LUMEN FIDEI (POPE FRANCIS)

Summary of the introduction:The encyclical starts with what the ancients put their faith in and proceeds to move directly to what our culture believes about faith – that it is something for the blind, those driven by emotion. But, at the same time, our culture is discovering that reason is not enough. Confusion has set in on what is good and evil, right and wrong. Faith in Jesus and love in Him gives us a new vision to see the world.

Summary of Chapter 1:Chapter 1 reviews Salvation History—the story of God’s people—to see faith throughout history. It begins with Abraham who St. Paul often quotes and uses as an example in the New Testament. It is noted that God speaks and acts towards Abraham as one in a relationship, not as a god who is far away. Our faith in Him calls us to make a step forward—to go on a journey with Him, just like Abraham. In this journey, our relationships with God are not just about our faith in Him, but in His faith in us! We can jeopardize this relationship with idolatry. The story of Israel points to the temptation of idolatry—to worship that which we make with our own hands. Finally, the story of faith finds its summation in Jesus. He is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises and at the same time shows us why we can trust Him—He died for us! Because He came into our reality, we can now truly see reality. God is not something beyond us; He is someone who acts in the here and now.

Summary of Chapter 2:Chapter 2 seeks to understand the relationship between faith and several other aspects—reason, love, truth, and theology. Lumen Fidei shows that truth is necessary for faith so that it can remain grounded. Faith is rooted in reality when it is rooted in truth. Similarly, our love for God has to have this truth as well or it be fleeting like emotions. Love is needed with faith so that truth does not become cold and impersonal.

Our culture often believes that truth that is meant for everyone is by its very nature like a dictator. But, truth for everyone can reveal a common good for everyone and when it is done in love it can be personalized to each individual.

In the end, truth in the Catholic faith possesses us; we do not possess truth. As we become more possessed by truth, we grow in humility and in the knowledge of the faith. By taking on knowledge and humility, we are more capable of sharing this truth with others who are seeking it. A truth that will truly fulfill what they are ultimately searching for.

Summary of Chapter 3:Ultimately, faith and truth are received in community. The nature of our lives forces us to have faith in the truth others are giving us—from our names to our language. The same is for our Christian faith which is passed on from one generation to the next. We accept this faith in a community and in the communion of the Church.

Specially, the sacraments allow us to experience this faith. We are received into the community of the Church through Baptism and encounter the love and gift of Jesus in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we experience the past gift that God has given us while seeing the future of our eternal home. In addition to the sacraments, the Our Father and the Decalogue gives us a new vision and a new path to live while united to our community. This community stays unified through the apostolic tradition and apostolic succession which safeguards truth and allows our faith to be handed on. Believers must believe in all of what the Church teaches or they endanger unity.

Summary of Chapter 4In this final chapter, Lumen Fidei shows how faith should be the foundation of our society. Faith is needed for the foundation of our society, marriage and family. In marriage, men and women have faith

in a common good and a hope beyond themselves. In this faith and in this love, they provide a model of faith and a place with faith grows as children place their trust in their parents.

This foundation of family helps form our other relationships as well. Men and women cannot have true brotherhood without a common father. Faith in God provides this common faith so that our societies can endure. It also provides the dignity of the human person which is needed in our societies as well.

Faith also provides strength in suffering. Faith does not answer every question, but provides a lamp to help us navigate through the darkness and the presence of God who is with us personally in our suffering.

In the end, faith should provide us with joy. Just as Mary accepted Jesus with joy, we too should follow her example. The sign of our faith lives should be a joy in Jesus.

LUMEN FIDEI (POPE FRANCIS) Overall, it is helpful to recognize some of the key themes running throughout each chapter of the encyclical. These concepts arise again and again, reiterating the importance of faith in our world today. Among these themes, the ones that most stand out are:

faith is light an encounter with God hearing and seeing journey, profess, and build

A Lumen Fidei SummaryLumen Fidei (The Light of Faith) is divided up into four chapters and an introduction. The introduction briefly describes the reasons that this encyclical was written and introduces the key themes that will be presented throughout the encyclical, particularly the themes of light and journey.

From there, Pope Francis lays out an argument for the relevance and importance of faith in the modern world in a strategic way. He starts with God’s revelation to the world recounted and passed on through Scripture and the Church and then relates the gift of faith to our lives today.

Briefly, each chapter addresses the following topics:1. Chapter 1: Faith in the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Church2. Chapter 2: Faith in the modern world (philosophy, science, world religions)3. Chapter 3: The essentials of faith (creed, sacraments, prayer, morality)4. Chapter 4: Faith and society / Faith and the common good

Summary: Introduction to Lumen FideiIn the short introduction to Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis states the reasons that both he and Pope Benedict XVI before him focus on the topic of faith, especially during the Year of Faith and the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. There is an urgent need today to understand the value and importance of faith—not just to Christians but all humankind.

