Richard Owen, Rome Correspondent of The Times, explains that part of today’s encyclical on love and sex was written by Pope John Paul II.
“The papal encyclical published today is in two halves, the first warning of the difference between eros (worldly love) and agape (spiritual love), and the second looking at another meaning of the word love, namely charity.
“This may seem an odd combination. It arises from the fact that the first part of the encyclical was written by Pope Benedict XVI himself, whereas the second half, on Christian aid efforts in the Third World, was left behind by Pope John Paul II, and unfinished when he died.
“What Benedict has done is to combine his own reflections on the debasement of sexual love with the connected but disparate theme of Christian charity.
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“Jean Paul’s words will have been extensively reworked. The late Pope had thought of an encyclical on charity, but it had only got as far as the draft stage and it was being discussed by his advisers when he died.
“Nevertheless Benedict, who reveres his predecessor, clearly thought that he had a duty to his mentor to fulfil his last wish, and to publish the encyclical that the old Pope wanted. And then he had the idea of combining it with other reflections on love.
“Publication was delayed. It was widely reported that it was supposed to have been issued on December 8, the day when the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary is celebrated.
“A Vatican spokesman pointed out that he had always said that the schedule was for the end of January, but nonetheless there have been consistent rumours inside the Vatican that there were delays, partly in harmonising the two halves and partly because of translation problems.
“It is said that there were differences among the Pope’s advisers over doctrinal matters. One Cardinal agreed at a press conference today that he was a bit surprised that a Pope who had spent 20 years in charge of doctrinal orthodoxy and was a noted theologian should have handed his text over to his advisers for redrafting. But he added that it was normal for popes to consult.
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“During the delay there have been a number of leaks of its contents to the Italian press. As a result the Vatican has significantly tightened up on the enforcement of its copyright. A similar pattern occurred with the edict on gays in the Church, where again there were delays, and, during the delays, leaks.
“Now the Vatican has cracked down, so that if a leak is published the Vatican can sue for its copyright. The rules existed before but haven’t previously been strictly enforced.
“The section of today’s encyclical that will undoubtedly get most attention is the Pope’s warning that physical love is meaningless without spiritual love. But I suspect that many Catholics will study more closely his thoughts on charity, where he defends the right of Christian agencies to take part in politics by carrying out charity work in conflict-ridden parts of the world.
“He says that they are not doing it to proselytise, they should convey the Christian message simply by example, in using aid as a way to show love for one’s neighbour. Many Catholics will find that equally interesting.”