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
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