Böcker av Pope St John Paul

The definition of the laity as those not in Holy Orders is swept away by this historic document which provides a positive and clear expression of the identity, dignity, and role of lay people in the mission of the Church. The role of the laity was discussed at the 1987 Synod of Bishops. This led to Christifideles Laici, the first comprehensive statement on the calling and mission of lay people in the Church. A calling to fully participate in the new evangelization. John Paul invites the laity as the labourers in the vineyard to labour for the kingdom.John Paul starts from the basis that baptism is the source of every Christian's dignity and identity, and calls all to a life of holiness and service. The place of the laity in the Church is discussed, including participation in her life and mission with special reference to charisms and ministry. Great emphasis is placed on the shared responsibility of every lay Christian for the mission of the Church, and the need for a new evangelisation of individuals and society as a whole. Particular emphasis is given to the status and role of women. John Paul ends by exhorting all lay people to be fruitful, and to work with the whole Church in obeying Christ's command to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation".

'Truth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery'. This historic encyclical, Pope John Paul II's thirteenth, succeeds in its stated purpose: to give the people of today fresh confidence! The critical questions and yearnings of our age cry out from every page of this text. 'At the end of this century, one of our greatest threats is the temptation to despair'. Pope John Paul challenges us to move 'from phenomenon to foundation' and so 'lead people to discover both their capacity to know the truth and their yearning for the ultimate and definitive meaning of life'.Why is it that our reason prefers to hold back from the truth, when it is the very nature of our reason to attain the truth? The Holy Father defends the greatness of reason. Reason finds in faith its most valued help and support, the steadfast ally which allows reason to be what it is.This encyclical develops the Holy Father's major 1993 document Veritatis Splendor: philosophy and theology find in revelation their point of contact and comparison. Today, however, various modes of philosophy born of modern thought glorify reason's debilitation, prevent reason from being what it is, and produce a vision of the human person and of the world which gives pride of place to will-power and pragmatism. The resulting widespread scepticism which reduces everything to opinion and rests content with partial and provisional truths is the malaise of our age.