INTRODUCTION

1. The Lord Jesus, before ascending into heaven, commanded his disciples
to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world and to baptize all nations:
"Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. He
who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will
be condemned" (Mk 16:15-16); "All power in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, until the end of the world" (Mt 28:18-20; cf. Lk 24:46-48; Jn
17:18,20,21; Acts 1:8).

The Church's universal mission is born from the command of Jesus Christ
and is fulfilled in the course of the centuries in the proclamation of
the mystery of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the mystery of the
incarnation of the Son, as saving event for all humanity. The
fundamental contents of the profession of the Christian faith are
expressed thus: "I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. I believe in one
Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the
Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things
were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he
suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in
accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at
the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the
living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the
Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has
spoken through the prophets. I believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to
come".[1]

2.In the course of the centuries, the Church has proclaimed and
witnessed with fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus. At the close of the
second millennium, however, this mission is still far from complete.[2]
For that reason, Saint Paul's words are now more relevant than ever:
"Preaching the Gospel is not a reason for me to boast; it is a necessity
laid on me: woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16). This
explains the Magisterium's particular attention to giving reasons for
and supporting the evangelizing mission of the Church, above all in
connection with the religious traditions of the world.[3]

In considering the values which these religions witness to and offer
humanity, with an open and positive approach, the Second Vatican
Council's Declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian
religions states: "The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true
and holy in these religions. She has a high regard for the manner of
life and conduct, the precepts and teachings, which, although differing
in many ways from her own teaching, nonetheless often reflect a ray of
that truth which enlightens all men".[4] Continuing in this line of
thought, the Church's proclamation of Jesus Christ, "the way, the truth,
and the life" (Jn 14:6), today also makes use of the practice of
inter-religious dialogue. Such dialogue certainly does not replace, but
rather accompanies the missio ad gentes, directed toward that "mystery
of unity", from which "it follows that all men and women who are saved
share, though differently, in the same mystery of salvation in Jesus
Christ through his Spirit".[5] Inter-religious dialogue, which is part
of the Church's evangelizing mission,[6] requires an attitude of
understanding and a relationship of mutual knowledge and reciprocal
enrichment, in obedience to the truth and with respect for freedom.[7]

3.In the practice of dialogue between the Christian faith and other
religious traditions, as well as in seeking to understand its
theoretical basis more deeply, new questions arise that need to be
addressed through pursuing new paths of research, advancing proposals,
and suggesting ways of acting that call for attentive discernment. In
this task, the present Declaration seeks to recall to Bishops,
theologians, and all the Catholic faithful, certain indispensable
elements of Christian doctrine, which may help theological reflection in
developing solutions consistent with the contents of the faith and
responsive to the pressing needs of contemporary culture.

The expository language of the Declaration corresponds to its purpose,
which is not to treat in a systematic manner the question of the unicity
and salvific universality of the mystery of Jesus Christ and the Church,
nor to propose solutions to questions that are matters of free
theological debate, but rather to set forth again the doctrine of the
Catholic faith in these areas, pointing out some fundamental questions
that remain open to further development, and refuting specific positions
that are erroneous or ambiguous. For this reason, the Declaration takes
up what has been taught in previous Magisterial documents, in order to
reiterate certain truths that are part of the Church's faith.

4.The Church's constant missionary proclamation is endangered today by
relativistic theories which seek to justify religious pluralism, not
only de facto but also de iure (or in principle). As a consequence, it
is held that certain truths have been superseded; for example, the
definitive and complete character of the revelation of Jesus Christ, the
nature of Christian faith as compared with that of belief in other
religions, the inspired nature of the books of Sacred Scripture, the
personal unity between the Eternal Word and Jesus of Nazareth, the unity
of the economy of the Incarnate Word and the Holy Spirit, the unicity
and salvific universality of the mystery of Jesus Christ, the universal
salvific mediation of the Church, the inseparability - while recognizing
the distinction - of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Christ, and the
Church, and the subsistence of the one Church of Christ in the Catholic
Church.

The roots of these problems are to be found in certain presuppositions
of both a philosophical and theological nature, which hinder the
understanding and acceptance of the revealed truth. Some of these can be
mentioned: the conviction of the elusiveness and inexpressibility of
divine truth, even by Christian revelation; relativistic attitudes
toward truth itself, according to which what is true for some would not
be true for others; the radical opposition posited between the logical
mentality of the West and the symbolic mentality of the East; the
subjectivism which, by regarding reason as the only source of knowledge,
becomes incapable of raising its "gaze to the heights, not daring to
rise to the truth of being";[8] the difficulty in understanding and
accepting the presence of definitive and eschatological events in
history; the metaphysical emptying of the historical incarnation of the
Eternal Logos, reduced to a mere appearing of God in history; the
eclecticism of those who, in theological research, uncritically absorb
ideas from a variety of philosophical and theological contexts without
regard for consistency, systematic connection, or compatibility with
Christian truth; finally, the tendency to read and to interpret Sacred
Scripture outside the Tradition and Magisterium of the Church.

On the basis of such presuppositions, which may evince different
nuances, certain theological proposals are developed - at times
presented as assertions, and at times as hypotheses - in which Christian
revelation and the mystery of Jesus Christ and the Church lose their
character of absolute truth and salvific universality, or at least
shadows of doubt and uncertainty are cast upon them.

