Pope's second encyclical invites people to personally encounter Jesus

Published: 2007-12-03

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- It's difficult to select a single summarizing line in Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical "Spe Salvi" (on Christian hope), but a fundamental point is found in its first few pages. Christ's sacrifice, the pope said, overturned the pagan worldview of the early Christian era. In Christianity's new vision, the universe was governed not by the laws of matter but by a personal God who revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. "And if we know this person and he knows us, then truly the inexorable power of material elements no longer has the last word; we are not slaves of the universe and of its laws, we are free," he said. Throughout its 76 pages, the pope's encyclical on hope is not just an exposition of philosophical and theological arguments, but an invitation for people to personally encounter Jesus Christ. That invitation has been the core of Pope Benedict's mission over the last two and a half years.

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .