• From the Vatican Information Service, a chapter-by-chapter summary of the encyclical
• Full text of Caritas in Veritate from the Vatican's website
• Caritas in Veritate in book form, from Ignatius Press -- available in August.
• And from the Holy Father himself -- a brief consideration of Caritas in Veritate from his 7/8/09 audience:

  Some forty years after Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical Populorum Progressio, it too addresses social themes vital to the well-being of humanity and reminds us that authentic renewal of both individuals and society requires living by Christ’s truth in love (cf. Eph 4:15) which stands at the heart of the Church’s social teaching. The Encyclical does not aim to provide technical solutions to today’s social problems but instead focuses on the principles indispensable for human development. Most important among these is human life itself, the centre of all true progress. Additionally, it speaks of the right to religious freedom as a part of human development, it warns against unbounded hope in technology alone, and it underlines the need for upright men and women – attentive to the common good – in both politics and the business world. In regard to matters of particular urgency affecting the word today, the Encyclical addresses a wide range of issues and calls for decisive action to promote food security and agricultural development, as well as respect for the environment and for the rule of law. Stressed is the need for politicians, economists, producers and consumers alike to ensure that ethics shape economics so that profit alone does not regulate the world of business. Dear friends: humanity is a single family where every development programme – if it is to be integral – must consider the spiritual growth of human persons and the driving force of charity in truth. Let us pray for all those who serve in politics and the management of economies, and in particular let us pray for the Heads of State gathering in Italy for the G8 summit. May their decisions promote true development especially for the world’s poor. Thank you.

• Also from the Pope: "On the Economic Crisis and Cultural Values" - a translation of the public address Benedict XVI gave today before praying the midday Angelus in Romano Canavese, close to Les Combes in the Aosta Valley of northern Italy (HT: Zenit).

• According to Vatican Radio, more than 1,800 articles have been written on the encyclical. At the request of Joseph Bottum, I have been asked to do an ongoing roundup of news, coverage and commentary to Caritas et Veritate, for the periodical First Things.

In other news ...

• The Vatican Press Office has released a review of Benedict XVI's activities from from January to March and April to July of this year.

• As reported earlier, the Pope broke his wrist in an accident earlier this month. His right hand immobilized with the cast, the Pope has found his plans to spend the vacation writing impeded -- but his spirits remain high. During one of his strolls, the Pope stopped to chat with five children about his injury. Also, The Italian mountain town of Introd, near the chalet where the Pope is residing, unanimously decided to make him an honorary citizen.

  A few days ago, the Pope reflected on the meaning of his injury:

  "Unfortunately, my own guardian angel did not prevent my injury, certainly following superior orders," Pope Benedict said, according to the Associated Press.

  “Perhaps the Lord wanted to teach me more patience and humility, give me more time for prayer and meditation."

Pope Benedict XVI (L) shaking hands with the medical team of Aosta's Umberto Parini hospital who took care of him on July 17, 2009. Credit: Getty Images

• The working document to foster U.N. dialogue on the "responsibility to protect" includes a paragraph dedicated to the discourse Benedict XVI gave there last year, during his momentous visit to New York and Washington D.C. in April 2008:

  For this debate on conflict victims and the states' responsibility to protect its citizens, the assembly took into account the Pope's thesis that the international community needs to protect rights.

  When the Holy Father addressed the United Nations, he affirmed: "Every state has the primary duty to protect its own population from grave and sustained violations of human rights, as well as from the consequences of humanitarian crises, whether natural or man-made. If states are unable to guarantee such protection, the international community must intervene with the juridical means provided in the United Nations Charter and in other international instruments."

• Rome Reports has released the first in-depth documentary on the life of Pope, titled "Pope Benedict XVI A Love Affair with the Truth":

  It includes unique film footage of his youthful days, his ordination to the priesthood, his consecration as Bishop, elevation to Cardinal, his work as head of the CDF (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) and a close colleague of Pope John Paul II, his election as Pope, and what he has accomplished so far in his first three years of his papacy. This film reveals the real Joseph Ratzinger, a man who always sought and loved the truth, and has combined a brilliant mind with the pastoral heart of a shepherd in love with his flock.

  (Click here to view the trailer and purchasing info).

• From National Review's "The Corner", A brief review of Faith and the Future, by Mike Potemra.

• (Catholic News Service July 31, 2009).

• On July 24, the Pope made a brief reference to the late French Jesuit scientist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, praising his vision of the entire cosmos as a "living host" -- prompting National Catholic Reporter's John Allen Jr. in turn to reflect on Benedict XVI’s very own shade of green (really a very helpful evaluation of the Pope's "remarkable ecological sensitivity").

• From Edward T. Oakes, SJ: Reconciling Judas: Evangelizing the Theologians (InsideCatholic.com July 28, 2009):

  In 1968, a professor of theology at the University of Regensburg wrote a modestly sized treatise on the Apostles' Creed called Introduction to Christianity. Its impact, however, was anything but modest, for the book so captivated Pope Paul VI that he made its author archbishop of Munich (and later cardinal, one of his last appointments to the college); and just a few years later, the new pope, John Paul II, summoned the same man to Rome to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. His name, of course, was Joseph Ratzinger.

  Not many books have changed history, but this one certainly did, not just for the author personally but also for the wider Church. ... [More].

Labels: Pope Benedict Roundup

|