I. THE FULLNESS AND DEFINITIVENESS OF THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

5.As a remedy for this relativistic mentality, which is becoming ever
more common, it is necessary above all to reassert the definitive and
complete character of the revelation of Jesus Christ. In fact, it must
be firmly believed that, in the mystery of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate
Son of God, who is "the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), the
full revelation of divine truth is given: "No one knows the Son except
the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to
whom the Son wishes to reveal him" (Mt 11:27); "No one has ever seen
God; God the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has revealed
him" (Jn 1:18); "For in Christ the whole fullness of divinity dwells in
bodily form" (Col 2:9-10).

Faithful to God's word, the Second Vatican Council teaches: "By this
revelation then, the deepest truth about God and the salvation of man
shines forth in Christ, who is at the same time the mediator and the
fullness of all revelation".[9] Furthermore, "Jesus Christ, therefore,
the Word made flesh, sent "as a man to men", "speaks the words of God"
(Jn 3:34), and completes the work of salvation which his Father gave him
to do (cf. Jn 5:36; 17:4). To see Jesus is to see his Father (cf. Jn
14:9). For this reason, Jesus perfected revelation by fulfilling it
through his whole work of making himself present and manifesting
himself: through his words and deeds, his signs and wonders, but
especially through his death and glorious resurrection from the dead and
finally with the sending of the Spirit of truth, he completed and
perfected revelation and confirmed it with divine testimony... The
Christian dispensation, therefore, as the new and definitive covenant,
will never pass away, and we now await no further new public revelation
before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Tim
6:14 and Tit 2:13).[10]

Thus, the Encyclical Redemptoris missio calls the Church once again to
the task of announcing the Gospel as the fullness of truth: "In this
definitive Word of his revelation, God has made himself known in the
fullest possible way. He has revealed to mankind who he is. This
definitive self-revelation of God is the fundamental reason why the
Church is missionary by her very nature. She cannot do other than
proclaim the Gospel, that is, the fullness of the truth which God has
enabled us to know about himself".[11] Only the revelation of Jesus
Christ, therefore, "introduces into our history a universal and ultimate
truth which stirs the human mind to ceaseless effort".[12]

6.Therefore, the theory of the limited, incomplete, or imperfect
character of the revelation of Jesus Christ, which would be
complementary to that found in other religions, is contrary to the
Church's faith. Such a position would claim to be based on the notion
that the truth about God cannot be grasped and manifested in its
globality and completeness by any historical religion, neither by
Christianity nor by Jesus Christ.

Such a position is in radical contradiction with the foregoing
statements of Catholic faith according to which the full and complete
revelation of the salvific mystery of God is given in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the words, deeds, and entire historical event of Jesus,
though limited as human realities, have nevertheless the divine Person
of the Incarnate Word, "true God and true man" [13] as their subject.
For this reason, they possess in themselves the definitiveness and
completeness of the revelation of God's salvific ways, even if the depth
of the divine mystery in itself remains transcendent and
inexhaustible.The truth about God is not abolished or reduced because it
is spoken in human language; rather, it is unique, full, and complete,
because he who speaks and acts is the Incarnate Son of God. Thus, faith
requires us to profess that the Word made flesh, in his entire mystery,
who moves from incarnation to glorification, is the source, participated
but real, as well as the fulfilment of every salvific revelation of God
to humanity,[14] and that the Holy Spirit, who is Christ's Spirit, will
teach this "entire truth" (Jn 16:13) to the Apostles and, through them,
to the whole Church.

7.The proper response to God's revelation is "the obedience of faith"
(Rom 16:26; cf.Rom 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) by which man freely entrusts his
entire self to God, offering "the full submission of intellect and will
to God who reveals" and freely assenting to the revelation given by
him".[15] Faith is a gift of grace: "in order to have faith, the grace
of God must come first and give assistance; there must also be the
interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it
to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and gives "to everyone joy and
ease in assenting to and believing in the truth'".[16]

The obedience of faith implies acceptance of the truth of Christ's
revelation, guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself:[17] "Faith is first
of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and
inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has
revealed".[18] Faith, therefore, as "a gift of God" and as "a
supernatural virtue infused by him",[19] involves a dual adherence: to
God who reveals and to the truth which he reveals, out of the trust
which one has in him who speaks. Thus, "we must believe in no one but
God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit".[20]

For this reason, the distinction between theological faith and beliefin
the other religions, must be firmly held. If faith is the acceptance in
grace of revealed truth, which "makes it possible to penetrate the
mystery in a way that allows us to understand it coherently",[21] then
belief, in the other religions, is that sum of experience and thought
that constitutes the human treasury of wisdom and religious aspiration,
which man in his search for truth has conceived and acted upon in his
relationship to God and the Absolute.[22]

This distinction is not always borne in mind in current theological
reflection. Thus, theological faith (the acceptance of the truth
revealed by the One and Triune God) is often identified with belief in
other religions, which is religious experience still in search of the
absolute truth and still lacking assent to God who reveals himself. This
is one of the reasons why the differences between Christianity and the
other religions tend to be reduced at times to the point of
disappearance.

