Perspectives on Political Science, 41:11–18, 2012 Copyright C  Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1045-7097 print / 1930-5478 online DOI: 10.1080/10457097.2012.641444 Benedict XVI on Liberal Modernity’s Need for the “Theological Virtues” of Faith, Hope, and Love RACHEL A. AMIRI and MARY M. KEYS Abstract: A careful reading of Caritas in Veritate shows it to be framed and permeated by two principles. The first is that human persons in their consciences and deeds are the princi- pal agents of economic and political life, whether directly in interpersonal relations or mediated through their work in and for institutions. The second is that human persons as citizens are best prepared to promote “integral human development” and “the common good” when they are urged on by charity or love that is lived in truth. In these respects Caritas in Veritate is a clear continuation of the line of thought that Benedict developed in his earlier encyclicals Deus Caritas Est and Spe Salvi, and before that in his theological writings as Joseph Ratzinger. Benedict’s work thus underscores the need mod- ern societies and political communities have for charity, and thus for faith and for hope. We explicate this aspect of Bene- dict’s political vision throughout this essay, anticipating and beginning to respond to some objections to the thesis that politics even in a secular age requires theological virtues to flourish. Keywords: politics, religion, liberalism, Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, virtues, Tocqueville, truth, charity, faith, hope, justice, mercy Awareness of God’s undying love sustains us in our labori- ous and stimulating work for justice and the development of peoples ... God’s love calls us to move beyond the limited and the ephemeral, it gives us the courage to continue seek- ing and working for the benefit of all, even if ... what we Rachel A. Amiri holds a B.A. from and Mary M. Keys is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. are able to achieve, alongside political authorities and those working in the field of economics, is always less than we might wish. —Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate 78 (emphasis in original) The earthly city is promoted not merely by relationships of rights and duties, but to an even greater and more fundamental extent by relationships of gratuitousness, mercy, and commu- nion. —Caritas in Veritate 6 T he publication of Pope Benedict XVI’s first social encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth, 2009; hereafter CiV ) 1 was predictably followed by a flood of commentary. Much of the reflection in the media has focused on the encyclical’s impli- cations for institutions and policies political and economic, on national, international, and global levels. Yet to begin or end here in one’s efforts to understand Benedict’s latest encyclical and its relevance to political thought and life in today’s liberal democratic societies is to miss the encycli- cal’s heart, namely, its emphasis on the irreplaceable role in economic and public life to be played by human beings who are animated by true charity in its deep theological sense. A careful reading of this admittedly complex encyclical reveals that it is framed and permeated throughout by two princi- ples. The first is that human persons in their consciences and deeds are the principal agents of economic and political life, whether directly in interpersonal relations or mediated through their work in and for institutions. The second is that human persons as citizens are best prepared to promote “in- tegral human development” and “the common good” when they are urged on by charity or love that is lived in truth. In these respects Caritas in Veritate is a clear continuation 11