I am pleased to have availed myself of the opportunity to attend a series of lectures delivered by Rev. Prof. Alberto Bochatey OSA, organised by the Augustinian Institute, on the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris Consortio. In his lectures, Fr Bochatey eloquently dealt with various aspects of the Pope’s valid message to families in today’s contemporary society.
... these teachings of John Paul II are relevant to most areas of human life- Christine Galea, Sliema
He also referred to the Pope’s Catechesis on the Human Body, which consists of a series of papal addresses from September 1979 to May 1981, more popularly known as The Theology of the Body. The themes of human love and dignity, the necessity of interpersonal relationship, the critical role of marriage and family life as outlined in the above-mentioned documents, together with the Pope’s continuing emphasis on the need for a truly adequate anthropology to fathom the nature of the human person, stand before our present age as a sign of contradiction and serve to proclaim a culture of life as opposed to the culture of death which is visibly rampant in today’s society.
Having recently attended a symposium in Rome which dealt principally with several aspects of The Theology of the Body, I can only confirm that these teachings of John Paul II are relevant to most areas of human life, offering new horizons to Christian anthropology and an integral vision of the human person.
It is hoped the valuable insights contained in the Pope’s Catechesis on the Human Body will be placed at the service of professionals, particularly in the field of health care and education, as well as to all those who hold marriage and the family at heart. As Fr Bochatey stated, in the social, political and ideological world today, there is no affirmation that is founded on love; in fact it seems as if the word, in its authentic meaning, has disappeared completely from our vocabulary. The Catechesis is an invitation to restore the human body to its original beauty, as well as to open up to a new evangelisation and innovative methods of presenting the beauty of love which is at once both human and divine.