8.The hypothesis of the inspired value of the sacred writings of other
religions is also put forward. Certainly, it must be recognized that
there are some elements in these texts which may be de facto instruments
by which countless people throughout the centuries have been and still
are able today to nourish and maintain their life-relationship with God.
Thus, as noted above, the Second Vatican Council, in considering the
customs, precepts, and teachings of the other religions, teaches that
"although differing in many ways from her own teaching, these
nevertheless often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all
men".[23]

The Church's tradition, however, reserves the designation of inspired
texts to the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, since these
are inspired by the Holy Spirit.[24] Taking up this tradition, the
Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of the Second Vatican Council
states: "For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic
age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and New
Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that,
written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 20:31; 2 Tim
3:16; 2 Pet 1:19-21; 3:15-16), they have God as their author, and have
been handed on as such to the Church herself".[25] These books "firmly,
faithfully, and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake
of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures".[26]

Nevertheless, God, who desires to call all peoples to himself in Christ
and to communicate to them the fullness of his revelation and love,
"does not fail to make himself present in many ways, not only to
individuals, but also to entire peoples through their spiritual riches,
of which their religions are the main and essential expression even when
they contain "gaps, insufficiencies and errors'".[27] Therefore, the
sacred books of other religions, which in actual fact direct and nourish
the existence of their followers, receive from the mystery of Christ the
elements of goodness and grace which they contain.

II. THE INCARNATE LOGOS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORK OF SALVATION

9.In contemporary theological reflection there often emerges an approach
to Jesus of Nazareth that considers him a particular, finite, historical
figure, who reveals the divine not in an exclusive way, but in a way
complementary with other revelatory and salvific figures. The Infinite,
the Absolute, the Ultimate Mystery of God would thus manifest itself to
humanity in many ways and in many historical figures: Jesus of Nazareth
would be one of these. More concretely, for some, Jesus would be one of
the many faces which the Logos has assumed in the course of time to
communicate with humanity in a salvific way.

Furthermore, to justify the universality of Christian salvation as well
as the fact of religious pluralism, it has been proposed that there is
an economy of the eternal Word that is valid also outside the Church and
is unrelated to her, in addition to an economy of the incarnate Word.
The first would have a greater universal value than the second, which is
limited to Christians, though God's presence would be more full in the
second.

10.These theses are in profound conflict with the Christian faith. The
doctrine of faith must be firmly believed which proclaims that Jesus of
Nazareth, son of Mary, and he alone, is the Son and the Word of the
Father. The Word, which "was in the beginning with God" (Jn 1:2) is the
same as he who "became flesh" (Jn 1:14). In Jesus, "the  Christ, the Son
of the living God" (Mt 16:16), ?the whole fullness of divinity dwellsin
bodily form" (Col 2:9). He is the "only begotten Son of the Father, who
is in the bosom of the Father" (Jn 1:18), his "beloved Son, in whom we
have redemption... In him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and
through him, God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself, on
earth and in the heavens, making peace by the blood of his Cross" (Col
1:13-14; 19-20).

Faithful to Sacred Scripture and refuting erroneous and reductive
interpretations, the First Council of Nicaea solemnly defined its faith
in: "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten generated from the
Father, that is, from the being of the Father, God from God, Light from
Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the
Father, through whom all things were made, those in heaven and those on
earth. For us men and for our salvation, he came down and became
incarnate, was made man, suffered, and rose again on the third day. He
ascended to the heavens and shall come again to judge the living and the
dead".[28] Following the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, the
Council of Chalcedon also professed: "the one and the same Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ, the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the
same truly God and truly man..., one in being with the Father according
to the divinity and one in being with us according to the humanity...,
begotten of the Father before the ages according to the divinity and, in
these last days, for us and our salvation, of Mary, the Virgin Mother of
God, according to the humanity".[29]

For this reason, the Second Vatican Council states that Christ "the new
Adam..."image of the invisible God' (Col 1:15) is himself the perfect
man who has restored that likeness to God in the children of Adam which
had been disfigured since the first sin... As an innocent lamb he
merited life for us by his blood which he freely shed. In him God
reconciled us to himself and to one another, freeing us from the bondage
of the devil and of sin, so that each one of us could say with the
apostle: the Son of God "loved me and gave himself up for me' (Gal
2:20)".[30]

In this regard, John Paul II has explicitly declared: "To introduce any
sort of separation between the Word and Jesus Christ is contrary to the
Christian faith... Jesus is the Incarnate Word - a single and
indivisible person... Christ is none other than Jesus of Nazareth; he is
the Word of God made man for the salvation of all... In the process of
discovering and appreciating the manifold gifts - especially the
spiritual treasures - that God has bestowed on every people, we cannot
separate those gifts from Jesus Christ, who is at the centre of God's
plan of salvation".[31]

It is likewise contrary to the Catholic faith to introduce a separation
between the salvific action of the Word as such and that of the Word
made man. With the incarnation, all the salvific actions of the Word of
God are always done in unity with the human nature that he has assumed
for the salvation of all people. The one subject which operates in the
two natures, human and divine, is the single person of the Word.[32]

Therefore, the theory which would attribute, after the incarnation as
well, a salvific activity to the Logos as such in his divinity,
exercised "in addition to" or "beyond" the humanity of Christ, is not
compatible with the Catholic faith.[33]

11.Similarly, the doctrine of faith regarding the unicity of the
salvific economy willed by the One and Triune God must be firmly
believed, at the source and centre of which is the mystery of the
incarnation of the Word, mediator of divine grace on the level of
creation and redemption (cf. Col 1:15-20), he who recapitulates all
things (cf. Eph 1:10), he "whom God has made our wisdom, our
righteousness, and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor 1:30). In fact,
the mystery of Christ has its own intrinsic unity, which extends from
the eternal choice in God to the parousia: "he [the Father] chose us in
Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless
before him in love" (Eph 1:4); "In Christ we are heirs, having been
destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things
according to his counsel and will" (Eph 1:11); "For those whom he
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in
order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; those whom he
predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified;
and those whom he justified he also glorified" (Rom 8:29-30).

