Emerging Themes
Pope Benedict XVI, one of the best known theologians since the 1960's, has expressed concerned over Europe's secularization and emphasizes the need for Europe to embrace its traditional Christian heritage. He has warned against "the dictatorship of relativism," and the erosion in respect for objective truth.
"As in past centuries, so also today there are people or groups who obscure this centuries-old tradition, seeking to falsify the Word of Christ and to remove from the gospel those truths which in their view are too uncomfortable for modern man," Benedict XVI said during his first papal visit to Poland on May 26, 2006.
His first 71-page encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, (God is Love), was well received in the United States and throughout the world. Bishop William S. Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the encyclical "a profound meditation on the meaning of Christian love and the place of charity in the life of the Church."