Church documents
Extracts from Deus Caritas Est, The First Encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI
Charity
Love of neighbour, grounded in the love of God, is first and foremost a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, but it is also a responsibility for the entire Church. As a community, the Church must practise love. Within the community of believers there can never be room for a poverty that denies anyone what is needed for a dignified life.
The Church's deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God, celebrating the sacraments, and exercising the ministry of charity. These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally well be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being.
The Church is God's family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life. Yet at the same time, love extends beyond the frontiers of the Church. The parable of the Good Samaritan remains as a standard which imposes universal love towards the needy whom we encounter “by chance”, whoever they may be.
Charity
Love of neighbour, grounded in the love of God, is first and foremost a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, but it is also a responsibility for the entire Church. As a community, the Church must practise love. Within the community of believers there can never be room for a poverty that denies anyone what is needed for a dignified life.
The Church's deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God, celebrating the sacraments, and exercising the ministry of charity. These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally well be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being.
The Church is God's family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life. Yet at the same time, love extends beyond the frontiers of the Church. The parable of the Good Samaritan remains as a standard which imposes universal love towards the needy whom we encounter “by chance”, whoever they may be.
