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| Deus caritas est Latin for 'God is Love' Encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI | |
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| Signature date | 25 December 2005 |
| Subject | Christian love |
| Pages | 95 |
| Number | 1 of 3 of the pontificate |
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| Part of a series on the |
| Theology of Pope Benedict XVI |
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Deus caritas est (English: "God is Love"), subtitled De Christiano Amore (Of Christian Love), is a 2005 encyclical, the first written by Pope Benedict XVI, in large part derived from writings by his late predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Its subject is love, as seen from a Christian perspective, and God's place within all love. Charity is one of the three theological virtues; and the other two (hope and faith) were treated in two successive encyclicals, one signed by Benedict (Spe Salvi) and one written substantially by him but signed by his successor Pope Francis (Lumen fidei).[1] This text begins with a reflection on the forms of love known in Greek philosophy—eros (possessive, often sexual, love), agape (unconditional, self-sacrificing love), philia (friendship)—and their relationship with the teachings of Jesus.
The encyclical contains almost 16,000 words in 42 paragraphs. The first half is said to have been written by Benedict in German, his mother tongue, in the summer of 2005; the second half is derived from uncompleted writings left by John Paul II.[2] The document was signed by Pope Benedict on Christmas Day, 25 December 2005.[3] Some reports attribute the delay to problems in translating the original German text into Latin, others to disputes within the Vatican over the precise wording of the document.[4][5]
The encyclical was promulgated on 25 January 2006, in Latin and officially translated into seven other languages (English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish). It is the first encyclical to be published since the Vatican decided to assert copyright in the official writings of the Pope.[6]
- ^ Speciale, Alessandro (4 July 2013). "The light of faith: origin, history and horizon of the christianism". La Stampa. Turin. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
- ^ Pope's first encyclical is disquisition on love and sex (The Times, 25 January 2006)
- ^ The pope needs a theologian? Former papal adviser reveals why (Free Republic, 1 January 2006, from Thavis, John, Catholic News Service, 30 December 2005)
- ^ Love should not be confused with lust, says Pope (The Telegraph, 18 January 2006)
- ^ Pope's first encyclical on love and sex is lost in translation (The Times, 19 January 2006)
- ^ Vatican 'cashes in' by putting price on the Pope's copyright (The Times, 23 January 2006)