Veritatis Splendor Three Decades On: Shared Principles and Hidden Conflicts

Veritatis Splendor marked a pivotal moment in contem-porary moral theology and its teaching addresses many topics that remain at the center of current theological debates. The encyclical invites scholars to continue its work by extending, integrating, and pursuing new questions with it. Thus, two years after the thirtieth anniversary of its publication, the time is ripe for a theological appraisal of and engagement with the legacy of Veritatis Splendor that seeks to bring its biblical, dogmatic, and pastoral claims into conversation with contemporary moral theology and the challenges it strives to address. Such a project is especially urgent in light of the request to moral theologians advanced by Francis and the Synod of Bishops to reflect more on the relationship between love and truth, on the one hand, and pastoral care and doctrine, on the other. Furthermore, the question of how to think about the relationship between the magisterium of John Paul II and Francis has been at the center of scholarly and popular debates for quite some time. Addressing these two crucial issues and many others necessitates that we come to terms with the legacy of Veritatis Splendor and its doctrinal commitments. The current special issue of the Journal of Moral Theology makes a valuable contribution to this task by including essays that closely engage with John Paul II’s moral theology from various standpoints. Thus, we hope it might help moral theologians identify elements of consensus, name the remaining tensions, and engage in productive disagreements that help the church move forward in its attempt to give a loving witness to the light of truth amidst contemporary challenges.