The metaphor Pope Francis introduces and expands upon throughout the encyclical is that of light. Faith is the light that illumines our journey in life and provides clarity to all aspects of human existence. This understanding is critical today, because modern society rejects faith as subjective and infused only by fleeting emotion. In other words, living by faith is a dark, unenlightened pursuit.

Pope Francis, on the other hand, hopes that his encyclical will help the light of faith “grow and enlighten the present, becoming a star to brighten the horizon of our journey at a time when mankind is particularly in need of light” ( LF, 4).

Summary: Chapter 1 of Lumen FideiIn chapter 1 of Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis outlines the development of faith through a retelling of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments. In essence, he hopes to show that faith does not come from an internal gaze, but rather from an encounter with God and from those people who have come before us who have themselves encountered God.

God called Abraham and gave him a promise. God saved the Israelites and gave them a promise. God became man and gave up his life as a promise of our salvation. We can have faith in God, because he has shown us his love and we know he is faithful to his promises.

Summary: Chapter 2 of Lumen FideiIn chapter 2 of Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis deals directly with the arguments from secularism and relativism that challenge faith today. He puts faith and truth into the correct context, continuing to use the analogy of light as it applies to philosophy, science, non-Christians, non-believers, and the study of theology. He shows that faith, truth, and reason do not need to be opposed to each other; rather, faith is truth, and faith enlightens human reason.

Summary: Chapter 3 of Lumen FideiIn many ways this entire encyclical addresses the essentials of Christian faith, but this chapter in particular focuses on the backbone of Christian faith, constituted by: the creed, sacraments, prayer, and morality.

Pope Francis delves deeper into the necessity of the Church for Christian faith by revealing its critical role in transmitting the faith through the creed, Baptism, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments.

Then, he briefly touches on the traditional four marks of the Church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

Summary: Chapter 4 of Lumen FideiIn the final chapter of Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis describes how faith can benefit and unite all people in society. To explain this he uses the image of building the city of God.

Faith, since it is a common trust in the loving care of God the Father, unites society in a common brotherhood in ways that nothing else can: not truths, economies, governments, leaders, nor ideologies. This unity begins in the family and extends to society.

Faith also gives us hope in suffering, not because it promises healing, but because it assures us of what God has done for us and of that he is present.

Finally, in closing, the pope turns to Mary as the model of faith.

LAUDATO SI (POPE FRANCIS)“Laudato Si’, mi’ Signore” means “Praise be to you, my Lord” and is taken from a canticle by Saint Francis of Assisi which reminds us earth like a sister. “Our Sister, Mother Earth” is now crying out because of the way we humans have harmed her.

Nothing in this world is indifferent to us

Previous popes have also raised concerns about environmental degradation.

This encyclical is addressed to “every person living on this planet” with the hope of entering “into dialogue with all people about our common home.”

United by the same concernNumerous scientists, philosophers, theologians, and civic groups also share this concern.Many of these problems have “ethical and spiritual roots.”

Saint Francis of AssisiFrancis helps us to better see what is required for an integral ecology.

My appealThe concern for the Earth includes a “concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development.”We need a new dialogue, that includes everyone, about how we are shaping the future of our planet.

What this encyclical will cover:1. Reviews the “present ecological crisis” based on the “results of the best scientific research available today.”2. Considers “principles drawn from the Judaeo-Christian tradition” related to the commitment to the environment.3. Considers the symptoms and causes of the crisis “to provide an approach to ecology which respects our unique place as human beings in this world and our relationship to our surroundings.4. Offers broader “proposals for dialogue and action” for both individuals and international public policy.5. Offers guidelines for human development based on the Christian spiritual experience.

CHAPTER ONE — WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON HOMEI. POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGEPollution, waste and the throwaway culturePollution is tied to the “throwaway culture.” (The phrase “throwaway culture” appears five fives in the encyclical.)

Climate as a common goodThe climate is a common good that belongs to all of us.

Climate change is one of the “principal challenges facing humanity in our day.”The planet is warming and humans are the primary cause, particularly due to the use of fossil fuels (which cause greenhouse gases) and deforestation for agricultural purposes. Public policy should reduce carbon emissions and promote renewable sources of energy.

The quality of water available to the poor is a serious concern. Water is increasingly being polluted, privatized, and wasted, which leads to problems for the poor.The earth’s resources are being plundered because of “short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production.” Most species of animals and plant life are becoming extinct because of humans. Our interventions in nature—even our attempts to fix what we caused— further “aggravates the situation.”

III. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITYThe earth’s resources are also being plundered because of “short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production.” The majority of species of plant and animals that are becoming extinct are dying off for reasons related to human activity.

Even some of our interventions to help are causing greater problems with biodiversity. Caring for ecosystems demands far-sightedness and preemptive action.

Greater investment needs to be made in research aimed at understanding more fully the functioning of ecosystems and adequately analyzing the different variables associated with any significant modification of the environment.

