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Vatican Museum Officer Says Art His Vocation

By Elizabeth Lev

ROME, APRIL 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Last week I spoke at length to Umberto Utro, curator of the Pio Christian Collection of the Vatican Museums, probably the most underrated part of the vast Vatican galleries. It was already surprising to see such a young man holding such a responsible position -- Utro was 37 when he was nominated curator in 2003 -- but even more interesting were his remarks.

Asked how he got involved with paleo-Christian art, the curator didn't respond by talking about his undergraduate work at the famous University of Florence, nor did cite his doctoral work at the prestigious Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology.

He started by talking about his youth in Palermo, and his high school years when his religion teacher was Don Pino Puglisi, a well-known Italian hero assassinated by the Mafia in 1993. Don Puglisi, Utro said, "enchanted them with the faith," and "taught them that every Christian has a specific vocation, and that he had to understand how best to serve God and the Church." As he spoke, Utro gave the impression that he treasured his early formation more than his degrees.

After studying theology as a layman, he became interested in art history, eventually getting his first degree with a thesis in Early Christian clay lamps. At this point he realized "that to understand Early Christian art, one had to understand the community that produced it --- the early Church, the sacred Scriptures were all an integral part of this art."

Looking for this "encounter between art and faith," as he describes it, Utro realized that he must "look at the origins of Christian art, at the earliest Christian communities," and while studying Christian archaeology, he developed an interest in iconography.

The rest he describes as providence. While Utro was studying and writing about the Early Christian artifacts kept in the Vatican Library, the collection was transferred to the Vatican and he was brought to the attention of the museum's director, Francesco Buranelli. Three years later, Utro was nominated curator of the collection of Early Christian sarcophagi. He describes this appointment as "the most beautiful gift of God toward his vocation."

Utro wasted no time trying to bring this unique museum to public attention. Although often bypassed by tourists rushing to the Sistine Chapel, this magnificent collection of carved sarcophagi testifies to visitors the beliefs, hopes and doctrines of the earliest Christian communities engraved in stone. "I have a treasure in my hands," says Urto regarding his work.

He has organized two exhibits since taking on his role as curator, the first was titled "The Journey of Faith," and was sent to the Singapore Museum of Asian Civilizations. This show was one of a series exploring the various religions of Asia and recounted the story of Christianity as a continuing journey.

"Christian faith was born of a voyage," explained Utro. "God, who through his Son, came into the world; the Magi who travel to see Jesus and then depart to spread the news; Jesus who travels to Jerusalem; and the journey of the first Christians who went to evangelize all over the world."

The voyages do not end with the Gospels, however. "Pilgrims then traveled to revisit these sites where Jesus had walked and where St. Peter had died," Utro continued. He said his favorite part was the concluding section of the show which featured the missionaries in Asia. In the culmination of the exhibit, the Singapore Museum added its own works, showing how this journey which began in Bethlehem arrived in the furthest corners of the Earth.

The most recent exhibit, "The Engraved Word," was organized in conjunction with the Italian Bible Society to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council constitution "Dei Verbum." Utro described the effort as an "ecumenical exhibit, celebrating the collaboration of the different Christian denominations to create a common translation of the sacred Scriptures."

The exhibit put together the words of the Scriptures and the images of the early Christians demonstrating that these ancient stone carvings still have resonance and meaning today as well as the power to unify Christians in their belief in Christ, salvation and heaven.

Utro pointed out the Pio Christian collection was the ideal place for the exhibit: "The art of the Christian origins is the art of an undivided Church, before the divisions and schisms." Continuing, the curator noted, "Art has also been a source of division among Christians, from iconoclasm to the Lutherans; therefore this museum is an ideal place to look at the common history shared by Christians."

Formation, vocation and evangelization are all beautifully represented by this collection, but also by its curator. The dedication of Utro to his museum and his vision of the great lessons that early Christian images have to teach, stand out as an example of living out one's Christian vocation.

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Artists Capture Christ's Suffering

Granted, this is bit late in reporting, but good news never goes stale. During Holy Week, the Province of Rome sponsored a free exhibition at the Palazzo Incontro, a 17th-century city palace recently renovated and reopened to the public. The exhibition was, very appropriately, titled the "Passion According to Bernini," and features about 40 images of the various stages of Christ's passion executed by Bernini and other artists of the 17th century.

