Redemptoris custos
Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the Redeemer) is the title of an apostolic exhortation by Pope John Paul II on Saint Joseph. It was delivered on August 15, 1989 in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome on the occasion of the centenary of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Quamquam pluries. It discusses the importance of Saint Joseph in the Holy Family, and presents the pope's view of Saint Joseph's role in the plan of redemption. John Paul II positions Saint Joseph as breaking the old vice of paternal familial domination, and suggests him as the model of a loving father. Noted Josephologist, Father Tarcisio Stramare, of the Oblates of Saint Joseph, was a main collaborator in the preparation of Redemptoris Custos. This exhortation is part of the "redemption documents" issued by Pope John Paul II, and refers to the Marian encyclical Redemptoris Mater. Content In this document, John Paul II reemphasized key elements of Quamquam Pluries regarding the position of St. Joseph in the Church and his connection to Mary, which he had already acknowledged in his encyclical Redemptoris Mater. He wrote: "Together with Mary, Joseph is the first guardian of this divine mystery. Together with Mary, and in relation to Mary, he