IV. DECLINE IN THE QUALITY OF HUMAN LIFE AND THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETYEnvironmental deterioration, current models of development and the throwaway culture have a detrimental affect on humans.

Cities are becoming to large — “We were not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and deprived of physical contact with nature.”

Our omnipresent “media and digital world” can prevent us from living wisely.

V. GLOBAL INEQUALITYDeterioration of the human and natural environments are connected, and both disproportionately hurt the poor. To fix environmental problems we have to also fix “human and social degradation.”Imbalances in population density are a concern, but the primary problem is “extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some” rather than population growth.

Inequity affects not only individuals but entire countries and an “ecological debt” exists between the global north and south. Poor countries (which often have natural resources) fuel the development of richer nations. For this reason national have “differentiated responsibilities” when it comes to climate change.

VI. WEAK RESPONSESThe world needs an international legal framework to “set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems” but, so far, the “international political responses” have been “weak.”Depletion of natural resources will likely lead to new wars, “albeit under the guise of noble claims.”

Some countries provide positive examples of dealing with the environment but such efforts are not sufficient.

VII. A VARIETY OF OPINIONSTwo extremes of opinion fixing the environment: (1) Ecological problems will be solved by new technology, and (2) population should be reduced to prevent ecological harm. We need a dialogue that finds “viable future scenarios” between these extremes.

CHAPTER TWO — THE GOSPEL OF CREATIONAlthough they take different approaches to understanding reality, science and religion can enter into an “intense dialogue fruitful” for solving environmental problems.

I. THE LIGHT OFFERED BY FAITHAlthough simply being human is “ample motivation” to care for nature and vulnerable human communities, faith also motivates Christians to care for the environment and the poor.

II. THE WISDOM OF THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNTSThe biblical narratives have much to say about the relationship of human beings with the world.Human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships—with God, with our neighbor and with the earth itself—yet these relationships have been broken, both outwardly and within

us, by sin. As a result, the originally harmonious relationship between human beings and nature became broken and conflicted.

The earth was here before us and it has been given to us by God. “Dominion” over the earth is not an excuse for “unbridled exploitation” but rather a command to be stewards of natural resources.

III. THE MYSTERY OF THE UNIVERSEThe word “creation” has a broader meaning than “nature”, for it has to do with God’s loving plan in which “every creature has its own value and significance.”The ultimate destiny of the universe is in the fullness of God, which “has already been attained by the risen Christ, the measure of the maturity of all things.” All creation is thus moving toward a “common point of arrival”—back to the Creator.

IV. THE MESSAGE OF EACH CREATURE IN THE HARMONY OF CREATIONEach creature has its own purpose. The Spirit of life dwells in every living creature and calls us to enter into relationship with him.

V. A UNIVERSAL COMMUNIONHumans are “linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family.” Concern for the environment needs to be joined to a “sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.”

VI. THE COMMON DESTINATION OF GOODSEvery ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective that takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged.Private property is not absolute or inviolable. The principle of the subordination of private property to the universal destination of goods, and thus the right of everyone to their use, is a golden rule of social conduct and “the first principle of the whole ethical and social order”

The natural environment is a collective good. We break the commandment “Thou shall not kill” means when “twenty percent of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs the poor nations and future generations of what they need to survive.”

VII. THE GAZE OF JESUSJesus was able to invite others to be attentive to the beauty of creation because he himself was in constant touch with nature. “From the beginning of the world, but particularly through the incarnation, the mystery of Christ is at work in a hidden manner in the natural world as a whole, without thereby impinging on its autonomy.”

CHAPTER THREE — THE HUMAN ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS

A certain way of understanding human life and activity— the dominant technocratic paradigm—has gone awry, to the serious detriment of the world around us.

I. TECHNOLOGY: CREATIVITY AND POWERTechnology can be good, but it is also powerful and increases our power. Not every increase in power is an increase of progress. We need a “culture and spirituality genuinely capable of setting limits and teaching clear-minded self-restraint.”

II. THE GLOBALIZATION OF THE TECHNOCRATIC PARADIGMHumanity has taken up technology and its development according to an “undifferentiated and one-dimensional paradigm.” But science and technology is not neutral. Many environmental problems stem

from the tendency to make the method and aims of science and technology an “epistemological paradigm” which shapes the lives of individuals and the workings of society.We need to “slow down and look at reality in a different way,” so that we can “appropriate the positive and sustainable progress which has been made” and “recover the values and the great goals swept away by our unrestrained delusions of grandeur.”

III. THE CRISIS AND EFFECTS OF MODERN ANTHROPOCENTRISMModern anthropocentrism prizes technical thought over reality by seeing creation as mere raw material for our use. This has affected many areas of life: “When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities – to offer just a few examples – it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected.”“Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion.”

Practical relativismA misguided anthropocentrism—particularly our culture of relativism—leads to a misguided lifestyle. When human beings place themselves at the center, they give absolute priority to immediate convenience and all else becomes relative.

