DEUS CARITAS EST: Pope Benedict's Encyclical on Christian Love

The following post on Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, DEUS CARITAS EST, is offered for the convenience of my reader's who would like to discuss the encyclical letter "on topic." I haven't posted anything since the encyclical was published on January 25, 2006, and my last article -- posted that day -- was "An Abridged But Highly Accurate World History" -- about such profound facts such as how the wheel was invented to get cavemen to beer, and how the conservative movement evolved from cavemen tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night (who came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful animal on earth, the elephant), while the liberal movement evolved from girleymen who lived off the hunters and spent their time domesticating cats, inventing group therapy, group hugs, how to divide the meat and beer provided by the conservatives (and came to be symbolized by the jackass).

Meanwhile, as the days passed, I watched the number of comments on the comment box under that post continue to mount, until -- when I found the time -- I checked what was going on. Lo, and behold -- and wouldn't you know it! -- there was Fr. O'Leary, the "Spirit of Vatican II" his bad ol' self -- offering learned commentary, not on beer or barbecue or 'girleymen' (well, except in a round-about way, through his usual diatribes against "homophobic," "reactionary," "gay-bashing" Papal-Bull-for-Breakfast Papists), but on the Holy Father's new encyclical! It's evident that Fr. O'Leary wishes to share his thoughts on the encyclical with you and with me -- which we welcome. Some of you have righly protested "off-topic" commentary in the previous combox. So here's an appropriate forum for those who wish, along with the ever-profuse-and-profusely-liberal Fr. O'Leary to pursue the thread on DEUS CARITAS EST.

I will prime the pump by transferring some of the thread from the previous combox to this one.

Cheers. --PP