First Encyclical to be Released Today

At noon today, the Vatican is scheduled to release the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI. With the Latin title, Deus Caritas est, the press release announcing encylical states that, "The Pope affirmed that his Encyclical 'seeks to show that the very personal act of love must be expressed within the Church also as an organizational act. If it is true that the Church is an expression of God, it must be true that love becomes an ecclesial act.'"

If the document in fact makes this connection, i.e. between the personal and the organizational, then that will be a good thing. It is a fundamental tenet of Catholic belief and practice that faith is not something private, but must express itself outwardly all dimensions of life.

(A synopsis in Italian is already available.)