It is the first encyclical I have read and it turns out to be a good experience. After more than 100 years, the church finally has an answer to Nietzshce’s criticism of her view on love:

“Christianity gave Eros poison to drink; he did not die of it, certainly, but degenerated to Vice.
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil”

Many people on the modern world agree with Nietzsche. The Church with its rules and prohibitions has really poisoned Eros. The view of the Church on contraception - which said that contraception is "repugnant to the nature of man and of woman, and is consequently in opposition to the plan of God and His holy will” [Pope Paul VI] - is where the attacked is strongest.

In this short encyclical, Pope Benedict gives a clear and thoughtful essay about the view of the Church. Pope Benedict may be a bad leader but I have to say that he is a very good theologian and writer. Agree or not with his view, I have to admit that this book clearly shows what christians believe, their ground and the reason for it. At least, finally, the church give Nietzsche an direct answer. Will Nietzsche be happy with this? I don’t think so.

So the answer of the Pope is simple and direct. After confirming the church view that sex is important -“love between man and woman, where body and soul are inseparably joined and human beings glimpse an apparently irresistible promise of happiness”, and recognizes the error of the church to oppose the body. He begins to answer Nietzsche. It is not the Church but the modern world who poison Eros. The modern world considers Eros as merely sexual pleasure. Sex is only considered to be pleasure, or recreation.

“Eros, reduced to pure “sex”, has become a commodity, a mere “thing” to be bought and sold, or rather, man himself becomes a commodity. This is hardly man's great “yes” to the body”

He argues that unbound sexual desire binds us to self-destruction. Eros needs to be disciplined and purified because it represents only a half-truth. Man is not only body but also soul.

“Man is a being made up of body and soul. Man is truly himself when his body and soul are intimately united.”

“eros needs to be disciplined and purified if it is to provide not just fleeting pleasure, but a certain foretaste of the pinnacle of our existence, of that beatitude for which our whole being yearns.”

The modern world “dehumanization" of eros can only be cured by discipline, purification, renunciation, and, finally, sacrifice, according to him.

This gives the reason for the christian stress on fidelity and sexual abstinence. The solution to HIV/AIDS, STDs, teen pregnancy, and over population is not condom but sexual responsibility.

So it is the modern world recreational sex vs idealistic christian unification of body and soul, the practical condom vs the idealistic fidelity. Everybody will have different views on this. I am quite sure that Nietzsche will laugh at this. But at least the Church finally gives an official and direct answer. The good news is that the Church is now quite tolerant, especially with pope Francis. "Whom am I to judge”. The Church finally is trying to be humble.

The second part of the encyclical is great. I love the humble tone in this part. It reconfirmed the christian neighborhood love and charity. It set rules and goals for the charity responsibility of the Church. It deals with the relation between the church and government. It set the christianity's stand on justice, poverty, charity. It confirms the Church belief in an elegant society. This is where the Church could shine. I am quite happy that pope Francis is shifting the focus of the Church to this area.

There are many nice teachings (or reminds) in this part for christians:

“it has no intention of giving the Church power over the State. Even less is it an attempt to impose on those who do not share the faith ways of thinking and modes of conduct proper to faith. Its aim is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just.”

“Those who practise charity in the Church's name will never seek to impose the Church's faith upon others. They realize that a pure and generous love is the best witness to the God in whom we believe and by whom we are driven to love. A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and to let love alone speak.”

“We recognize that we are not acting on the basis of any superiority or greater personal efficiency, but because the Lord has graciously enabled us to do so.”

A must read for christians. For other people, a humble recommendation.