accomplished every day at the level of so-called official relations. There are numerous opinions that in the past the Church repeatedly neglected the dialogue with the world. Indeed, the Church historians point out the existence of examples of the fall of the authority of the Holy See in particular countries and circumstances. Similarly, the Church is the sign of objection in the contemporary world. Instructed by past experiences the Church is aware that what is necessary for the renewal of culture and society, is evangelical love and truth.

The Development of Catholic Social Teaching on Economics: Bernard Lonergan and Benedict XVI

Affected by the Great Depression and the inadequacy of the “simple-minded moralism” of church commentators on economic matters, Bernard Lonergan worked on a macrodynamic economic model in the 1940s and returned to it in the 1970s. The authors here situate Lonergan's economics in relation to economic theory then and now, as well as within his own overall project. They consider its possible contribution to the development of Catholic social teaching on economics, especially in dialogue with Benedict XVI's encyclical Caritas in veritate. Finally, they discuss the light Lonergan sheds on the importance and difficulties of interdisciplinary work.

Human Development in Business: Values and Humanistic Management in the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate , edited by Domènec Melé and Claus Dierksmeier and Michael Naughton, The Logic of Gift: Rethinking Business as a Community of Persons

Human Development in Business: Values and Humanistic Management in the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate , edited by Domènec Melé and Claus Dierksmeier and Michael Naughton, The Logic of Gift: Rethinking Business as a Community of Persons

The Principle of Gratuitousness: Opportunities and Challenges for Business in «Caritas in Veritate»

One major theme in Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate is the “Principle of Gratuitousness.” The point of this essay is to begin a reflection on what it actually means and its possible relevance. By comparing the “Principle of Gratuitousness” and its normative assumptions about “the logic of gift” with anthropological studies focused on the same phenomenon, I hope to show, not only the relevance of the encyclical’s normative vision but also where and how it needs further clarification. The findings of empirical anthropology provide qualified support for the encyclical’s focus on generating and replenishing “social capital” in order to sustain both markets and politics in an effort to “civilize the economy.” In order to put the “Principle of Gratuitousness” into more effective practice, the encyclical highlights the creative role of “civil society” and calls for the creation social enterprises whose goals are broader and deeper than maximizing profits. Assessing the realism of Benedict’s proposal will require further research and reflection on innovative entrepreneurial ventures designed to address social problems on a commercial basis, for example, Muhammad Yunus’ concept of a “social business” and its development in a series of joint business ventures involving the Grameen Bank and related organizations.

Transparency in Business: The Perspective of Catholic Social Teaching and the “Caritas in Veritate”

Transparency in business and society is one of the challenges raised in the encyclical Caritas in Veritate by Benedict XVI. This paper focuses on the issue by extending the literature on business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and corporate transparency in two dimensions. First, it reviews the understanding and framing of the transparency issue in Caritas in Veritate and in a selection of relevant Catholic Social Teaching (CST) publications. Second, this paper provides normative indications for corporate transparency decisions which reflect four permanent principles of CST, that is, the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, and respect for the human being. Inasmuch as human beings are worthy of love for their own sakes, the dimension of gift should always be present in relationships among them. This paper also provides insights for further studies on corporate transparency and the impact of religion on business ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Whose Love? Which Truth? A Postmodern Encyclical

The most remarkable characteristic of Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate is its theologically robust mode of discourse: a pervasive and unapologetically Trinitarian and Christological, substantive argument, based in a robust theological anthropology of person and society as gift, and a peculiarly Platonic and Augustinian rhetorical mode of discourse. Caritas reveals the implicit, hidden, and faulty theological and philosophical commitments of secular reason— which, when used as a medium for the Gospel, can too easily taint the true doctrine the Church attempts to convey with it—proclaiming instead a radically orthodox diagnosis of and prescription for a disenchanted, love-and-truth starved—yet Enlightenment-weary—postmodern world.

