In an unprecedented gesture, Pope Benedict XVI has written an introductory about his own encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, for the magazine Famiglia Cristiana. The Italian weekly has published a special edition, containing the entirety of the Pope's encyclical, with a cover date of February 5.
"I am happy that Famiglia Cristiana is sending you the text of my encyclical, and giving me the opportunity to accompany it with a few words intended to help the reader approach it," the Pope writes. Famiglia Cristiana, through an agreement with the Vatican, has printed an extraordinary 100,000 copies of the special issue for distribution.
The encyclical may be "a bit difficult and theoretical at the beginning," the Pope admits. But eventually, he says, the reader will realize that he is simply trying to "respond to some very concrete questions about human life."
Catholic World News Link.