The first room exhibited a thoughtful arrangement of the subject matter. Opening the show with images of Christ's baptism and representations of John the Baptist illustrate that Jesus was born for this mission, to redeem man through his self-sacrifice.

An exquisite painting on copper embodies the whole theme. "The Allegory of the Sacrifice of Christ and the Triumph over Paganism" shows the Holy Family, but Jesus sits atop a pagan altar while Joseph and Mary step on a fallen idol and an overturned tripod, an object once used for burning incense to the gods.

The painter of this little jewel is Giovanni Battista Gaulli, a protégé of Bernini, best known for having decorated the vault of the Jesuit church of the Gesù with the overwhelming allegory of the Triumph of the Holy Name of Jesus. Gaulli, who went by the nickname Baccicia, is in a certain sense the star of this show, as it is mostly his work on display. But this magnificent painter very much deserves his moment of limelight.

The show proceeds with each room dedicated to a scene from Christ's passion. Bernini's own work first appears in the room dedicated to the Flagellation, with his small oil painting of Christ at the column. A stroke of genius convinced the curators to place François Duquesnoy's bronze statuette of Christ at the Column next to Bernini's panel, offering a comparison between two types of 17th-century devotional imagery.

Although both artists conformed to the contemporary rules of decorum, which discouraged any imagery of Christ's body savaged and beaten, Duquesnoy made his Jesus so elegant and aloof that he seems to be posing for a portrait, while Bernini's Jesus emerges from a shadowy background, head slumped forward and his massive body bent in exhaustion.

Duquesnoy's classicizing school extols the nobility of Christ, making him seem above his physical suffering. As Jesus, throughout his torture and death, never lost sight of his plan to redeem man and never stooped to the level of his tormentors, so these artists represent him as an ideal, unruffled figure.

Bernini's Christ, on the other hand, displays a Michelangelesque physique, but instead of the muscles rippling with activity, the shoulders slump and the strong body offers no resistance. Bernini concentrates on the heroic Christ, the Word made flesh, who withstood very real physical suffering in order to save man.

The same room also contains a lovely terracotta study by Bernini for a statue of Christ in Prison. Bernini's work meditates on the moment in prison, before Christ is taken out for the crucifixion. Through this poignant image of Jesus, with his hands tied at his side and his downcast eyes, we are invited to think about Christ, already tortured and humiliated, alone and preparing for his death. Although at first sight he appears almost defeated, the rustling drapery and the torsion of his head, chest and knee declare that he is ready to continue.

Ultimately one arrives at the images of the crucifixion. Some represent Christ dying on the cross with his gaze upward while others show Christ lifeless on the cross such as Gaulli's "Crucifixion with St. Francis and St. Anthony." In this altarpiece, although Christ's dead body is relaxed and luminous, the gathering storm clouds and St. Francis' powerful and plaintive expression hint at the intensity of the scene.

A few interesting tidbits might surprise visitors. One room is filled with bronze and ivory altar crosses, revealing that Bernini designed all the crucifixes for all 45 altars of St. Peter's Basilica.

Although Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" paints Bernini as the artistic mastermind of the Masonic sect of the Illuminati, Bernini was indeed the most well-documented Roman Catholic artist of his age. Close to Father Gian Paolo Oliva, superior general of the Jesuits, Bernini practiced the spiritual exercises of Ignatius and toward the end of his life attended Mass daily.

Bernini suffered a stroke shortly before he died, losing the use of his right arm. But he had one more project yet to be completed. Undaunted, he dictated to Jesuit painter Bourgognone the design of the "Blood of Christ," a disquieting image of Christ on the cross whose blood pours from his wounds to create a tumultuous sea below. God the Father holds the cross aloft, while Mary, kneeling on a cloud, cups her hands to catch the blood flowing from his side. This work was placed at the foot of Bernini's death bed to accompany his final prayers. This undoubtedly is the most unusual work in the exhibition.

The exhibit, open everyday except Mondays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., is without charge and will close on June 10. A surprising and welcome gift from the Province of Rome, this show invites passers-by to see how the same person who designed the theatrical Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona or the playful elephant in front of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, also spawned a renewed imagery devoted to the passion of Christ.

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Elizabeth Lev teaches Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University's Italian campus. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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"The True Gift to Me Today Is Prayer"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's address at his birthday luncheon with several cardinals.

