“The Christian Image of Man,” Unpublished Text That Benedict XVI Authorized Be Published After His Death

An unpublished document of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, titled “The Christian Image of Man,” reveals a profound reflection on the moral and social problems that contemporary humanity is facing. This text, written between Christmas and Epiphany of 2019-2020, addresses with special attention the crisis of identity, the family and human love, subjects that for the Pope Emeritus are essential in the quest for a more coherent future with the dignity of the human being. The publication was carried out by the “Veritas Amoris Project,” founded in 2019, with the objective of continuing the work of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family. Benedict XVI’s text appears in the third volume of the Italian Review of the project, a space that seeks to trace ways to the truth of love amid a world in constant transformation. One of the most salient points of the writing is the Pope Emeritus’ criticism of today’s ideological currents, such as gender ideology and the manipulation of life in laboratories.