📖Summary

According to the Catholic Church, Veritatis Splendor, meaning "The Splendor of Truth," is an encyclical by Pope John Paul II promulgated on August 6, 1993. It is the first encyclical in the history of the Church devoted entirely to the foundations of moral theology. The document addresses what John Paul II perceived as a crisis in moral theology, particularly within Catholic academia, where certain tendencies were undermining the objectivity of moral norms and the teaching authority of the Magisterium on moral questions. The encyclical begins with a meditation on the encounter between Jesus and the rich young man from the Gospel of Matthew, using this dialogue as the framework for exploring the relationship between freedom, truth, and the moral law. John Paul II argues that authentic human freedom is not the license to do whatever one wishes but is ordered to the truth about the good. Freedom finds its authentic expression in self-gift, following the pattern of Christ who freely gave Himself for the salvation of the world. The document addresses the natural moral law, teaching that it is not an external imposition but the expression of the deepest truths about the human person inscribed by God in human nature. It reaffirms the existence of intrinsically evil acts, actions that are always and everywhere wrong regardless of intention or circumstance. John Paul II critiques several tendencies in contemporary moral theology, including consequentialism, proportionalism, and the fundamental option theory when used to deny the significance of particular moral choices. He argues that these approaches ultimately undermine the objectivity of the moral order and the freedom they claim to protect. The encyclical treats the relationship between conscience and truth, teaching that conscience is not the autonomous creator of moral norms but must be formed in accordance with objective truth. It addresses the role of the Magisterium in teaching moral truth, the witness of the martyrs as proof that moral absolutes exist, and the relationship between morality and the new evangelization.

💡Key Points