The Church's Magisterium, faithful to divine revelation, reasserts that
Jesus Christ is the mediator and the universal redeemer: "The Word of
God, through whom all things were made, was made flesh, so that as
perfect man he could save all men and sum up all things in himself. The
Lord...is he whom the Father raised from the dead, exalted and placed at
his right hand, constituting him judge of the living and the dead".[34]
This salvific mediation implies also the unicity of the redemptive
sacrifice of Christ, eternal high priest (cf. Heb 6:20; 9:11; 10:12-14).

12.There are also those who propose the hypothesis of an economy of the
Holy Spirit with a more universal breadth than that of the Incarnate
Word, crucified and risen. This position also is contrary to the
Catholic faith, which, on the contrary, considers the salvific
incarnation of the Word as a trinitarian event. In the New Testament,
the mystery of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, constitutes the place of the
Holy Spirit's  presence as well as the principle of the Spirit's
effusion on humanity, not only in messianic times (cf. Acts 2:32-36; Jn
7:39, 20:22; 1 Cor 15:45), but also prior to his coming in history (cf.
1 Cor 10:4; 1 Pet 1:10-12).

The Second Vatican Council has recalled to the consciousness of the
Church's faith this fundamental truth. In presenting the Father's
salvific plan for all humanity, the Council closely links the mystery of
Christ from its very beginnings with that of the Spirit.[35] The entire
work of building the Church by Jesus Christ the Head, in the course of
the centuries, is seen as an action which he does in communion with his
Spirit.[36]

Furthermore, the salvific action of Jesus Christ, with and through his
Spirit, extends beyond the visible boundaries of the Church to all
humanity. Speaking of the paschal mystery, in which Christ even now
associates the believer to himself in a living manner in the Spirit and
gives him the hope of resurrection, the Council states: "All this holds
true not only for Christians but also for all men of good will in whose
hearts grace is active invisibly. For since Christ died for all, and
since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is
divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility
of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal
mystery".[37]

Hence, the connection is clear between the salvific mystery of the
Incarnate Word and that of the Spirit, who actualizes the salvific
efficacy of the Son made man in the lives of all people, called by God
to a single goal, both those who historically preceded the Word made
man, and those who live after his coming in history: the Spirit of the
Father, bestowed abundantly by the Son, is the animator of all (cf. Jn
3:34).   Thus, the recent Magisterium of the Church has firmly and
clearly recalled the truth of single divine economy: "The Spirit's
presence and activity affect not only individuals but also society and
history, peoples, cultures and religions... The Risen Christ "is now at
work in human hearts through the strength of his Spirit"... Again, it is
the Spirit who sows the "seeds of the word' present in various customs
and cultures, preparing them for full maturity in Christ".[38] While
recognizing the historical-salvific function of the Spirit in the whole
universe and in the entire history of humanity,[39] the Magisterium
states: "This is the same Spirit who was at work in the incarnation and
in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and who is at work in the
Church. He is therefore not an alternative to Christ nor does he fill a
sort of void which is sometimes suggested as existing between Christ and
the Logos. Whatever the Spirit brings about in human hearts and in the
history of peoples, in cultures and religions, serves as a preparation
for the Gospel and can only be understood in reference to Christ, the
Word who took flesh by the power of the Spirit "so that as perfectly
human he would save all human beings and sum up all things'".[40]

In conclusion, the action of the Spirit is not outside or parallel to
the action of Christ. There is only one salvific economy of the One and
Triune God, realized in the mystery of the incarnation, death, and
resurrection of the Son of God, actualized with the cooperation of the
Holy Spirit, and extended in its salvific value to all humanity and to
the entire universe: "No one, therefore, can enter into communion with
God except through Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit".[41]

 III. UNICITY AND UNIVERSALITY OF THE SALVIFIC MYSTERY OF JESUS CHRIST

13.The thesis which denies the unicity and salvific universality of the
mystery of Jesus Christ is also put forward. Such a position has no
biblical foundation. In fact, the truth of Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Lord and only Saviour, who through the event of his incarnation, death
and resurrection has brought the history of salvation to  fulfilment,
and which has in him its fullness and centre, must be firmly believed as
a constant element of the Church's faith.

The New Testament attests to this fact with clarity: "The Father has
sent his Son as the Saviour of the world" (1 Jn 4:14); "Behold the Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29). In his discourse
before the Sanhedrin, Peter, in order to justify the healing of a man
who was crippled from birth, which was done in the name of Jesus (cf.
Acts 3:1-8), proclaims: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is
no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved"
(Acts 4:12). St. Paul adds, moreover, that Jesus Christ "is Lord of
all", "judge of the living and the dead", and thus "whoever believes in
him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (Acts 10: 36,42,43).

Paul, addressing himself to the community of Corinth, writes: "Indeed,
even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth - as in
fact there are many gods and many lords - yet for us there is one God,
the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we
exist" (1 Cor 8:5-6). Furthermore, John the Apostle states: "For God so
loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him may not perish but may have eternal life. God did not send his
Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world
might be saved through him" (Jn 3:16-17). In the New Testament, the
universal salvific will of God is closely connected to the sole
mediation of Christ: "[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to
the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one
mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as
a ransom for all" (1 Tim 2:4-6).

