Faithful Catholic Commentary on Pope Benedic XVI's Caritas in Veritate
July 11, 9:11 PM · Denise Hunnell, M.D. - DC Catholic Living Examiner
. (AP Photo/Tiziana Fabi, POOL)

So many voices are rushing to comment on Pope Benedict’s latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate. There has been a great deal of cherry picking of this portion or that portion in an attempt to score political points. However, as Pope Benedict XVI himself said in his Wednesday Audience, the aim of this document is not about technical solutions to specific problems. It is about principles.

Most important among these is human life itself, the centre of all true progress. Additionally, it speaks of the right to religious freedom as a part of human development, it warns against unbounded hope in technology alone, and it underlines the need for upright men and women – attentive to the common good – in both politics and the business world.

Still, there is a lot to unpack in this encyclical. Catholic World Report has pulled together a cohort of reliably Catholic intellectuals to offer a round table discussion of this profound document. The panel includes: J. Brian Benestad, professor of theology at the University of Scranton; Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies, and Resident Scholar in the Institute for the Studies of Religion, Baylor University; Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, editor of Ignatius Press; Richard Garnett, professor of Law at University of Notre Dame; Thomas S. Hibbs, Distinguished Professor of Ethics & Culture and Dean of the Honors College at Baylor University; Paul Kengor, professor of political science at Grove City College; George Neumayr, editor of Catholic World Report; Joseph Pearce, writer-in-residence and associate professor of literature at Ave Maria University; Tracy Rowland, Dean of John Paul II Institute, Melbourne Australia; Fr. James V. Schall, professor of government at Georgetown University; Rev. Robert A. Sirico, president and co-founder of the Acton Institute.

The comments of this esteemed assembly are not a substitute for reading Caritas in Veritate. Rather, they offer faithfully Catholic guidance in the interpretation and application of the Holy Father’s words.

Copyright 2009 Examiner.com. All rights reserved.