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LUNCHEON WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS FOR THE HOLY FATHER'S 80th BIRTHDAY

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Hall of Dukes
Monday, 16 April 2007

Dear Brothers and Friends,

At this moment I can only say "thank you" with all my heart.

My thanks go first of all to the Cardinal Dean of the Sacred College, both for his words paying homage to me yesterday with exquisite kindness and for what was written in 30 Giorni [30 Days magazine], and then for his most sensitive and competent organization of this very fine luncheon, at which we have experienced a moment of our affective and effective collegiality.

Indeed, I would say that it was not only a moment of collegiality but also of authentic brotherhood. We truly felt how beautiful it is to be together: "Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum habitare fratres in unum" (Ps 133[132]:1).

I am grateful for this experience of brotherhood, which I also feel in my daily life. Even if we do not see one another constantly, I always sense and notice the collaboration of those who help me. The College of Cardinals really offers effective and important support to the work of the Successor of Peter.

I would further like to say "thank you" here to all the Cardinals who wrote such beautiful things, both in 30 Giorni and in the special column of Avvenire newspaper, as well as in other publications.

I also thank those who did not write, but thought and prayed. The true gift to me today is prayer, which gives me the certainty that I am accepted from within and above all, assisted and sustained in my Petrine ministry, a ministry which I cannot carry out on my own but only in communion with all who help me, also by praying, so that the Lord may be with all of us and also with me.

Today, in the Office of Readings we recited the words of a Psalm which ring especially true and are very precious to me: "In manibus tuis sortes meae" (Ps 31[30]:16); in the Vetus latina the text was: "In manu tua tempora mea"; the Italian translation says: "Nelle tue mani sono i miei giorni"; the Greek text speaks of kairoi mou [the English translation is "my times are in your hands"].

All these versions mirror a single truth: that our time, every day, the events of our life, our destiny and our action are in the good hands of the Lord. This accounts for the great trust with which we go ahead, knowing that these hands of the Lord are sustained by the hands and hearts of so many Cardinals.

This is a cause of great joy to me today. I thank you all, and offer you very many good wishes!

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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"Music … the Universal Language of Beauty"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's address following the concert offered him for his 80th birthday.

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CONCERT FOR THE HOLY FATHER'S 80th BIRTHDAY

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Paul VI Audience Hall
Monday, 16 April 2007

Your Eminences,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

At the end of this marvellous concert at which the Stuttgart Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra have offered us a gift by uplifting our hearts, I would like to greet you all warmly.

I thank Minister Willi Stächele and Prof. Peter Voss, Director of the Südwestrundfunks, for their courteous words to me at the beginning.

I willingly and joyfully accepted your musical gift, this marvellous Birthday present from Southwest Germany, especially because the Baden-Württemberg Land is linked to an important and formative phase of my life. The Minister has already mentioned my roots.

In fact, I willingly think back to my years at Tübingen, to the intellectual and scientific exchange in that university and the many precious meetings with people which I had there and which continued for years and decades and are still taking place.

Above all, I would now like to thank the musicians of this evening's event, the members of the Stuttgarter Radio-Sinfonieorchesters, the SWR, who with their skill have offered us all an authentic experience of the inspiring power of great music.

I thank Gustavo Dudamel, the conductor, and Hilary Hahn, the soloist, and all of you, Ladies and Gentlemen. Since the language of music is universal, we see people from completely different cultural and religious backgrounds who let themselves be gripped and likewise guided by it and who also interpret it.

Today, this universal aspect of music is given special emphasis, thanks to the electronic and digital instruments of communications. How many people there are in the most diverse countries who are able to take part in this musical performance at home, or experience it later!

I am convinced that music -- and here I am thinking in particular of the great Mozart and this evening, of course, of the marvellous music by Gabrieli and the majestic "New World" by Dvorák -- really is the universal language of beauty which can bring together all people of good will on earth and get them to lift their gaze on high and open themselves to the Absolute Good and Beauty whose ultimate source is God himself.

In looking back over my life, I thank God for placing music beside me, as it were, as a travelling companion that has offered me comfort and joy. I also thank the people who from the very first years of my childhood brought me close to this source of inspiration and serenity.

I thank those who combine music and prayer in harmonious praise of God and his works: they help us glorify the Creator and Redeemer of the world, which is the marvellous work of his hands.

