The Way of Love: Reflections on Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical Deus Caritas Est

In response to Benedict XVI's first encyclical, the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies and Marriage and Family reflects, together with the Holy Father, on love. From the very beginning, the fundamental work of the Institute has been pursuing a deeper understanding of God's plan for marriage and family. In these twenty-five years various generations of students and professors, following the legacy of John Paul II, have been able to discover and communicate the beauty of the vocation for which all men have been created: the call to love.
Twenty-six professors from the Institute's various sessions express what in their understanding are the main themes of the document, approaching the topics raised by the Holy Father with different theological and philosophical perspectives; by so doing they have highlighted the significance and fecundity of the lines of thought suggested by the Pope. This book is offered as a path towards a fuller understanding of the profundity and richness of the love with which God fills us and wants us to communicate in our turn.

Livio Melina is professor of fundamental moral theology and the President of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.

Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus and Vice President of the American Section of the Pontifical Institute John Paul II, where he is the Professor of Family Politics.