God is Love (Deus Caritas Est)

In today's high-tech, fast-paced world, love is often portrayed as being separate from Church teaching. With his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI hopes to overturn that perception and describe the essential place of love in the life of the Church. The Holy Father explains the various dimensions of love, highlighting the distinctions between "eros" and "agape," Jesus as the incarnate love of God, and the scriptural law of love. In part two, he links the Church's charitable work with the love of God as trinity, noting that the Church must express love through acts of justice and charity. This encyclical is an ideal reflection for religious and civic leaders, those preparing for marriage, and those engaged in justice and charitable work.

 

The encyclical covers the following points.

Introduction
Part I: The Unity of Love in Creation and in Salvation History

• A Problem of Language
• “Eros” and “Agape”—Difference and Unity
• The Newness of Biblical Faith
• Love of God and Love of Neighbor

Part II: Caritas: The Practice of Love by the Church as a “Community of Love”

• The Church’s Charitable Activity as a Manifestation of Trinitarian Love
• Charity as a Responsibility of the Church
• Justice and Charity
• The Multiple Structures of Charitable Service in the Social Context of the Present Day
• The Distinctiveness of the Church's Charitable Activity
• Those Responsible for the Church's Charitable Activity

Conclusion