It was in the awareness of the one universal gift of salvation offered
by the Father through Jesus Christ in the Spirit (cf. Eph 1:3-14), that
the first Christians encountered the Jewish people, showing them the
fulfilment of salvation that went beyond the Law and, in the same
awareness, they confronted the pagan world of their time, which aspired
to salvation through a plurality of saviours. This inheritance of faith
has been recalled recently by the Church's Magisterium: "The Church
believes that Christ, who died and was raised for the sake of all (cf. 2
Cor 5:15) can, through his Spirit, give man the light and the strength
to be able to respond to his highest calling, nor is there any other
name under heaven given among men by which they can be saved (cf. Acts
4:12). The Church likewise believes that the key, the centre, and the
purpose of the whole of man's history is to be found in its Lord and
Master".[42]

14.It must therefore be firmly believed as a truth of Catholic faith
that the universal salvific will of the One and Triune God is offered
and accomplished once for all in the mystery of the incarnation, death,
and resurrection of the Son of God.

Bearing in mind this article of faith, theology today, in its reflection
on the existence of other religious experiences and on their meaning in
God's salvific plan, is invited to explore if and in what way the
historical figures and positive elements of these religions may fall
within the divine plan of salvation. In this undertaking, theological
research has a vast field of work under the guidance of the Church's
Magisterium.The Second Vatican Council, in fact, has stated that: "the
unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude, but rather gives rise
to a manifold cooperation which is but a participation in this one
source".[43] The content of this participated mediation should be
explored more deeply, but must remain always consistent with the
principle of Christ's unique mediation: "Although participated forms of
mediation of different kinds and degrees are not excluded, they acquire
meaning and value only from Christ's own mediation, and they cannot be
understood as parallel or complementary to his".[44] Hence, those
solutions that propose a salvific action of God beyond the unique
mediation of Christ would be contrary to Christian and Catholic faith.

15.Not infrequently it is proposed that theology should avoid the use of
terms like "unicity", "universality", and "absoluteness", which give the
impression of excessive emphasis on the significance and value of the
salvific event of Jesus Christ in relation to other religions. In
reality, however, such language is simply being faithful to revelation,
since it represents a development of the sources of the faith
themselves.From the beginning, the community of believers has recognized
in Jesus a salvific value such that he alone, as Son of God made man,
crucified and risen, by the mission received from the Father and in the
power of the Holy Spirit, bestows revelation (cf. Mt 11:27) and divine
life (cf. Jn 1:12; 5:25-26; 17:2) to all humanity and to every person.

In this sense, one can and must say that Jesus Christ has a significance
and a value for the human race and its history, which are unique and
singular, proper to him alone, exclusive, universal, and absolute. Jesus
is, in fact, the Word of God made man for the salvation of all. In
expressing this consciousness of faith, the Second Vatican Council
teaches: "The Word of God, through whom all things were made, was made
flesh, so that as perfect man he could save all men and sum up all
things in himself. The Lord is the goal of human history, the focal
point of the desires of history and civilization, the centre of mankind,
the joy of all hearts, and the fulfilment of all aspirations. It is he
whom the Father raised from the dead, exalted and placed at his right
hand, constituting him judge of the living and the dead".[45] "It is
precisely this uniqueness of Christ which gives him an absolute and
universal significance whereby, while belonging to history, he remains
history's centre and goal: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and
the last, the beginning and the end' (Rev 22:13)".[46]

 IV. UNICITY AND UNITY OF THE CHURCH

16.The Lord Jesus, the only Saviour, did not only establish a simple
community of disciples, but constituted the Church as a salvific
mystery: he himself is in the Church and the Church is in him (cf. Jn
15:1ff.; Gal 3:28; Eph 4:15-16; Acts 9:5).  Therefore, the fullness of
Christ's salvific mystery belongs also to the Church, inseparably united
to her Lord. Indeed, Jesus Christ continues his presence and his work of
salvation in the Church and by means of the Church (cf. Col
1:24-27),[47] which is his body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-13, 27; Col 1:18).[48]
And thus, just as the head and members of a living body, though not
identical, are inseparable, so too Christ and the Church can neither be
confused nor separated, and constitute a single "whole Christ".[49] This
same inseparability is also expressed in the New Testament by the
analogy of the Church as the Bride of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Eph
5:25-29; Rev 21:2,9).[50]

Therefore, in connection with the unicity and universality of the
salvific mediation of Jesus Christ, the unicity of the Church founded by
him must be firmly believed as a truth of Catholic faith. Just as there
is one Christ, so there exists a single body of Christ, a single Bride
of Christ: "a single Catholic and apostolic Church".[51]  Furthermore,
the promises of the Lord that he would not abandon his Church (cf. Mt
16:18; 28:20) and that he would guide her by his Spirit (cf. Jn 16:13)
mean, according to Catholic faith, that the unicity and the unity of the
Church - like everything that belongs to the Church's integrity - will
never be lacking.[52]

The Catholic faithful are required to profess that there is an
historical continuity - rooted in the apostolic succession[53] - between
the Church founded by Christ and the Catholic Church: "This is the
single Church of Christ... which our Saviour, after his resurrection,
entrusted to Peter's pastoral care (cf. Jn 21:17), commissioning him and
the other Apostles to extend and rule her (cf. Mt 28:18ff.), erected for
all ages as "the pillar and mainstay of the truth' (1 Tim 3:15). This
Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world,
subsists in [subsistit in] the Catholic Church, governed by the
Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him".[54]With
the expression subsistit in, the Second Vatican Council sought to
harmonize two doctrinal statements: on the one hand, that the Church of
Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to
exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that
"outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification
and truth",[55] that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities
which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church.[56] But
with respect to these, it needs to be stated that "they derive their
efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the
Catholic Church".[57]

17.Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in
the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the
Bishops in communion with him.[58] The Churches which, while not
existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to
her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and
a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches.[59] Therefore, the
Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even
though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do
not accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the
will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the
entire Church.[60]