The need to protect employmentAn integral ecology needs to take account of the value of human labor and a correct understanding of work. Civil authorities have the right and duty to adopt clear and firm measures in support of small producers and differentiated production. To ensure economic freedom from which all can effectively benefit, restraints occasionally have to be imposed on those possessing greater resources and financial power.New biological technologiesWe can’t make general judgments about genetic modification (GM), whether vegetable or animal, medical or agricultural. Still, there are a number of significant difficulties with GM that should not be underestimated (e.g., destroying the complex network of ecosystems).Those concerned about GM should also be concerned when it is applied to human embryos.

CHAPTER FOUR — INTEGRAL ECOLOGYSince everything is closely interrelated we need an integral ecology, one that clearly respects its human and social dimensions.

I. ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ECOLOGYEcology studies the relationship between living organisms and the environment in which they develop. When we speak of the “environment”, what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society that lives in it. We ourselves are a part of nature. Therefore, the social and environmental crises are intertwined.We need an “economic ecology” capable of appealing to a broader vision of reality. The analysis of environmental problems cannot be separated from the “analysis of human, family, work-related and urban contexts, nor from how individuals relate to themselves, which leads in turn to how they relate to others and to the environment.”

Every violation of solidarity and civic friendship harms the environment.

II. CULTURAL ECOLOGYEcology also involves protecting the “cultural treasures of humanity in the broadest sense.” But our consumerist vision of human beings, encouraged by the mechanisms of today’s globalized economy, has a leveling effect on cultures, diminishing the immense variety that is the heritage of all humanity. We must look for solutions that include local people from within their proper culture.We must show special care for indigenous communities and their cultural traditions.

The disappearance of a culture can as a serious as the disappearance of a species of plant or animal. The imposition of a dominant lifestyle linked to a single form of production can be just as harmful as the altering of ecosystems.

III. ECOLOGY OF DAILY LIFEAuthentic development must take into consideration the settings in which people live their lives. We must keep this in mind when designing buildings, cities, public spaces, etc.Human ecology also includes the relationship between human life and the moral law. Also, we must value our “own body in its femininity or masculinity.” It is not a healthy attitude which would seek “to cancel out sexual difference because it no longer knows how to confront it”.

IV. THE PRINCIPLE OF THE COMMON GOODHuman ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good, a central and unifying principle of social ethics. Because current injustices, the common good requires solidarity with and a preferential option for the poor.

V. JUSTICE BETWEEN THE GENERATIONSThe notion of the common good also extends to future generations. Our approach to environmental problems must take this into account.

CHAPTER FIVE — LINES OF APPROACH AND ACTIONAn outline of the major paths of dialogue to stem the crisis.

I. DIALOGUE ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITYThe interdependence of humanity obliges us to think of “one world with a common plan.” We need a global consensus to fix the problem.Fossil fuels must be phased out as soon as possible. The international community needs to find a way to make this happen.

Buying and selling “carbon credits” is not the right solution.

Enforceable international agreements and global regulatory norms are urgently needed.

We need to develop “more efficiently organized international institutions” to address global warming and poverty. There is urgent need of a true world political authority to address these issues.

II. DIALOGUE FOR NEW NATIONAL AND LOCAL POLICIESThese issues need to be addressed not only at the international level, but at the local and national level as well. Political and institutional frameworks need to promote best practices and avoid bad practices. Political activity on the local level could also be directed to modifying consumption, developing an economy of waste disposal and recycling, protecting certain species and planning a diversified agriculture and the rotation of crops.However, there are no uniform recipes, because each country or region has its own problems and limitations.

III. DIALOGUE AND TRANSPARENCY IN DECISION-MAKINGWe need greater transparency to access the environmental impact of business ventures and projects. Environmental impact assessment should be included in the planning stages. A consensus should always be reached between the different stakeholders, who can offer a variety of approaches, solutions, and alternatives. The local population, though, should have a special place at the table.In any discussion about a proposed venture, a number of questions need to be asked in order to discern whether or not it will contribute to genuine integral development: What will it accomplish? Why?

Where? When? How? For whom? What are the risks? What are the costs? Who will pay those costs and how? Profit cannot be the sole criterion to be taken into account.

Reaching consensus is not easy and the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics.

IV. POLITICS AND ECONOMY IN DIALOGUE FOR HUMAN FULFILMENT“Politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-driven paradigm of technocracy.” Politics and economy should serve human life.The financial crisis of 2007-08 provided an opportunity to develop a new economy and new ways of regulating speculative financial practices and virtual wealth. But the response to the crisis did not include rethinking the outdated criteria that “continue to rule the world.” Production does not always fairly assign value.

We need to reject a magical conception of the market, which would suggest “problems can be solved simply by an increase in the profits of companies or individuals.” We can’t rely on those focused on “maximizing profits” to fix the problem.

