Procreation and the Spousal Meaning of the Body: A Thomistic Argument Grounded in Vatican II

This book attempts to aid those who are serious about the study of Pope Saint John Paul IIs theology of the body. It is directed especially to those who teach it at both an academic and a parish level. It offers them the necessary scholarly background to be able to faithfully present John Paul IIs work understanding it with depth and in continuity with Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Second Vatican Council. A new book on the theology of the body of St. John Paul II? There are now so many? Yes but this is very important. It is so important that I recommend it as obligatory reading to all those looking to seriously study this issue both at the academic and popular level. There are three reasons for reading this book. First because there are few works with such scholarship on this topic. Secondly because most of them are not available in English. And third because many theological scholars on the theology of the body of John Paul II under the influence of some modern philosophical and theological schools interpret him as falling into a certain reductionism. . . . As the author concludes John Pauls theology of the body is a theology of the nuptial or spousal meaning of the body; it is a theology of the human person from the point of view of his vocation to love. --Antonio Malo Pe Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Is John Paul IIs theology of the body in continuity with Aquinas and Catholic tradition? Is it a true theology of human love? Opinions clash. But in Perez-Lopezs thorough lucid and nuanced study we come to see that the two questions are really just one and that the answer to both is a categorical yes; and above all we learn to appreciate just how much wisdom--divine and human--this theology has to offer. --Stephen Brock Professor of Philosophy Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; Author of The Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas: A Sketch Angel Perez-Lopezs Procreation and the Spousal Meaning of the Body offers an exceptionally insightful and profound analysis of St. John Pauls theology of the body. Perez-Lopez brings clarity to an important debate in moral theology while offering a definitive response to those who would interpret John Paul as though his personalism somehow subtracts from his classical Thomistic foundations. He offers both a guide for students and a treasure trove of references for expert scholars. --Robert A. Gahl Jr. Associate Professor of Fundamental Ethics School of Philosophy; Vice Director Research Centre MCE (Markets Culture & Ethics) Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Angel Perez-Lopez is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Moral Theology at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. He is the author of De la experiencia de la integracion a la vision integral de la persona (2012).