On the other hand, the ecclesial communities which have not preserved
the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the
Eucharistic mystery,[61] are not Churches in the proper sense; however,
those who are baptized in these communities are, by Baptism,
incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit
imperfect, with the Church.[62] Baptism in fact tends per se toward the
full development of life in Christ, through the integral profession of
faith, the Eucharist, and full communion in the Church.[63]

"The Christian faithful are therefore not permitted to imagine that the
Church of Christ is nothing more than a collection - divided, yet in
some way one - of Churches and ecclesial communities; nor are they free
to hold that today the Church of Christ nowhere really exists, and must
be considered only as a goal which all Churches and ecclesial
communities must strive to reach".[64] In fact, "the elements of this
already-given Church exist, joined together in their fullness in the
Catholic Church and, without this fullness, in the other
communities".[65] "Therefore, these separated Churches and communities
as such, though we believe they suffer from defects, have by no means
been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of
salvation. For the spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as
means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of
grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church".[66]

The lack of unity among Christians is certainly a wound for the Church;
not in the sense that she is deprived of her unity, but "in that it
hinders the complete fulfilment of her universality in history".[67]

 V. THE CHURCH: KINGDOM OF GOD AND KINGDOM OF CHRIST

18.The mission of the Church is "to proclaim and establish among all
peoples the kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is on earth, the seed
and the beginning of that kingdom".[68] On the one hand, the Church is
"a sacrament - that is, sign and instrument of intimate union with God
and of unity of the entire human race".[69] She is therefore the sign
and instrument of the kingdom; she is called to announce and to
establish the kingdom. On the other hand, the Church is the "people
gathered by the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit";[70]
she is therefore "the kingdom of Christ already present in mystery"[71]
and constitutes its seed and beginning. The kingdom of God, in fact, has
an eschatological dimension: it is a reality present in time, but its
full realization will arrive only with the completion or fulfilment of
history.[72]

The meaning of the expressions kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, and
kingdom of Christ in Sacred Scripture and the Fathers of the Church, as
well as in the documents of the Magisterium, is not always exactly the
same, nor is their relationship to the Church, which is a mystery that
cannot be totally contained by a human concept. Therefore, there can be
various theological explanations of these terms. However, none of these
possible explanations can deny or empty in any way the intimate
connection between Christ, the kingdom, and the Church. In fact, the
kingdom of God which we know from revelation, "cannot be detached either
from Christ or from the Church... If the kingdom is separated from
Jesus, it is no longer the kingdom of God which he revealed.The result
is a distortion of the meaning of the kingdom, which runs the risk of
being transformed into a purely human or ideological goal and a
distortion of the identity of Christ, who no longer appears as the Lord
to whom everything must one day be subjected (cf. 1 Cor 15:27).
Likewise, one may not separate the kingdom from the Church. It is true
that the Church is not an end unto herself, since she is ordered toward
the kingdom of God, of which she is the seed, sign and instrument. Yet,
while remaining distinct from Christ and the kingdom, the Church is
indissolubly united to both".[73]

19.To state the inseparable relationship between Christ and the kingdom
is not to overlook the fact that the kingdom of God - even if considered
in its historical phase - is not identified with the Church in her
visible and social reality.In fact, "the action of Christ and the Spirit
outside the Church's visible boundaries" must not be excluded.[74]
Therefore, one must also bear in mind that "the kingdom is the concern
of everyone: individuals, society and the world. Working for the kingdom
means acknowledging and promoting God's activity, which is present in
human history and transforms it. Building the kingdom means working for
liberation from evil in all its forms.In a word, the kingdom of God is
the manifestation and the realization of God's plan of salvation in all
its fullness".[75]

In considering the relationship between the kingdom of God, the kingdom
of Christ, and the Church, it is necessary to avoid one-sided
accentuations, as is the case with those "conceptions which deliberately
emphasize the kingdom and which describe themselves as "kingdom
centred.' They stress the image of a Church which is not concerned about
herself, but which is totally concerned with bearing witness to and
serving the kingdom. It is a "Church for others,' just as Christ is the
"man for others'... Together with positive aspects, these conceptions
often reveal negative aspects as well. First, they are silent about
Christ: the kingdom of which they speak is "theocentrically' based,
since, according to them, Christ cannot be understood by those who lack
Christian faith, whereas different peoples, cultures, and religions are
apable of finding common ground in the one divine reality, by whatever
name it isalled. For the same reason, they put great stress on the
mystery of creation, which is reflected in the diversity of cultures and
beliefs, but they keep silent about the mystery of redemption.
Furthermore, the kingdom, as they understand it, ends up either leaving
very little room for the Church or undervaluing the Church in reaction
to a presumed "ecclesiocentrism' of the past and because they consider
the Church herself only a sign, for that matter a sign not without
ambiguity".[76] These theses are contrary to Catholic faith because they
deny the unicity of the relationship which Christ and the Church have
with the kingdom of God.