Collaboration between For-Profit and Nonprofit Organizations: Some Insights into the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate

In current economic systems, the nonprofit and voluntary world plays an important role; several studies analyse the reason for the emergence and development of these organizations and suggest reasons related to the dissemination (in particular after the Great Depression of the Thirties) of policies that, with a view to safeguarding the weaker social groups, first consider public intervention and then the third way of the economy, ways to increase wealth and support economic development. The characteristic of modern nonprofit concerns is their organization in the form of enterprises; this encourages the development of capabilities to satisfy human needs in terms of production of goods and utilities. For the survival and development of nonprofit organizations, systematic cooperation with the local context, especially with enterprises, is becoming increasingly more important. Of course, excellent opportunities for economic and social growth and for mutual development can develop from this type of cooperation. Starting from these considerations, the purpose of our research is to offer a series of reflections on the cooperation between for-profit and nonprofit enterprises (as proposed in the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate) considering a number of collaboration experiences between the two types of organization developed in our local territory. From a methodological point of view, after a theoretical analysis of the nonprofit concept, this work analyses the Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate focusing particular attention on the topic of nonprofit organizations and their relations with the world of enterprise. In this sense, a description of the initiative promoted by Forum Solidarieta and an analysis of the empirical results are of interest; the paper proposes some final considerations and further discussions.

ἐμπάθɛια (Empatheia) and Caritas: The Role of Religion in Fair Trade Consumption

There is much still to learn about the nature ot fair trade consumers. In light ot the Pope's encyclical Caritas in Veritate, this article sought to advance the current understanding by investigating the role of religion in fair trade consumption. In this study, fair trade consumers and non-consumers across many religions as well as the non-religious described their consumption of fair trade products as well as the use of their religious beliefs in their purchase behavior. It appears that the non-religious are slightly more inclined toward buying fair trade products. Of the religious observers studied, Buddhists have a greater propensity to buy fair trade. The relationship between religion and fair trade consumption is complex in that religious affiliation -group membership - alone is not enough to encourage members to buy fair trade; rather, it is the use of religious beliefs as a criterion in consumption behavior that linked religion to fair trade consumption.

Nauczanie społeczne Benedykta XVI wobec współczesnych problemów globalnych

On June 29, 2009 the Encyclical Caritas in veritate (Charity in Truth) of Benedict XVI was published, where the Pope presents his social teaching. He expresses his critical diagnosis of modern societies, indicating that it is selfishness resulting from lack of faith that is the source of all social evil. Benedict XVI calls for an effort to improve the world by multiplying the acts based on “the logic of giving without reciprocation” instead of the “logic of power” or the “logic of the market” in the realm of economy and politics also. The Pope also observes that unless the “logic of giving without reciprocation” dominates human relations both poor and affluent societies will continue to grapple with increasingly serious and tragic issues, and this logic will apparently not prevail if people do not begin to believe again. The Encyclical Caritas in veritate assumes the form of a diagnosis that the modern world disregards. In the opinion of the Pope this lack of attention is not the fault of the Papacy, but rather of the world itself. Expressing this attitude, the Pope easily assumes a position which is comfortable from his point of view, and which cannot be refuted nor corroborated.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate

The encyclical Caritas in veritate contains a scant two allusions to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Yet it is full of suggestions and ideas about how Benedict XVI sees CSR, namely as an ethical responsibility (though not every ethics is valid for determining the responsibility) that does not come from abstract principles and is not limited to management techniques; that derives from the goal or purpose of the firm and its role in society; that is based on justice and charity; that is voluntary; that is centred on the human person; that is not to be confused with social action or philanthropy; and that places great demands on the leader who wishes to put it into effect.

EVANGELICALS, POPE BENEDICT, AND THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

Evangelicals at a recent conference responded to Pope Benedict's encyclical Caritas in Veritate, finding common ground on the theological framing of economics; the Christological and Trinitarian grounding of anthropology and communion; the extension of the notion of a restored imago dei into an understanding of development as vocation; and the renewal of civil society's varied institutions. But participants found Caritas in Veritate’s responses to the financial crisis lacking. Evangelical critiques of the encyclical also concerned the relative inattention to the particularities of Scripture and the apparently unqualified enthusiasm for globalization and explicit endorsement of a world political authority.