In explaining his views on love and sex in the encyclical, the Pope quotes from biblical writings, encyclicals written by his predecessors and the works of philosophers such as the 17th century French thinker René Descartes.
He wrote the first part himself during his holiday in the Alps last summer. The second part, dedicated to the theme of charity, draws on the work of theologians working under Pope John Paul II, who died last April.
Italian newspapers reported the encyclical as saying that even in "more just societies" Christians should do charitable works, not just for the benefit of others but for their own good.
The Vatican declined to confirm that the encyclical would appear on Friday. But the magazine Famiglia Cristiana is to publish it as a special supplement on Jan 25.
Isn’t it odd, I thought the other day. Ironic, let’s say. For the past three decades or so, "God is Love" has been shorthand for "Eviscerated catechesis," to the point at which many years ago when I first showed up to teach at Santa Fe in Lakeland, the students joked about my predecessor – a coach who moved on to try his hand at a career in sports agency – saying that for four years, the answer to every question on every test came down to "God is love."
Well, the reality is – it actually does. Maybe Benedict will give us the gift of reclaiming the full meaning of what that phrase really means.
(One of the students told me that once, assigned a paper on Martin Luther, he turned in a paper he’d written on Martin Luther King the previous year. Yeah, Coach gave him an "A". Never heard how that whole Jerry Maguire thing went..)
When you read the article, note the news at the bottom about publishing rights for papal words. There have been meetings and discussions about this, but I still can’t quite unravel what it all means…No more books like this, pulled together without having to get permissions or fees? Wondering…
C
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