This is my hope: that the greatness and beauty of music will also give you, dear friends, new and continuous inspiration in order to build a world of love, solidarity and peace.

For this I invoke upon us who are gathered this evening in the Vatican and upon everyone who is linked to us via radio and television the constant protection of God, of that God of love who desires to kindle ceaselessly in our hearts the flame of good, and to feed it with his grace. May he, the Lord and Giver of new and definitive life, whose victory we are joyfully celebrating in this Easter Season, bless you all!

I thank you once again for your presence and for your good wishes.

A Happy Easter Season to everyone!

Thank you!

[Translation issued by the Holy See]

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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"A Lack of Charity and Justice in the World"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the introductory text of the 13th Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on the theme "Charity and Justice in the Relations Among Peoples and Nations."

The plenary session will be held in Vatican City from April 27 to May 1.

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INTRODUCTION: CHARITY AND JUSTICE IN THE RELATIONS AMONG PEOPLES AND NATIONS

The next plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences will be devoted to the study of Charity and Justice in the Relations Among Peoples and Nations. In the recent past, the academy has devoted sessions to the study of globalization and these have enabled us to see that there is a lack of charity and justice in the world we live in.

This may be summarized in a general way as: disproportionate reallocations, promises not honored, and unequal divisions. In addition, we are faced with new signs of the times that are very worrying. All of this has been met by the renewed appeal to charity and justice made by the Pope, Benedict XVI, in particular in his encyclical "Deus Caritas Est." These facts and this appeal form an important part of the background to our meeting.

The subject of the session will be the relations among peoples and nations: the developed, the developing, the emerging and the poor. We will ask ourselves whether these relations, in the light of the social magisterium of the Church, can become more just, fairer, and more peaceful, and what the route should be to achieve such ends. In other words, is a partnership for charity and justice possible in the globalized world?

1. Worrying recent signs of the times

Although it is at times a common conviction that the pursuit of charity and justice at the international level is of key importance for contemporary society, at the same time we encounter signs that are working in the opposite direction:

The re-emergence of nationalism. In developing and developed countries there are signs of crisis as regards two key features of the process of globalization: one is a human problem and relates to increased legal and illegal international migration and the political resistance to it; the second is economic and relates to the tensions between protectionism and free trade.

Weak convergence. In spite of continuing rapid economic growth in many developing countries, signals of economic and social convergence between developed and developing countries are still confined to only to a few of this last category. This is not only the case at the economic level but is also true in the field of education.

Pervasive poverty. At the same time, even in countries that have a fast-growing economy, the incidence of poverty and extreme poverty is still very high.

The weakness of multilateralism. Bilateralism is growing stronger and most multilateral institutions, such as the UN, the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank, and even some of their regional counterparts, are demonstrating signs of weakness and tiredness. However, no institutions are presently emerging to replace them.

Millennium Goals. These were based on a broad international consensus but there are now well-grounded doubts about the possibility of really implementing them within the time envisaged. The previous consensus on the Millennium Goals is thus beginning to crumble. As a result, there is a need for further reflection on the mechanisms by which these goals can be achieved, together with the formulation of new proposals.

Insufficient and inefficient aid. The aid that has been given has fallen far short of the goal of allocating 0.7% of the GDP of developed countries to foreign aid. In addition, the aid that has been given has often been inefficiently distributed and utilized both by international organizations and by local governments and agencies.

Terrorism and war. As the events of Sept. 11, 2001, indicate, the beginning of the new century has been characterized by a notable increase in the social and moral scourge of terrorism. At the same time, the world is still afflicted on a large scale by wars between countries and wars within countries.

2. The Encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" of Pope Benedict XVI

Our meeting wants to draw inspiration from the Pope's first encyclical and its important implications. In particular this document reminds us that the theological and human virtue of charity must preside over all of the social teaching and all of the social works of the Church and her members. First of all, this encyclical leads us to the center of our faith, to the truth that "God is love."

Thus the Pope declares that "Jesus united into a single precept this commandment of love for God and the commandment of love for neighbor." The Pope draws our attention to the fact that this teaching is both timely and significant "in a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence."

This is why "Deus Caritas Est" has been correctly described as being in part a social encyclical. It is love (caritas) that animates the Church's care for the needy, the work of laywomen and men for justice and peace in the secular sphere, and is the leavening force of the Church in society. And without love, as Paul told the Corinthians, our words and works will come to nothing.

