The Mixed Blessing: Caritas in Veritate, Part I

Let me begin by saying that I'm a big fan of Pope Benedict XVI. A big fan. His Holiness was unquestionably the best of all the candidates eligible for election to his sacred office, and he's clearly done enormous good for the Church; first among his good deeds must be counted the freeing of the traditional rites of the Western Church in Summorum Pontificum, as well as the major steps forward he has made in reconciling with the Society of Saint Pius X.

His latest encyclical is no exception; overall, it's a boon for the Church, as I fully expected it to be. It contains numerous reaffirmations of the perennial social teaching of the Catholic Church, blazes new ground in some areas, and makes explicit what was only implicit in some earlier writings. What many previous pontiffs left unsaid, assuming that their readers would have a basis in Thomistic philosophy, this great pontiff has been forced to make explicit, and he has done so. In this way, Caritas in Veritate must be received with great joy by the faithful, particularly those conscious of Catholic social teaching.

On the other hand---and in these sad times there is nearly always another hand---the encyclical leaves off a good deal of what was great and powerful in past statements of the Church's social teaching. Most especially, it is completely devoid of any acknowledgment of Christ the King, though it does (without, of course, using those words) acknowledge in some ways the role that Christ must have in earthly kingdoms. Among some other omissions, this is troubling, and faithful Catholics steeped in the tradition of the social teaching of the Church cannot but think it so.

Perhaps most troubling, of course, is that the official version of this encyclical has still, after over a month, not been released yet. A perusal of the Vatican web site reveals translations of the encyclical into English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, and Polish; however, no copy of the document in the only official and authoritative language of the Church, Latin, can be found. Granted, four of the seven translations available are in languages descended from Latin, but this is hardly a substitute. No matter how helpful vernacular translations of papal documents might be (and they are helpful in many ways), there can be no replacing the authoritative Latin text, against which translations may be compared for accuracy. There is no such text available at this time, so everything contained in the translations must be considered only tentative. Indeed, many of the problems that some Catholics have, rightly or wrongly, identified with the encyclical could well be due entirely to poor translations; Catholics above all other religions should know the damage that poor or deliberately misleading translations can do.

I've waited a long time to comment on the encyclical. Mostly this has been due to an inability to get it completely read; also, however, I've wanted to sit back, see the reactions, and read the words of others on the subject to see what my own response would be. Well, I've completed reading the document, and I've seen many responses, and I think I'm ready for my own. I've divided my response into several parts; this division is partly selfish, of course, as it is easier to write as well as to read such commentaries in smaller increments. The plan should be simple, as follows:

• Part I: Introduction


• Part II: Reaffirming Traditional Teachings


• Part III: New Teachings, Traditional Principles


• Part IV: Questions from the Traditional Perspective


• Part V: Conclusion

A part will be published each week until the series is concluded. As the parts are written, they may prove amenable to division themselves, in which case they will be so divided.

As a faithful Catholic, I hasten to add that any criticisms or questions I may raise regarding the words of His Holiness in this encyclical are not meant in any way as denials of his rightful authority. Pope Benedict XVI is the Vicar of Christ, the Servant of the Servants of God, and as such is entitled to religious deference and will always receive it from me. However, as Ryan Grant rightly points out in his recent article on the subject, Catholics may withhold their consent from papal teachings which are not ex cathedra in certain circumstances. I have not done so in any case in which I have not seriously considered the circumstances, and ask everyone else to do the same.

And so I embark upon the encyclical; may Christ the King guide me, His Mother pray for me, and may St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and my own patron saints and guardian angels pray for me to read rightly, understand correctly, and judge wisely throughout this endeavor.

Praise be to Christ the King!


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