Michael August - September 2013

The encyclical

Lumen Fidei

on faith

Written by two Popes, Francis and Benedict XVI

“Faith is born of an encounter with the living God

who calls us and reveals his love”

On July 5, 2013, the Vati-

can released the first encyclic-

al of Pope Francis, “Lumen Fi-

dei” (The Light of Faith), dated

June 29, Solemnity of the Holy

Apostles Peter and Paul. What

is unique about this encyclical

is that it is the first one writ-

ten by two Popes or, accord-

ing to the words of Pope Fran-

cis, “written with four hands”:

the two hands of Pope Emeri-

tus Benedict XVI, and the two

hands of reigning Pope Fran-

cis. Providentially, the two

Popes appeared together on

the same day in the Vatican

Gardens for the unveiling of

a statue dedicated to St. Mi-

chael the Archangel. (See page

31.) One can also add that July

5, 2013, will be remembered

as the “day of the four Popes”,

since, on this same day, it was

announced that two previ-

ous Popes, Blessed John XXIII

and Blessed John Paul II, will

be declared saints during the

same ceremony.

There are three theological

virtues: Faith, Hope and Char-

ity. Benedict XVI had already written an encyclical on

charity in 2005 (Deus Caritas Est, God is love), and on

hope in 2007 (Spe Salvi, Saved by Hope). He had an-

nounced in 2012 that he was working on an encyclical

on faith to be published in the summer of 2013, dur-

ing the Year of Faith. When he renounced the papacy

in February, 2013, this encyclical was almost finished.

Benedict XVI then left the text to his succes-

sor, Pope Francis who, according to his own words,

made only a few additions. Speaking to members of

the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops on

June 13, Pope Francis said: “An encyclical on faith

should come out shortly... Pope Benedict, who deliv-

ered it to me, started it; it is a strong document... I

have received this great work that he has done, and I

have brought it forward.” By mak-

ing this text of his predecessor his

own, Pope Francis has allowed us

to enjoy this final text of Benedict

XVI, which completes the trilogy on

the theological virtues, and which

would never have been published

if Pope Francis had not accepted to

take it as his own.

Pope Francis made sure to

mention the exceptional collabor-

ation of Benedict XVI in this new

encyclical and in Paragraph 7 of

Lumen Fidei one can read:

“These considerations on

faith — in continuity with all that

the Church’s magisterium has

pronounced on this theological

virtue — are meant to supple-

ment what Benedict XVI had writ-

ten in his encyclical letters on

charity and hope. He himself had

almost completed a first draft of

an encyclical on faith. For this I

am deeply grateful to him, and as

his brother in Christ I have taken

up his fine work and added a few

contributions of my own. The Suc-

cessor of Peter, yesterday, today

and tomorrow, is always called to

strengthen his brothers and sis-

ters in the priceless treasure of that faith which God

has given as a light for humanity’s path.”

With most of the text of the encyclical having

been written by Benedict XVI and Pope Francis hav-

ing made these thoughts of Benedict XVI his own and

having signed the document, it is therefore right to

say that the encyclical was written by four hands. As

reported by Vatican journalist John Travis in his blog,

Pope Francis recently said the following in a phone

conversation with his old friend, Argentine journalist

Jorge Milia:

“Today I was with Pope Benedict, and we talked

a lot. It’s a pleasure for me to exchange ideas with

him... You can’t imagine the humility and wisdom of

this man,” said Pope Francis.

“Well, then keep him close to you,” Milia replied.

“I wouldn’t even consider giving up the counsel

of a person like this, it would be foolish on my part!”,

said Pope Francis.

Let us thank God for this fruitful relationship be-

tween the Pope Emeritus and the reigning Pope, and

let us ask God to protect them and keep them with us

for many years to come!

During a press conference to introduce the new

encyclical, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Con-

gregation for Bishops, stated:

“A pillar was lacking in Benedict XVI’s trilogy on

the theological virtues. Providence willed that this

missing pillar should be both a gift from the Pope

Emeritus to his successor and a symbol of unity. For

in taking up and completing the work begun by his

predecessor, Pope Francis bears witness with him to

the unity of the faith.”

The following large excerpts are taken from this

first encyclical of Pope Francis and deserve to be

meditated upon in this Year of Faith.

A. Pilote

1. The light of Faith (

Lumen Fidei)

: this is how the

Church’s tradition speaks of the great gift brought

by Jesus. In John’s Gospel, Christ says of himself: “I

have come as light into the world, that whoever be-

lieves in me may not remain in darkness” (Jn 12:46)...

A light to be rediscovered

2. Yet in speaking of the light of faith, we can al-

most hear the objections of many of our contempor-

aries. In modernity, that light might have been con-

sidered sufficient for societies of old, but was felt to

be of no use for new times, for a humanity come of

age, proud of its rationality and anxious to explore the

future in novel ways...

3. Slowly but surely, however, it would become

evident that the light of autonomous reason is not

enough to illumine the future; ultimately the future re-

mains shadowy and fraught with fear of the unknown.

As a result, humanity renounced the search for a great

light, Truth itself, in order to be content with smaller

lights which illumine the fleeting moment yet prove

incapable of showing the way. Yet in the absence of

light everything becomes confused; it is impossible to

tell good from evil, or the road to our destination from

“Your word is a lamp for

my feet, a light on my

path.”(Psalms 119:105)

On the day the new encyclical letter was released, its two “co-authors”, Pope Francis and Pope Emeri-

tus Benedict XVI appeared together in the Vatican Gardens for the unveiling of a statue dedicated to St.

Michael the Archangel. (See page 31.)

MICHAEL August/September 2013