POPE FRANCIS RELEASES NEW APOSTOLIC LETTER “TOTUM AMORIS EST”.
By Anthony Adetayo
On Wednesday 28th December 2022, the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis published a message on St. Francis de Sales, a saint who teaches us that “devotion to God is meant for everyone, in every situation.”
The pope’s apostolic letter, titled Totum amoris est, translated as “Everything Pertains to Love,” was published to mark the 400th anniversary of St. Francis de Sales’ death in 1622.
The title comes from the preface of the Swiss saint’s book “Treatise on the Love of God,” in which he wrote that “In Holy Church, everything pertains to love, lives in love, is done for love and comes from love.”
St. Francis de Sales was born to a noble family at Chateau de Sales in the Kingdom of Savoy near Geneva, Switzerland on August 21, 1567. He was a Bishop and Doctor of the Church.
St. Francis taught against the protestant heresies and laid the groundwork for the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on what is now called the universal call to holiness. It reaffirms the teaching of Jesus and the early Church that every Baptized Christian is called to sanctity, no matter what their career or state in life. In every career and state in life, Christians can become more and more like Jesus Christ. That is, after all, what holiness really means.
Below is the full Apostolic letter.
