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Dominus Iesus
Dominus Iesus ( Lord Jesus) is a declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was approved in a Plenary meeting of the Congregation, and bears the signature of its then Prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, and of its then Secretary, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, now Cardinal Secretary of State. The declaration was approved by Pope John Paul II and was published on August 6, 2000. It is subtitled "On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church". It is most widely known for its recapitulation of the Catholic dogma that the Catholic Church is the sole true Church of Christ.(from Wikipedia)
32 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2000
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Catholic Church
4,111 books199 followersThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity. The Catholic Church is among the oldest institutions in the world and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilisation. It teaches that it is the church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles and that the Pope is the successor to Saint Peter. Catholic doctrine maintains that the Church is infallible when it dogmatically teaches a doctrine of faith or morals. Catholic worship is centred on the Eucharist in which the Church teaches bread and wine are supernaturally transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. The Church holds the Blessed Virgin Mary in special regard. Catholic beliefs concerning Mary include her Immaculate Conception and bodily Assumption at the end of her earthly life.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 3, 2014
Short and sweet. To the point and very succinct, as Ratzinger typically is.
This document clarifies the teaching of the Catholic Church with regards to other faiths. I think it stirred quite a bit of controversy when it was first published. That likely has to do with its rejection of religious relativism of the claim that there is no such thing as objective truth.
This document is like a short introduction to Truth and Tolerance by Ratzinger. it also reminds me a lot of G.K. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man.
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"all men and women who are saved share, though differently, in the same mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ through his Spirit"
"For those who are not formally invisibly members of the church, salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a serious 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 a sacrifice"
"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."
"all the children if 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"
This document clarifies the teaching of the Catholic Church with regards to other faiths. I think it stirred quite a bit of controversy when it was first published. That likely has to do with its rejection of religious relativism of the claim that there is no such thing as objective truth.
This document is like a short introduction to Truth and Tolerance by Ratzinger. it also reminds me a lot of G.K. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man.
-----
"all men and women who are saved share, though differently, in the same mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ through his Spirit"
"For those who are not formally invisibly members of the church, salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a serious 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 a sacrifice"
"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."
"all the children if 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"
July 9, 2023
An extremely clear post-conciliar document (which is to be expected by then-Cdl. Ratzinger). Should be read by more Catholics.
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"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... and divine life... to all humanity and to every person."
“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… and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door’. This doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God… ‘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’.”
“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, 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.”
—————
"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... and divine life... to all humanity and to every person."
“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… and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door’. This doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God… ‘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’.”
“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, 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.”
April 4, 2023
Document très utile, précis, pour comprendre la façon dont Rome considérait au tournant du millénaire sa relation aux autres Église qui ne sont pas en communion avec Rome. Utile pour comprendre son rapport au pluralisme religieux.
Omission du filioque dans le symbole par Ratzinger, évidemment volontaire.
Définition utile du rapport entre la raison formelle et la raison matérielle de la foi (même si formulé sans faire appel à ces notions) :
"La foi par conséquent, « don de Dieu » et « vertu surnaturelle infuse par lui », comporte une double adhésion : à Dieu qui révèle et à la vérité qu'il révèle, à cause de la confiance accordée à la personne qui affirme."
Omission du filioque dans le symbole par Ratzinger, évidemment volontaire.
Définition utile du rapport entre la raison formelle et la raison matérielle de la foi (même si formulé sans faire appel à ces notions) :
"La foi par conséquent, « don de Dieu » et « vertu surnaturelle infuse par lui », comporte une double adhésion : à Dieu qui révèle et à la vérité qu'il révèle, à cause de la confiance accordée à la personne qui affirme."
April 3, 2023
Ratzinger explains the meaning of "subsistit in." Overall, I think this document is very good, but the last part of it is confusing and not very straightforward. Also, Ratzinger omits the "filioque" in his iteration of the creed, supposedly for the sake of charity toward the Orthodox. I find this problematic.
September 23, 2020
Excellent document of BXVI, explaining the whys of this unicity and the place of other religions
November 1, 2022
Absolutely beautiful
May 3, 2025
Much needed.
June 30, 2025
As one of the other reviews have made mentioned, probably one of the clearest post-conciliar documents that communicates what’s titled. A particular section there that connects the Church and its eschatological mission, necessitating Christian unity and a desire for the Catholic faith, is probably my most favorited portion. I also think it clears up a variety of misconceptions and typical misunderstandings delivered by some communities [say some Protestant circles] about what Catholics believe and instead actually tells you what it is that Catholics do believe when it comes to some areas of discussion like soteriology.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews