Published on September 23, 2020
In a book of interviews with an Italian food connoisseur published this week, Pope Francis criticizes «bigotry,» which has at times prevailed within the Church. He asserts that pleasure, whether culinary or sexual, is «simply divine.».
«The pleasure of eating, like sexual pleasure, comes from God»: this is one of the messages Pope Francis sought to convey in the book *Terra Futura: Conversations with Pope Francis on Integral Ecology*, published this Wednesday, September 9, in Italy. The book was written by Carlo Petrini, an Italian writer and gastronome, and contains three interviews.
Pleasure “is neither Catholic, nor Christian, nor anything else; it is simply divine.”.
Focusing on Pope Francis’s deeply social vision of ecology, as outlined in *Laudato Si’*, the book addresses, among other things, culinary and sexual issues. When Carlo Petrini asks him about the concept of pleasure, the Holy Father affirms that it comes directly from God: «It is neither Catholic, nor Christian, nor anything else; it is simply divine.» «The pleasure of eating serves to keep you healthy through food, just as sexual pleasure is meant to make love more beautiful and ensure the continuation of the human race,» he explains.
A misinterpretation that caused «enormous damage»
Criticizing «bigoted morality,» which rejects the notion of pleasure, Pope Francis regrets that it has existed in the history of the Church. He points to the risk of ’a misinterpretation of the Christian message,« which has caused »enormous damage.« He then cites » one of the best movies [he] has ever seen » : Babette's Feast. In this book, a French cook decides to prepare a sublime meal for an entire community of very strict Calvinists in Denmark, even though the nuns are more accustomed to renouncing such earthly pleasures. «Through this gesture, she manages to make everyone feel and see human beauty; she manages to help them perceive this divine pleasure that has been wrongly stifled for far too long,» explains Pope Francis.
When we are able to put people first, then eating is the ultimate act (…)
Later in the book, the Pope points out that Christian catechesis encourages healthy and proper pleasure, and condemns that which is merely «an expression of underlying selfishness and individualism,» that which seeks «food for food’s sake, rather than a relationship with others, for whom food should be a means.» In short, «when we are able to put people at the center, then eating is the supreme act that fosters conviviality and friendship, creates the conditions for the formation and maintenance of good relationships, and serves as a means of expressing values and cultures.»
Already in his apostolic exhortation « Amoris Laetitia » (2016), the Argentine pontiff spoke candidly the issue of carnal pleasure, but also of sexuality. «God Himself created sexuality, which is a wonderful gift to His creatures,» he emphasized, among other things.