VI. THE CHURCH AND THE OTHER RELIGIONS IN RELATION TO SALVATION

20.From what has been stated above, some points follow that are
necessary for theological reflection as it explores the relationship of
the Church and the other religions to salvation. Above all else, it must
be firmly believed that "the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is
necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of
salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He
himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk
16:16; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of
the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door".[77] This
doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God (cf.
1 Tim 2:4); "it is necessary to keep these two truths together, namely,
the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all mankind and the
necessity of the Church for this salvation".[78]

The Church is the "universal sacrament of salvation",[79] since, united
always in a mysterious way to the Saviour Jesus Christ, her Head, and
subordinated to him, she has, in God's plan, an indispensable
relationship with the salvation of every human being.[80]For those who
are not formally and visibly members of the Church, "salvation in Christ
is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a mysterious
relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the
Church, but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their
spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is
the result of his sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit";[81]
it has a relationship with the Church, which "according to the plan of
the Father, has her origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy
Spirit".[82]

21.With respect to the way in which the salvific grace of God - which is
always given by means of Christ in the Spirit and has a mysterious
relationship to the Church - comes to individual non-Christians, the
Second Vatican Council limited itself to the statement that God bestows
it "in ways known to himself".[83]Theologians are seeking to understand
this question more fully.Their work is to be encouraged, since it is
certainly useful for understanding better God's salvific plan and the
ways in which it is accomplished. However, from what has been stated
above about the mediation of Jesus Christ and the "unique and special
relationship"[84] which the Church has with the kingdom of God among men
- which in substance is the universal kingdom of Christ the Saviour - it
is clear that it would be contrary to the faith to consider the Church
as one way of salvation alongside those constituted by the other
religions, seen as complementary to the Church or substantially
equivalent to her, even if these are said to be converging with the
Church toward the eschatological kingdom of God.

Certainly, the various religious traditions contain and offer religious
elements which come from God,[85] and which are part of what "the Spirit
brings about in human hearts and in the history of peoples, in cultures,
and religions".[86] Indeed, some prayers and rituals of the other
religions may assume a role of preparation for the Gospel, in that they
are occasions or pedagogical helps in which the human heart is prompted
to be open to the action of God.[87] One cannot attribute to these,
however, a divine origin or an ex opere operato salvific efficacy, which
is proper to the Christian sacraments.[88] Furthermore, it cannot be
overlooked that other rituals, insofar as they depend on superstitions
or other errors (cf. 1 Cor 10:20-21), constitute an obstacle to
salvation.[89]

22.With the coming of the Saviour Jesus Christ, God has willed that the
Church founded by him be the instrument for the salvation of all
humanity (cf. Acts 17:30-31).[90] This truth of faith does not lessen
the sincere respect which the Church has for the religions of the world,
but at the same time, it rules out, in a radical way, that mentality of
indifferentism "characterized by a religious relativism which leads to
the belief that "one religion is as good as another'".[91] If it is true
that the followers of other religions can receive divine grace, it is
also certain that objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient
situation in comparison with those who, in the Church, have the fullness
of the means of salvation.[92]However, "all the children of the Church
should nevertheless remember that their exalted condition results, not
from their own merits, but from the grace of Christ. If they fail to
respond in thought, word, and deed to that grace, not only shall they
not be saved, but they shall be more severely judged".[93] One
understands then that, following the Lord's command (cf. Mt 28:19-20)
and as a requirement of her love for all people, the Church "proclaims
and is in duty bound to proclaim without fail, Christ who is the way,
the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). In him, in whom God reconciled all
things to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:18-19), men find the fullness of their
religious life".[94]

In inter-religious dialogue as well, the mission ad gentes "today as
always retains its full force and necessity".[95]"Indeed, God "desires
all men to be saved and come to the  knowledge of the truth' (1 Tim
2:4); that is, God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge
of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the
promptings of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation.
But the Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to
meet their desire, so as to bring them the truth. Because she believes
in God's universal plan of salvation, the Church must be
missionary".[96] Inter-religious dialogue, therefore, as part of her
evangelizing mission, is just one of the actions of the Church in her
mission ad gentes.[97] Equality, which is a presupposition of
inter-religious dialogue, refers to the equal personal dignity of the
parties in dialogue, not to doctrinal content, nor even less to the
position of Jesus Christ - who is God himself made man - in relation to
the founders of the other religions. Indeed, the Church, guided by
charity and respect for freedom,[98] must be primarily committed to
proclaiming to all people the truth definitively revealed by the Lord,
and to announcing the necessity of conversion to Jesus Christ and of
adherence to the Church through Baptism and the other sacraments, in
order to participate fully in communion with God, the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. Thus, the certainty of the universal salvific will of God
does not diminish, but rather increases the duty and urgency of the
proclamation of salvation and of conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION

23.The intention of the present Declaration, in reiterating and
clarifying certain truths of the faith, has been to follow the example
of the Apostle Paul, who wrote to the faithful of Corinth: "I handed on
to you as of first importance what I myself received" (1 Cor 15:3).
Faced with certain problematic and even erroneous propositions,
theological reflection is called to reconfirm the Church's faith and to
give reasons for her hope in a way that is convincing and effective.

In treating the question of the true religion, the Fathers of the Second
Vatican Council taught: "We believe that this one true religion
continues to exist in the Catholic and Apostolic Church, to which the
Lord Jesus entrusted the task of spreading it among all people. Thus, he
said to the Apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you' (Mt 28:
19-20). Especially in those things that concern God and his Church, all
persons are required to seek the truth, and when they come to know it,
to embrace it and hold fast to it".[99]

The revelation of Christ will continue to be "the true lodestar" [100]
in history for all humanity: "The truth, which is Christ, imposes itself
as an all-embracing authority". [101] The Christian mystery, in fact,
overcomes all barriers of time and space, and accomplishes the unity of
the human family: "From their different locations and traditions all are
called in Christ to share in the unity of the family of God's
children... Jesus destroys the walls of division and creates unity in a
new and unsurpassed way through our sharing in his mystery. This unity
is so deep that the Church can say with Saint Paul: "You are no longer
strangers and sojourners, but you are saints and members of the
household of God' (Eph 2:19)". [102]

The Sovereign Pontiff John Paul II, at the Audience of June 16, 2000,
granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, with sure knowledge and by his apostolic
authority, ratified and confirmed this Declaration, adopted in Plenary
Session and ordered its publication.

