Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate is by
many commentators of his pontificate marginalized
and considered a weak point of the teaching
of the Pope. It is accused of more pastoral than
social nature, naivety, and even some daydreaming.
Unfairly. Paradoxically, what is disclosed
as its weakness, after careful reading may prove
to be its strength. This article aims to show that
Caritas in Veritate can be read according to three
key concepts: understanding, loving, action. These
terms define some interdependent layers of the
encyclical, and their skillful interpretation allows
to extract from the text of the Pope an interesting
vision of the mission of Catholics in the today’s
world