Indeed, "Deus Caritas Est" places itself in the long lineage of other social encyclicals (cf. No. 27), not only because it addresses the virtue of charity but also because it attributes primary importance to the virtue of justice. Indeed, it has a highly significant reference to a famous statement on this virtue by one of the great figures of Tradition: "As Augustine once said, a state which is not governed according to justice would be just a bunch of thieves: 'Remota itaque iustitia quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia?"'

Taking into consideration traditional philosophical-political doctrines and also (in a critical way) the Marxist demand for a fair distribution of goods by public powers, Benedict XVI declares: "In today's complex situation, not least because of the growth of a globalized economy, the social doctrine of the Church has become a set of fundamental guidelines offering approaches that are even beyond the confines of the Church: in the face of ongoing development these guidelines need to be addressed in the context of dialogue with all those seriously concerned for humanity and for the world in which we live" (No. 27).

When discussing the relationship between the Church, a "Community of Love," and politics, the Pope's approach to justice is particularly relevant to the social sciences and to the role of the magisterium of the Church.

First of all, the Pope offers the strongest vision that has ever been formulated in the contemporary age on the relationship between politics and justice: "The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics." Indeed, "Justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics."

For the Pope justice (and politics) is not a mere utilitarian or contractual technique but "by its very nature has to do with ethics" (No. 28). In contrast to the solely descriptive and value-free understanding of human action proposed by many within the human and social sciences, the Pope upholds the importance of practical reason by renewing the question of the most just political order.

However, he perceives the modern danger of detaching reason from faith: "If reason is to be exercised properly, it must undergo constant purification, since it can never be completely free of the danger of a certain ethical blindness caused by the dazzling effect of power and special interests." Indeed, we cannot but engage in an assessment of our sense of justice in the light of faith: "From God's standpoint, faith liberates reason from its blind spots and therefore helps it to be ever more fully itself."

This critical work of faith frees reason from its limits: "Faith enables reason to do its work more effectively and to see its proper object more clearly." Not only the historical dimension of the meaning of justice, founded on both the Jewish and Christian traditions and the Roman and Greek inheritance, but also its contemporary meaning, derive from the constant purification that faith brings to reason: "This is where Catholic social doctrine has its place: it has no intention of giving the Church power over the State. Even less is it an attempt to impose on those who do not share the faith ways of thinking and modes of conduct proper to faith."

To conclude, here, too, the Pope attributes to the Christian a fundamental task and stresses that the aim of the social doctrine of the Church "is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgement and attainment of what is just" (No. 28a).

The Holy Father, in conformity with this teaching on charity and justice, thus calls for the structures of charitable service in the social context of the present day to promote the wellbeing of individuals, of peoples and of humanity: "Our times call for a new readiness to assist our neighbors in need. … Concern for our neighbor transcends the confines of national communities and has increasingly broadened its horizon to the whole world" (No. 30).

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Archpastoral Statement Regarding the Virginia Tech Tragedy

Johnstown, PA ( April 23, 2007 ) His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has issued the following statement regarding the  Recent Tragedy at Virginia Tech:

April 23, 2007

Christ is Risen!

Dear Fathers and Faithful:

Tragedy comes in many forms and faces. It is not new to us. It has visited our nation once again, this time in Blacksburg, Virginia at Virginia Tech University. Its form is senseless. Its face is brutal. Thirty-two lives – the majority of them aspiring students, the others, distinguished educators - were snuffed out without warning on the morning of April 16 by a lone gunman in a senseless shooting spree. Although we do not understand this tragedy, nor did the victims do anything to precipitate it, nevertheless it happened.

Now, we do what our Christian tradition teaches us to do – pray for the victims, mourn with their families, and, yes, pray for mercy on the soul of the perpetrator of this crime.

In a Convocation address the day after the tragedy, Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor, spoke to the university community. Listen to a portion of the message of inspiration he delivered to them:

“We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think, and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through our sadness…We will prevail…”

Virginia Tech will prevail…our nation will prevail because of the truth of the Resurrection that gives us hope. Because Christ is risen, eternal life is bestowed. Indeed, He is risen!

Memorial services have been held across the nation every day since this senseless tragedy. If you have not already prayed for the fallen, I ask that you do so in the Divine Liturgy this Sunday.

