Eros and Ethos

Why is the couple lost in waltz-dancing the symbol of our conference? What does it have to do with the theology of the body? Our orientation was what John Paul II., in his 47th catechesis on November 5th 1980, expressed like this:

If we suppose, that "eros“ signifies the inner power that attracts man to the true, the good, and the beautiful, then we also see a road opening up within the sphere of this concept toward what Christ wanted to express in the Sermon on the Mount (...).This means that in the erotic sphere, "eros“ and "ethos“ do not diverge, are not opposed to each other, but are called to meet in the human heart and to bear fruit in this meeting (...). We often have the tendency to consider the words of the Sermon on the Mount about "concupiscence"“(...) only as a prohibition (...) in the "erotic“ sphere. And we are often content with this understanding alone, without seeking to unveil the truly deep and essential values that this prohibition protects, that is, assures. It not only protects them, but makes them accessible and liberates them, provided we open our hearts to them. (...) Christ teaches us this and leads man's heart to these values.

In our minds, this positive tension between Eros and Ethos is wonderfully expressed by the couple giving themselves to each other. That is why we chose it as the symbol of our conference.