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, August 6, 2000, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Joseph Card. Ratzinger
 Prefect

Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B.
Archbishop Emeritus of Vercelli
 Secretary

(1) First Council of Constantinople, Symbolum Constantinopolitanum: DS
150.

(2) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 1: AAS 83
(1991), 249-340.

(3) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes and Declaration Nostra
aetate; cf. also Paul VI Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi: AAS
68 (1976), 5-76; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio.

(4) Second Vatican Council, Declaration Nostra aetate, 2.

(5) Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and the Congregation
for the Evangelization of Peoples, Instruction Dialogue and
Proclamation, 29: AAS 84 (1992), 424; cf. Second Vatican Council,
Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 22.

(6) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 55: AAS 83
(1991), 302-304.

(7) Cf. Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and the
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Instruction Dialogue and
Proclamation, 9: AAS 84 (1992), 417ff.

(8)John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio, 5: AAS 91 (1999),
5-88.

(9)Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei verbum, 2.

(10) Ibid., 4.

(11) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 5.

(12) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio, 14.

(13) Council of Chalcedon, Symbolum Chalcedonense: DS 301; cf. St.
Athanasius, De Incarnatione, 54, 3: SC 199, 458.

(14) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei verbum, 4.

(15) Ibid., 5.

(16) Ibid.

(17) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 144.

(18) Ibid., 150.

(19) Ibid., 153.

(20) Ibid., 178.

(21) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio, 13.

(22) Cf. ibid., 31-32.

(23) Second Vatican Council, Declaration Nostra aetate, 2; cf. Second
Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 9, where it speaks of the elements of
good present "in the particular customs and cultures of peoples";
Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 16, where it mentions the elements
of good and of truth present among non-Christians, which can be
considered a preparation for the reception of the Gospel.

(24) Cf. Council of Trent, Decretum de libris sacris et de traditionibus
recipiendis: DS 1501; First Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei
Filius, cap. 2: DS 3006.

(25) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei verbum, 11.

(26) Ibid.

(27) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 55; cf. 56 and
Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi, 53.

(28) First Council of Nicaea, Symbolum Nicaenum: DS 125.

(29) Council of Chalcedon, Symbolum Chalcedonense: DS 301.

(30) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 22.

(31) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 6.

(32) Cf. St. Leo the Great, Tomus ad Flavianum: DS 294.

(33) Cf. St. Leo the Great, Letter to the Emperor Leo I Promisisse me
memini: DS 318: "...in tantam unitatem ab ipso conceptu Virginis deitate
et humanitate conserta, ut nec sine homine divina, nec sine Deo
agerentur humana". Cf. also ibid. DS 317.

(34) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 45;
cf. also Council of Trent, Decretum de peccato originali, 3: DS 1513.

(35) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium,
3"4.

(36) Cf. ibid., 7; cf. St. Irenaeus, who wrote that it is in the Church
"that communion with Christ has been deposited, that is to say: the Holy
Spirit" (Adversus haereses III, 24, 1: SC 211, 472).

(37) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 22.

(38) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 28. For the
"seeds of the Word" cf. also St. Justin Martyr, Second Apology 8, 1-2;
10, 1-3; 13, 3-6: ed. E.J. Goodspeed, 84; 85; 88-89.

(39) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Redemptoris missio, 28-29.

(40) Ibid., 29.

(41) Ibid., 5.

(42) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 10.
Cf. St. Augustine, who wrote that Christ is the way, which "has never
been lacking to mankind... and apart from this way no one has been set
free, no one is being set free, no one will be set free" De civitate Dei
10, 32, 2: CCSL 47, 312.

(43) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 62.

(44) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 5.

(45) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 45.
The necessary and absolute singularity of Christ in human history is
well expressed by St. Irenaeus in contemplating the preeminence of Jesus
as firstborn Son: "In the heavens, as firstborn of the Father's counsel,
the perfect Word governs and legislates all things; on the earth, as
firstborn of the Virgin, a man just and holy, reverencing God and
pleasing to God, good and perfect in every way, he saves from hell all
those who follow him since he is the firstborn from the dead and Author
of the life of God" (Demonstratio apostolica, 39: SC 406, 138).

(46) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 6.

(47) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium,
14.

(48) Cf. ibid., 7.

(49) Cf. St. Augustine, Enarratio in Psalmos, Ps. 90, Sermo 2,1: CCSL
39, 1266; St. Gregory the Great, Moralia in Iob, Praefatio, 6, 14: PL
75, 525; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 48, a. 2 ad 1.

(50) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 6.

(51) Symbolum maius Ecclesiae Armeniacae: DS 48. Cf. Boniface VIII, Unam
sanctam: DS 870-872; Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen
gentium, 8.

(52) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 4; John
Paul II,
Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 11: AAS 87 (1995), 927.

(53) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium,
20; cf. also St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, III, 3, 1-3: SC 211,
20-44; St. Cyprian, Epist. 33, 1: CCSL 3B, 164-165; St. Augustine,
Contra adver. legis et prophet., 1, 20, 39: CCSL 49, 70.

(54) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.

(55) Ibid.; cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 13. Cf.
also Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 15 and
the Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.