Preview of Pope's Encyclical
Vatican, Jan. 18 (CWNews.com) – Deus Caritas Est, the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news), is a 50-paragraph examination of divine love, human love, and Christian charity….Deus Caritas Est (“God is Love”) is composed of two major parts. The first part is a theological exploration of divine love. The second part is an examination of how Christian charity affects human society. In drafting this second section, Pope Benedict relied heavily on a report prepared by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, about the charitable activities of the Catholic Church. That study by Cor Unum had begun during the pontificate of John Paul II.
…Redemptor Hominis, the first encyclical by Pope John Paul II (bio – news), examined the relationship between Jesus Christ and mankind; it has often been seen as a theoretical statement of the late Pope’s general plan for his pontificate. Similarly, the first encyclical of Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam, examined what would be a central issue throughout his pontificate: the relationship between the Church and the world. In Deus Caritas Est Pope Benedict has produced a different sort of encyclical. It is– in the words of Archbishop Angelo Comastri, the vicar general of Vatican City– “a call back to the very heart of Christianity.”
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The theme of divine love and human response has been a central motif for Pope Benedict….