Vatican official praises culture magazine now available in English

Rome, Italy, Dec 2, 2011 / 17:12 pm

A member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America praised Christian anthropology magazine “Humanitas” as a leading Catholic publication.

Commission secretary Guzman Carriquiry Lecour described it as “among the best publications in Latin America” at the launch of the English version of the magazine in Rome on Nov. 29.

Humanitas was founded in 1995 and explores themes related to Christian culture from Catholic intellectuals worldwide and is issued by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI have voiced their support for the magazine.

Authors in the first English edition include Cardinals Angelo Scola, Angelo Amato, Stanislaw Dziwisz, Mauro Piacenza and Avery Robert Dulles, who died in 2008. The publication also contains essays by Livio Melina, Stanislav Grygiel, Pedro Morande and Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

In an interview with CNA on Nov. 30, the magazine’s director, Jaime Antunez, said the idea to make the magazine available in another language came from the secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues.

“Our goal from the beginning has been to study and delve deeper into major issues and based on that premise, to dialogue with society about the major themes of the magisterium of the Church and of the pontifical magisterium,” he said.

Antunez said the magazine’s content is of worldwide interest because “it is not focused solely on the local situation in Chile, but rather is intended to spread the doctrine of the Church’s magisterium, in accord with the mission of a pontifical university.”

He offered “a very positive assessment” of the magazine’s sixteen years in publication, both for its important work of evangelization and for the numerous bonds of friendship the development of Humanitas has created throughout the years.

“This has been a great experience of friendship, because the magazine is only about the paper on which it is printed or the ideas that are said, published or spread, but also about creating unity between the people who are committed to the magazine and to collaborating in its circulation,” Antunez added.

The English version of the magazine will be available in print and online at its website http://www.humanitas.cl/web/.