The encyclical Veritatis splendor (The Splendor of Truth) represents the first document of the magisterium devoted to the foundations of the Catholic moral life. Though it was intended to confront a genuine crisis of moral disintegration and to offer positive directions for carrying out the work of renewing moral theology, it was fiercely criticized by theologians who regarded it as a simplistic and repressive document. Now, several years after the publication of the encyclical, Livio Melina offers an original contribution not only to the study of Veritatis splendor and the controversy...

Catholic moral theology faces a radical challenge in this age of moral upheaval. No longer must it simply respond to specific questions about particular matter, nor elaborate some method for the formulation of norms. The challenge now is instead no less than comprehending the mystery of human action in its proper dynamism.
Livio Melina here guides the reader on a path that seeks to recover the integrality of moral experience and its place in Christian existence. This path aims at rediscovering in moral action an epiphany of love and attempts to help us recognize a profound synergy between...