Pope's new social encyclical

Two commentaries

On July 7th, 2009, the Vatican released the third encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI entitled Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), which focuses on integral human development in a globalizing world now in economic crisis. Touted as his first “social encyclical,” the document actually builds on the emphasis on love in his first encyclical letter, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), which itself addressed the mission of charity and justice of the Church.

The encyclical prompted a barrage of short commentaries the first day or two after the encyclical, many of which seemed to reflect more of the ideas of the commentators than those of the pope. Today, the Jesuit Social Research Institute releases two lengthy commentaries on the encyclical.

The first commentary, by Dr. Alex Mikulich, "Toward a New Economic Order at the Service of People, Not Profits," discusses Pope Benedict's theological, moral, and social vision for a truly human global economic order. Read the article »

The second commentary, "Continuities and Change in Caritas in Veritate," by Fr. Fred Kammer, SJ, traces the many continuities of this encyclical with the tradition of modern Catholic Social Teaching and the ways in which Pope Benedict develops those ideas for the current global situation. Read the article »