''Vita consecrata'' is an apostolic exhortation written by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, published on 25 March 1996. The exhortation is a post-synodal document. Its sub-title is "On the

consecrated life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and se ...

and its mission in the Church and in the world". In the consecrated life, individuals commit themselves to the evangelical counsels of

chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when mak ...

, poverty and obedience. Their lives testify to the values of the

Kingdom of God The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" b ...

. The profession of chastity, poverty and obedience rejects the idolatry of anything created and points to God as the absolute good. and Vita Consecrata, Para 87

References

External links

Vita Consecrata at Vatican web site
Apostolic exhortations 1996 documents Documents of Pope John Paul II 1996 in Christianity {{RC-document-stub

See also

References

External links