Efforts to promote a sustainable use of natural resources are an investment capable of providing other economic benefits in the medium term.

For new models of progress to arise, there is a need to change “models of global development”The principle of the maximization of profits reflects a misunderstanding of the very concept of the economy.

We need a politics that is “capable of a new, integral and interdisciplinary approach to handling the different aspects of the crisis.”

Politics and the economy tend to blame each other when it comes to poverty and environmental degradation. They need to own up to their mistakes and find ways to join together to promote the public good.

V. RELIGIONS IN DIALOGUE WITH SCIENCEEmpirical science can’t explain the whole of reality. We need also to look at the ethical and spiritual resources produced by the world’s religions.The majority of people living on our planet profess to be believers, and they need to dialogue with each other and with science on these issues.

CHAPTER SIX — ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND SPIRITUALITYMany things have to change course—most of all, we humans.

I. TOWARDS A NEW LIFESTYLEThe market tends to promote extreme consumerism, and compulsive consumerism is an example of how the “techno-economic paradigm affects individuals.” This paradigm leads people to believe that they are free as long as they have the supposed freedom to consume. But those really free are the minority who wield economic and financial power.This leads to self-centeredness, which increases greed. We buy stuff to fill the emptiness within ourselves. This causes us to lose focus on the common good.

The effect will be social unrest. Obsession with a consumerist lifestyle, with increases inequality, will lead to violence and mutual destruction.

The problem isn’t hopeless, however, since humans have the ability to change. A change in our lifestyle could positively influence those who “wield political, economic and social power.”

II. EDUCATING FOR THE COVENANT BETWEEN HUMANITY AND THE ENVIRONMENTEnvironmental education shouldn’t only be focused on scientific information and consciousness-raising. It should help us how the transcendent gives “ecological ethics its deepest meaning.”Education in environmental responsibility can encourage us to act in way that promote the common good, such as “avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of other practices.”

We s shouldn’t worry that such efforts won’t “change the world.” They benefit society by “calling forth goodness.”

Ecological education can take place in a variety of settings: at school, in families, in the media, in catechesis and elsewhere.

Political institutions and various other social groups are also entrusted with helping to raise people’s awareness. All Christian communities have an important role to play in ecological education.

III. ECOLOGICAL CONVERSIONSpirituality can motivate us to a more passionate concern for the protection of our world. The ecological crisis is thus also a summons to profound interior conversion. Some people need an “ecological conversion”, whereby the effects of their “encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them.” A healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion.Individual conversion, though, is not enough. The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion.

IV. JOY AND PEACEChristian spirituality proposes an alternative to our obsession with consumption. We need to adopt the mindset that “less is more.” Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little.The change of attitude will help us develop a “serene attentiveness.” One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks to God before and after meals: “I ask all believers to return to this beautiful and meaningful custom.”

V. CIVIC AND POLITICAL LOVECare for nature is part of a lifestyle which includes the capacity for living together and communion.Love—“overflowing with small gestures of mutual care”—is also civic and political. Love for society and commitment to the common good affects everyone.

VI. SACRAMENTAL SIGNS AND THE CELEBRATION OF RESTThe Eucharist is a “source of light and motivation for our concerns for the environment, directing us to be stewards of all creation.” The day of rest, centered on the Eucharist, “sheds it light on the whole week, and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor.”

VII. THE TRINITY AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CREATURESThe Trinity has left its mark on all creation. Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to “develop a spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the Trinity.”

VIII. QUEEN OF ALL CREATIONMary, the mother of Jesus, is also the Mother and Queen of all creation. We can we can “ask her to enable us to look at this world with eyes of wisdom.” Saint Joseph too can “inspire us to work with generosity and tenderness in protecting this world which God has entrusted to us.”

IX. BEYOND THE SUNGod offers us the light and the strength needed to continue on our way and carry our the task of caring for our “common home.”

Francis concludes with two prayers, “A prayer for our earth” and “A Christian prayer in union with creation.”

DEUS CARITAS EST (POPE BENEDICT XVI)Abiding in God and God abiding in usThe following is a translation of the Summary of the Holy Father's first Encyclical,Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), which was published on Thursday, 26 January.

Summary"God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (I Jn 4:16).

These words that begin the Encyclical express the core of the Christian faith. In a world in which God's Name is sometimes linked with revenge or even with hatred and violence, the Christian message of God-Love is very timely.

The Encyclical is divided into two main parts.

Part I presents a theological and philosophical reflection on the different dimensions of "love" — eros, philia, agape — and explains certain essential facts concerning God's love for man and the intrinsic connection of this love with human love.

Part II deals with the actual practice of the commandment to love one's neighbour.

Part IThe term "love", one of the most used and abused words in today's world, has a multiplicity of meanings. From them, however, emerges an archetype of love par excellence: the love of a man and a woman, which in ancient Greece was known aseros.

In the Bible, especially in the New Testament, the concept of "love" is examined closely, a development which results in setting aside the word eros in favour of the term agape to express a self-sacrificing love.

This new vision of love, an essentially Christian innovation, has often been judged in a totally negative way as the rejection of eros and of bodiliness. Although these tendencies have existed, the meaning of this deepening is different.

The eros, implanted in human nature by the Creator himself, needs discipline, purification and growth in maturity if it is not to lose its original dignity or degenerate into pure "sex", becoming a commodity.

The Christian faith has always considered man as a being in whom there is a sort of interpenetration of spirit and matter, from which he draws a new nobility. We can say that the challenge of the eros has been overcome when body and mind are found to be in perfect harmony in the human being.

At that point, love indeed becomes an "ecstasy", not in the sense of a fleeting moment of intoxication but as an ongoing exodus from the inward-looking self towards its liberation through self-giving, and thus towards self-discovery and the discovery of God: in this way the eros can uplift the human being "in ecstasy" towards the Divine.

In short, eros and agape somehow need to be connected to each other. Indeed, the more the two find the correct equilibrium in their different dimensions, the more the true nature of love is realized.

Even if eros is at first mainly desire, in drawing near to the other person it becomes less and less concerned with itself, increasingly seeks the happiness of the other, bestows itself and wants to "be there for" the other. It is then that the element ofagape enters into this love.

In Jesus Christ, who is the incarnate love of God, the eros-agape reaches its most radical form. In dying on the Cross, by giving himself in order to raise and save man, Jesus expresses love in its most sublime form. He guaranteed an enduring presence of this oblative act through the institution of the Eucharist, in which he gives himself under the species of bread and wine as a new manna that unites us with him.

By participating in the Eucharist, we too are involved in the dynamic of his self-giving. We are united with him and, at the same time, with all others to whom he gives himself; thus, we all become "one body".

In this way, love of neighbour and love of God are truly united. The double Commandment, thanks to this encounter with the agape of God, is no longer solely a precept: love can be "commanded" because it has first been given.

Part IILove of neighbour, grounded in love of God, as well as being a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, is also a responsibility for the entire Ecclesial Community, which must reflect Trinitarian love in its charitable activity.

Awareness of this responsibility also had a constitutive relevance in the Church from the very beginning (cf. Acts 2:44-45), and very soon the need for a form of organization became apparent, as a presupposition for carrying it out more effectively.

Thus, the "diaconate" came into being in the fundamental structure of the Church as a ministry of love of neighbour exercised in a communitarian and orderly way — a concrete but at the same time spiritual service (cf. Acts 6:16). As the Church gradually spread, this practice of charity was confirmed as one of her essential responsibilities.

The Church's deepest nature is thus expressed in her three-fold duty: to proclaim the Word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrate the sacraments (leiturgia), and exercise, the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose one another and are inseparable.

Since the 19th century, a fundamental objection has been raised to the Church's charitable activity. People claim that it is contrary to justice and will end by becoming a means of preserving the status quo. Through individual works of charity, the Church would foster the continuance of the present unjust system, making it appear at least to some extent tolerable and thereby slowing down the result and potential evolution of a better world.

In this regard, Marxism saw world revolution and its preliminaries as the panacea for the social problem, a dream that has faded in the meantime.

The Papal Magisterium, starting with the Encyclical Rerum Novarum of Leo XIII (1891) to the trilogy of John Paul II's social Encyclicals (Laborem Exercens [1981],Sollicitudo Rei Socialis [1987] and Centesimus Annus [1991]), persistently tackled the social question and, in confrontation with the ever new problematic situations, developed a very comprehensive social doctrine which proposes effective guidelines extending far beyond the Church's frontiers.

The just ordering of society and of the State, however, is a core duty of politics and therefore cannot be an immediate responsibility of the Church. Catholic social doctrine does not seek to confer upon the Church power over the State, but simply desires to purify and illuminate reason, making its own contribution to the formation of consciences, so that the true requirements of justice may be perceived, recognized and subsequently practiced.

Yet there is no ordering of the State, however just, that can make a service of love superfluous. The State which aims to provide everything would ultimately become a bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person —every person — needs: loving personal concern.

Those who wish to get rid of love are prepared to get rid of the human being as a human person.

In our time, a positive collateral effect of globalization can be seen in the fact that concern for neighbour transcends the confines of national communities and tends to broaden its horizons to the whole world. State agencies and humanitarian associations support in various ways the solidarity shown by civil society: this has led to the foundation of many organizations with charitable or philanthropic aims.

In the Catholic Church as well as other ecclesial communities, new forms of charitable activity have arisen. Among all these bodies, the hope is for fruitful collaboration.

It is, of course, important that the Church's charitable activity does not lose its own identity and become just another form of social assistance, but that it maintain all the splendour of the essence of Christian and ecclesial charity.

Therefore:

• Christian charitable activity, as well as being based on professional competence, must be based on the experience of a personal encounter with Christ, whose love has moved the heart of the believer, awakening within him love of neighbour.

