I must check if it is customary for the President of Italy to write the Pope about an encyclical, but if it is not, this is yet another indication of the personal rapport between the Pope and the ex-Communist President of Italy, an octogenarian like him.
Italian President writes the Pope
to commend 'Caritas in veritate'
Translated from the Quirinale website
I read with great interest your third encyclical Caritas in veritate which, addressed as well to 'all men of good will;, carries your message into a society where, these years, there is apprehension and uncertainty, not only about prospects for the future of the world economy and development, but also for the changes that are taking place in human relationships, in the workplace and in business, as well as in the relations among the inhabitants of the planet, the environment and natural resources which had been for a long time considered inexhaustible.
I am sure that tehecentral themes about the life of man in relation to his fellow human beings and the great questions that concern our society - just as you outlined in your encyclical and linked so clearly and visibly in your text - will constitute a stimulus to reflections that could be beneficial for everyone.
The affirmation by Your Holiness that today the social question has become radically an anthropological question constitutes, in effect, an invitation to a profound and calm rethinking of many aspects of life and the functioning of human communities, with particular reference to the "meaning of the economy and its real ends" and to the need for a "profound and far-seeing review of the model of development in order to correct its dysfunctions and distortions".
I am pleased to take this occasion, Holiness, to reiterate the expression of my highest consideration and my attentive participation in following the daily execution of your extremely demanding mission.
Rome, July 16, 2009
GIORGIO NAPOLITANO
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 16/07/2009 20:32]