"Deus caritas est" ("God is love") are the opening words and the title of the first Encyclical by Benedict XVI (unabridged text), which was announced this morning in the Vatican, during a meeting with the international press accredited to the Press Room of the Holy See. "We have believed in God’s love", writes the Pope in the opening lines, defining this event "an encounter with an event, with a Person who gives life a new horizon and, with it, its decisive direction". This announcement of God’s love of man rests on the whole revelation of the Old Testament, goes on the Pope, as he recalls the words of the Deuteronomy, which have always been a source of inspiration for the Jewish people: "Thou shall listen, Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Thou shall love the Lord your God with all Thy heart…". "In a world reads on the Encyclical in which the name of God is often associated with revenge or even a duty of hatred and violence, this is a very topical message, with a very matter-of-fact meaning". (to be continued)