• Christian charitable activity must be independent of parties and ideologies. The Christian's programme — the programme of the Good Samaritan, the programme of Jesus — is "a heart which sees". This heart sees where love is needed and acts accordingly.

• Christian charitable activity, furthermore, cannot be used as a means of engaging in what is nowadays considered proselytism. Love is free; it is not practised as a way of achieving other ends.

But this does not mean that charitable activity must, so to speak, leave God and Christ aside. A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing about him and to let love alone speak. St Paul's hymn to charity (cf. I Cor 13) must be the Magna Carta of all ecclesial service to protect it from the risk of being reduced to pure activism.

In this context and in the face of the impending secularism that can also condition many Christians who are involved in charitable work, it is necessary to reaffirm the importance of prayer.

On the one hand, living contact with Christ prevents the experience of the immensity of needs and the limitations of our own action from driving the agent towards a policy that would claim to do what God does not seem to be doing or, on the other hand, from becoming a temptation to surrender to inertia and resignation.

People who pray are not wasting their time, even though the situation may seem to call for urgent action alone; nor do they claim to correct God's plans, but rather seek— after the example of Mary and the saints — to find in God the light and strength of the love which overcomes all the darkness and selfishness present in the world.

SPE SALVI (POPE BENEDICT XVI) The world needs God, otherwise it remains without hope, said Benedict XVI when he summarized the central message of his encyclical “Spe Salvi.”

The Pope said this today before reciting the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square. He also spoke on the meaning of Advent, which begins today.

Advent, the Holy Father said, “is the propitious time to reawaken in our hearts the expectation of him ‘who is, who was and who is coming.'”

The Pontiff regarded the First Sunday of Advent as “a most appropriate day to offer to the whole Church and all men of good will my second encyclical, which I wanted to dedicate to the theme of Christian hope.”

Benedict XVI noted that in the New Testament “the word hope is closely connected with the word faith.” Hope, he added, “is a gift that changes the life of those who receive it, as the experience of so many saints demonstrates.”

He asked: “In what does this hope consist that is so great and so ‘trustworthy’ as to make us say that ‘in it’ we have ‘salvation’?

“In substance it consists in the knowledge of God, in the discovery of his heart as a good and merciful Father.”

“With his death on the cross and his resurrection,” added the Pope, Jesus “has revealed to us his countenance, the countenance of a God so great in love as to communicate to us an indestructible hope, a hope that not even death can crack, because the life of those who entrust themselves to this Father always opens onto the perspective of eternal beatitude.”

Redemption

The Pope, as he also did in the encyclical, observed that the “development of modern science has confined faith and hope more and more to the private and individual sphere, so much so that today it appears in an evident way, and sometimes dramatically, that the world needs God — the true God! — otherwise it remains deprived of hope.”

“Science contributes much to the good of humanity — without a doubt — but it is not able to redeem humanity,” he continued. “Man is redeemed by love, which renders social life good and beautiful.

“Because of this, the great hope, that one that is full and definitive, is guaranteed by God, by God who is love, who has visited us in Jesus and given his life to us, and in Jesus he will return at the end of time. It is in Christ that we hope and it is him that we await!”

The Holy Father concluded his address with an invitation to live this hope in Advent “with works of charity, because hope, like faith, is demonstrated in love.”

CARITAS IN VERITATE (POPE BENEDICT XVI) VATICAN CITY (VIS) - Given below is a summary of Benedict XVI's new Encyclical "Caritas in veritate" (Charity in Truth) on integral human development in charity and truth. The Encyclical published today - which comprehends an introduction, six chapters and a conclusion - is dated 29 June 2009, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles. 

A summary of the Encyclical released by the Holy See Press Office explains that in his introduction the Pope recalls how "charity is at the heart of the Church's social doctrine". Yet, given the risk of its being "misinterpreted and detached from ethical living", he warns how "a Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance". 

The Holy Father makes it clear that development has need of truth. In this context he dwells on two "criteria that govern moral action": justice and the common good. All Christians are called to charity, also by the "institutional path" which affects the life of the "polis", that is, of social coexistence. 

The first chapter of the Encyclical focuses on the message of Paul VI's "Populorum Progressio" which "underlined the indispensable importance of the Gospel for building a society according to freedom and justice. ... The Christian faith does not rely on privilege or positions of power, ... but only on Christ". Paul VI "pointed out that the causes of underdevelopment are not primarily of the material order". They lie above all in the will, in the mind and, even more so, in "the lack of brotherhood among individuals and peoples". 

"Human Development in Our Time" is the theme of the second chapter. If profit, the Pope writes, "becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty". In this context he enumerates certain "malfunctions" of development: financial dealings that are "largely speculative", migratory flows "often provoked by some particular circumstance and then given insufficient attention", and "the unregulated exploitation of the earth's resources". In the face of these interconnected problems, the Pope calls for "a new humanistic synthesis", noting how "development today has many overlapping layers: ... The world's wealth is growing in absolute terms, but inequalities are on the increase", and new forms of poverty are coming into being. 

