VATICAN - Benedict XVI presents at the general audience his third encyclical “Caritas in veritate”: “Charity in truth is the principal propelling force for the authentic development of every human person and of the whole of humanity ”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “ Charity in truth is the principal propelling force for the authentic development of every human person and of the whole of humanity . This is why the Social Doctrine of the Church rotates, around the principle, ‘caritas in veritate’. Only with charity, illuminated by reason and faith, is it possible to reach goals of human and humanising value”. These words were pronounced by the Holy Father Benedict XVI who devoted his weekly catechesis at the general Wednesday audience on 8 July to his third Encyclical, “Caritas in veritate”.
As the Pontiff explained, the text of the Encyclical which, “takes inspiration for its fundamental vision from a passage in St Paul's Letter to the Ephesians where the Apostle speaks of living according to truth in charity (4,15)”, speaks in the introduction of two fundamental criteria: justice and the common good. “Like other documents of the Magisterium –Benedict XVI recalled -, this Encyclical takes up and deepens the Church's analysis and reflection on social issues of vital interest for humanity in our century. In a special way, it connects up with what Paul VI wrote some 40 years ago, in his Populorum progressio, a milestone in the Church's social teaching”.
The Holy Father went on to speak of “no minor problems” in the present world situation and the "scandal" of clamorous inequality, which persists despite commitments taken in the past. “On the one hand we see signs of serious social and economic unbalance; on the other from various parts come demands for reforms which can no longer be delayed to fill the development divide between peoples. The phenomenon of globalisation can, to this end, constitute a real opportunity, but for this it is important to promote profound moral and cultural renewal and responsible discernment with regard to decisions to take for the common good. A better future for everyone is possible, if it is founded on the rediscovery of fundamental moral values. What is needed therefore is new economic projecting to redesign development in a global manner, based on the ethical foundation of responsibility before God and before the human person created by God”.
Although it offers no “ technical solutions to the vast social problems of the world today ”, since this does not pertain to the Magisterium of the Church, the Encyclical does mention the great values indispensable for building human development in the years ahead: “concern for the life of man, considered the centre of all true progress; respect for the right to religious freedom, always closely connected with the development of the human person; rejection of the Promethean vision of the human being, which considers the person absolute master of his own destiny”. The Pope then highlights the necessity for “ upright persons in politics and in the economy, genuinely concerned for the common good" and he calls public attention to the tragedy of hunger and of food security, which “ challenge our conscience”, and must be overcome by “eliminating the structural causes which provoke it and by promoting agricultural development in the poorest countries”. Also necessary is the revaluation of the political role and power of nations, not overlooking the participation of citizens in national and international politics, “thanks also to renewed commitment of workers' associations called to install new synergies and the local and international level”. A primary role is played by the means of social communications to intensify dialogue among different cultures and traditions.
Benedict XVI invites everyone to “reflect seriously on the sense of the economy and its finalities. This is demanded by the ecological state of the planet; it is demanded by man's cultural and moral crisis which emerges with evidence all over the globe. The economy needs ethics if it is to function properly; it needs to rediscover the important contribution of the principle of gratuitousness and the ‘logic of the gift’ in the market economy, where profit cannot be the only rule ”. To reach this goal there must be “formation of conscience which gives force to moral criteria in the elaboration of political and economic programmes”. It is necessary for the whole of humanity to adopt “a different style of life … humanity is one family and fruitful dialogue between faith and reason cannot fail to enrich it, rendering more effective charitable work in society and offering an appropriate setting to encourage collaboration among believers and non believers, in the shared prospect of working for justice and peace in the world”. The guiding criteria for this fraternal inter-action indicated in the Encyclical are the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, closely connected with one another, while there is also need of a world political authority regulated by law, firmly orientated to achieving the common good.
In the final part of his catechesis, the Holy Father said “every programme for development must keep in mind, besides material growth also the spiritual growth of the human person, who is gifted with soul and body. This is the integral development to which the social teaching of the Church has always referred ”. He concluded asking those present to pray “that this encyclical may help humanity feel it is one family committed to building a world of justice and peace” and “that believers, operating in the sectors of the economy and politics, realise the importance of their own consistent witness to the Gospel ”. The final exhortation was to pray for the heads of state and government of the G8 meeting in L’Aquila: “From this important world summit may there emerge decisions and orientations useful for the true progress of all Peoples, especially the poorest ones”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 9/7/2009; righe 63, parole 892)