"Its Principal Driving Force": More from Fr. Schall on the encyclical

Caritas in Veritate: "Its Principal Driving Force" | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | July 14, 2009 | Ignatius Insight

"Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity." -- Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, (#1).

"The Trinity is absolute unity insofar as the three divine Persons are pure relationality. The reciprocal transparency among the divine Persons is total and the bond between each of them complete, since they constitute a unique and absolute unity. God desires to incorporate us into this reality of communion as well: 'that they may be one even as we are one' (Jn. 17:22). The Church is a sign and instrument of this unity. Relationships between human beings throughout history cannot but be enriched by reference to this divine model. In particular, in the light of the revealed mystery of the Trinity, we understand that true openness does not mean loss of individual identity but profound interpenetration." -- Caritas in Veritate, (#54).

I.

The publication of a social encyclical is a significant event both in the Church and in the world. Many people will have heard even the Latin titles, which are the names given to the most famous of them, Rerum Novarum, Quadragesimo Anno, Mater et Magistra, Pacem in Terris, Populorum Progressio, and "Centesimus Annus, not to mention "Gaudium et Spes, a decree of the Second Vatican Council.

We read in Scripture that a difference is found between the world and the Church. This difference often becomes clear in the way the world understands and receives a social encyclical. The world often considers its relative autonomy to be absolute so that no guidance or advice from outside its own control will be admitted. In not a few countries in the world, even today, opposition to the Church's presence and freedom is juridical and intense. But even in countries where freedom of the press is guaranteed, an encyclical is often interpreted in an unrecognizable or ideological way.

For its part, a social encyclical tries to say something significant and meaningful to the world about the world in terms of truth and human worth. Within it, we often find words like politics, economics, market, violence, profit, capitalism, socialism, justice, technology, development, corruption, rights, freedom, constitution, duties, and any number of other words we see or hear every day in the media. In general, unless it absolutely has to, the Church does not like to be "polemical." But it does have to be truthful. It seeks to make common ground on some one or more basic points on which agreement of principle or practice is feasible and coherent.

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Comments

[Bender]

Probably the most controversial suggestion of the encyclical has to do with the advisability of a real international authority capable of carrying out necessary reforms on a worldwide scale with power of enforcement. . . . there is danger of a "beast," of a new Babylon, that thinks only of itself and sets itself up against God. The pope's writings are full of warnings against this latter absolutist danger.

The type of "true world political authority" that the Holy Father mentions in Section 67 has never existed in all of human history and, given the state of man and his lust for power, it is almost certain that there never will be such an altruistic authority that is grounded in charity in truth. That is, there never will be such a human-created authority. There have been attempts to create such an authority from those who believe in the perfectibility of man through political/economic/technological progress, and they have all (as pointed out by Pope Benedict in Spe Salvi) been destructive of human development. And in non-economic areas, such as marriage, family, and human sexuality, government in recent times has been the problem, not the solution, he notes in this Encyclical. So there is little reason to believe that, in practice in economic areas, the hearts of those having political power will ever be so purified as to create a true world political authority as described by the Pope.

That said, there is need for such a true world authority, but the authority that is needed is Christ.

The only governing authority that fits and would fit the criteria set out by the Pope in Section 67 is Christ the King. (Again, as noted by the Pope in other writings.) But at that point, the existing order will have gone away entirely.

Until then, until we have the New Jerusalem, human attempts to create a substitute King will not create an earthly paradise, but an earthly hell.

The Pope knows this, having written about it repeatedly, and having lived it as a boy. So how to square that with this mention of a "true world political authority"? If we are to read Section 67 in the context of the whole of the Encyclical and the whole of Benedict's magisterium, notwithstanding the language used, it would seem that he is NOT saying that what is needed is some new world authority per se -- he is not calling for a particular structure to be built -- but rather he is stating principle, calling for world authorities to comply with the moral truth, that is, to become a "true" world authority, an authority that is consistent with charity and truth and thereby safeguards and promotes the freedom and dignity of the human person. It is less of a call for a new political regulatory body than it is a criticism of the current system and a statement of what is needed if governments are ever to be consistent with charity in truth.

That Section 67 is NOT a call for a particular world political structure, but is instead a statement of principle is supported by the Pope's own description of the Encyclical at the July 8 General Audience, "The Encyclical does not aim to provide technical solutions to today’s social problems but instead focuses on the principles indispensable for human development."

The entire Encylical focuses, not on specific structural answers -- it does not proclaim government to be the solution -- rather, it points out the shortcomings of current structures, it says that current government (and that throughout history) is part of the problem. The answer is not government, but moral and ethical principles, specifically, Christian principles, is what he is saying. Thus, we see that in reading Section 67, the key terms are not "world political authority," but rather, the key term is "true" world political authority. What is called for, what is needed, is truth, truth in charity and charity in truth. What is needed is for world political authority, and those individuals who hold such positions of authority, now and in the future, to become "true."

[David]

One should also look at the second part of paragraph 41 beginning with the words "Political Authority", paragraph 42 and 57 also.

Note the emphasis throughout the Encyclical on "Communion" and "Christian Religion/Humanism"

You really do need to read this Encyclical at least three times to even begin to unpack all of what's going on in the text.

When in paragraph 67 we read "true world political authority", the aforementioned "Political Authority" paragraph is presupposed. It is only short of being underlined in red.