At a cultural level, the Encyclical proceeds, the possibilities for interaction open new prospects for dialogue, but a twofold danger exists: a "cultural eclecticism" in which cultures are viewed as "substantially equivalent", and the opposing danger of "cultural levelling and indiscriminate acceptance of types of conduct and lifestyles". In this context Pope Benedict also mentions the scandal of hunger and express his hope for "equitable agrarian reform in developing countries". 

The Pontiff also dwells on the question of respect for life, "which cannot in any way be detached from questions concerning the development of peoples", affirming that "when a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good". 

Another question associated with development is that of the right to religious freedom. "Violence", writes the Pope, "puts the brakes on authentic development", and "this applies especially to terrorism

motivated by fundamentalism". 

Chapter three of the Encyclical - "Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society" - opens with a passage praising the "experience of gift", often insufficiently recognised "because of a purely consumerist and utilitarian view of life". Yet development, "if it is to be authentically human, needs to make room for the principle of gratuitousness". As for the logic of the market, it "needs to be directed towards the pursuit of the common good, for which the political community in particular must also take responsibility". 

Referring to "Centesimus Annus", this Encyclical highlights the "need for a system with three subjects: the market, the State and civil society" and encourages a "civilising of the economy". It highlights the importance of "economic forms based on solidarity" and indicates how "both market and politics need individuals who are open to reciprocal gift". 

The chapter closes with a fresh evaluation of the phenomenon of globalisation, which must not be seen just as a "socio-economic process". Globalisation needs "to promote a person-based and community-oriented cultural process of world-wide integration that is open to transcendence" and able to correct its own malfunctions. 

The fourth chapter of the Encyclical focuses on the theme: "The Development of People. Rights and Duties. The Environment". Governments and international organisations, says the Pope, cannot "lose sight of the objectivity and 'inviolability' of rights". In this context he also dedicates attention to "the problems associated with population growth". 

He reaffirms that sexuality "cannot be reduced merely to pleasure or entertainment". States, he says, "are called to enact policies promoting the centrality and the integrity of the family". 

"The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly", the Holy Father goes on, and "not any ethics whatsoever, but an ethics which is people-centred". This centrality of the human person must also be the guiding principle in "development programmes" and in international co-operation. "International organisations", he suggests, "might question the actual effectiveness of their bureaucratic and administrative machinery, which is often excessively costly". 

The Holy Father also turns his attention to the energy problem, noting how "the fact that some States, power groups and companies hoard non-renewable energy resources represents a grave obstacle to development in poor countries. ... Technologically advanced societies can and must lower their domestic energy consumption", he says, at the same time encouraging "research into alternative forms of energy". 

"The Co-operation of the Human Family" is the title and focus of chapter five, in which Pope Benedict highlights how "the development of peoples depends, above all, on a recognition that the human race is a single family". Hence Christianity and other religions "can offer their contribution to development only if God has a place in the public realm". 

The Pope also makes reference to the principle of subsidiarity, which assists the human person "via the autonomy of intermediate bodies". Subsidiarity, he explains, "is the most effective antidote against any form of all-encompassing welfare state" and is "particularly well-suited to managing globalisation and directing it towards authentic human development". 

Benedict XVI calls upon rich States "to allocate larger portions of their gross domestic product to development aid", thus respecting their obligations. He also express a hope for wider access to education and, even more so, for "complete formation of the person", affirming that yielding to relativism makes everyone poorer. One example of this, he writes, is that of the perverse phenomenon of sexual tourism. "It is sad to note that this activity often takes place with the support of local

governments", he says. 

The Pope then goes on to consider the "epoch-making" question of migration. "Every migrant", he says, "is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance". 

The Pontiff dedicates the final paragraph of this chapter to the "strongly felt need" for a reform of the United Nations and of "economic institutions and international finance. ... There is", he says, "urgent need of a true world political authority" with "effective power". 

The sixth and final chapter is entitled "The Development of Peoples and Technology". In it the Holy Father warns against the "Promethean presumption" of humanity thinking "it can re-create itself through the 'wonders' of technology". Technology, he says, cannot have "absolute freedom". 

"A particularly crucial battleground in today's cultural struggle between the supremacy of technology and human moral responsibility is the field of bioethics", says Benedict XVI, and he adds: "Reason without faith is doomed to flounder in an illusion of its own omnipotence". The social question has, he says, become an anthropological question. Research on embryos and cloning is "being promoted in today's highly disillusioned culture which believes it has mastered every mystery". The Pope likewise expresses his concern over a possible "systematic eugenic programming of births". 

In the conclusion to his Encyclical Benedict XVI highlights how "development needs Christians with their arms raised towards God in prayer", just as it needs "love and forgiveness, self-denial, acceptance of others, justice and peace".