Fraternity and Focolare
As we continue to ponder Pope Benedict’s gift, Caritas in Veritate, the always astute Austen Ivereigh has helpful remarks on the America site.
He agrees with George Weigel that some passages of the encyclical are more “Benedictine” than others; though this fact does not justify Mr. Weigel’s seeming conclusions. The Pope did sign the whole document — and on the feast of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul!
While celebrating the encyclical’s power and importance, Ivereigh (as an experienced editor) does regret that it did not receive a more careful editorial pruning and shaping. “The message is wonderful, and often reaches for poetry; but the medium could have made more concessions to the market.”
Finally, and to my mind most helpfully, he identifies one important source of the Pope’s inspiration: Chiara Lubich and the Focolare movement she founded.
He gives the following as an example:
Para 53 in Chapter 5 — the link between poverty and isolation: one of Chiara’s central thoughts — is also pure Focolare, and the idea that “the development of peoples depends, above all, on a recognition that the human race is a single family working together in true communion” could have come straight from one of the movements’ documents.
Thanks to Mr. Ivereigh for his insights.
Bob: I suppose the influence of Focolare is possible, but the text you cite is not convincing, at least not to me. Neither the association between poverty and isolation nor that the human race constitutes a single family are ideas unique to that movement. As for the first example Ivereigh adduces, the invocation of “fraternity,” this was the subject of one of Joseph Ratzinger’s earliest works, ca. 1960, if I recall correctly. “Economy of communion” might make a better case.
Joe,
Amy Uelmen (a member of Focolare) does suggest the “economy of communion” link on “Mirror of Justice:”
http://mirrorofjustice.blogs.com/mirrorofjustice/
It’s interesting that Focolare might be a source of inspiration for the pope. I thought I heard somewhere that JPII was the wax to Cardinal Ratzinger’s wane regarding such movements. Maybe, as pope, Benedict has had a change of heart.
Joseph Fessio SJ catches well what the new encyclical is doing: rewriting the Justice and Peace agenda of Vatican II and Paul VI (which led to Liberation Theology) in the key of Charity based on Truth, and thus restoring a perfect continuity with the pre-Vatican II social stance of the Church. Happily, like most encyclicals this one will probably remain a dead letter. See http://www.zenit.org/article-26400?l=english
Mr. Proska: If by “wane” you mean that then Cardinal Ratzinger was not enthusiastic about the “new ecclesial movements,” as they are called, I don’t think this was the case. Several times he praised them highly as among the most important developments since Vatican II. He compared the vitality they were bringing to the Church to the rise of the mendicant friars in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Father K–
Thanks for the background, I hadn’t known that. Maybe I had it backwards and JPII was the one who wanted to take a more cautious approach to new ecclesial movements. I think this phenomenon may have increasing relevance in places like Africa in the not too distant future.
“Happily, like most encyclicals this one will probably remain a dead letter.”
Happily? I guess there’s something not to like for just about everyone in the new encyclical.