Additionally, cards and letters of condolences can be sent to:

Dean of Students
Virginia Tech
201 West Roanoke Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061.

With prayerful regards and the assurance of my blessing, I remain

Most sincerely yours in Christ Risen

+ METROPOLITAN NICHOLAS

Metropoltian Smisko is the Bishop of the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of Johnstown.
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VATICAN CITY, APR 26, 2007 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at midday today, a press conference was held to present the 13th plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences which is due to be held in the Vatican from April 27 to May 1 and which has as its theme this year: "Charity and Justice in the Relations among Peoples and Nations."

 

Participating in the press conference were Mary Ann Glendon, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and professor of law at Harvard University, U.S.A.; Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; and Juan Jose Llach, counsellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and professor of economics at Austral University, Argentina.

 

An English-language note regarding the theme of the forthcoming plenary was made public today. "Although it is at times a common conviction that the pursuit of charity and justice at the international level is of key importance for contemporary society, at the same time we encounter signs that are working in the opposite direction," the note reads, and goes on to list a number of "worrying recent signs of the times" such as "the re-emergence of nationalism," and signs that "economic and social convergence between developed and developing countries is still confined only to a few of this last category."

 

Other "worrying signs" include the high "incidence of poverty and extreme poverty" and the fact that "multilateral institutions such as the UN, the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank ... are demonstrating signs of weakness and tiredness." Furthermore "there are now well-grounded doubts about the possibility of really implementing" the Millennium Goals of halving the number of poor people in the world by the year 2015.

 

A further cause for concern is the fact that "the aid that has been given has fallen far short of the goal of allocating 0.7 percent of the GDP of developed countries to foreign aid," and "has often been inefficiently distributed and utilised." Finally, the note mentions the problem of war and terrorism highlighting how the beginning of the new century was "characterised by a notable increase in the social and moral scourge of terrorism. At the same time, the world is still afflicted on a large scale by wars between countries and wars within countries."

 

The text then mentions Benedict XVI's Encyclical "Deus caritas est" as a specific source of inspiration. "In particular," the note says, the Encyclical "reminds us that the theological and human virtue of charity must preside over all of the social teaching and all of the social works of the Church and her members. ... The Pope draws our attention to the fact that this teaching is both timely and significant, 'in a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence.'

 

"This," the note adds, "is why 'Deus Caritas est' has been correctly described as being in part a social encyclical. It is love (caritas) that animates the Church's care for the needy, the work of lay women and men for justice and peace in the secular sphere, and is the leavening force of the Church in society."

 

"Indeed, 'Deus Caritas est' places itself in the long lineage of other social encyclicals, not only because it addresses the virtue of charity but also because it attributes primary importance to the virtue of justice." In the Encyclical, "Benedict XVI declares: 'In today's complex situation, not least because of the growth of a globalized economy, the Social Doctrine of the Church has become a set of fundamental guidelines offering approaches that are even beyond the confines of the Church'."

 

"When discussing the relationship between the Church, a 'Community of Love,' and politics," says the note, "the Pope offers the strongest vision that has ever been formulated in the contemporary age on the relationship between politics and justice: 'The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics.' Indeed, 'Justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics.' For the Pope, justice (and politics) is not a mere utilitarian or contractual technique but 'by its very nature has to do with ethics'."

 

On the other hand, however, the Holy Father "perceives the modern danger of detaching reason from faith" when he states: "if reason is to be exercised properly, it must undergo constant purification, since it can never be completely free of the danger of a certain ethical blindness caused by the dazzling effect of power and special interests."

 

The note goes on: "This critical work of faith frees reason from its limits: 'Faith enables reason to do its work more effectively and to see its proper object more clearly.' Not only the historical dimension of the meaning of justice, founded on both the Jewish and Christian traditions and the Roman and Greek inheritance, but also its contemporary meaning, derive from the constant purification that faith brings to reason: 'This is where Catholic social doctrine has its place: it has no intention of giving the Church power over the State. Even less is it an attempt to impose on those who do not share the faith ways of thinking and modes of conduct proper to faith'."

 

The note concludes: "The Holy Father, in conformity with this teaching on charity and justice, thus calls for the structures of charitable service in the social context of the present day to promote the wellbeing of individuals, of peoples and of humanity."

ACAD-SS/CHARITY:JUSTICE/GLENDON                                VIS 070426 (940)