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 Chiaras 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.