CHAPTER I - JESUS
CHRIST, THE ONLY SAVIOR
4. In my
first encyclical, in which I set forth the program of my Pontificate, I said
that "the Church's fundamental function in every age, and particularly in
ours, is to direct man's gaze, to point the awareness and experience of the
whole of humanity toward the mystery of Christ."4
The Church's universal
mission is born of faith in Jesus Christ, as is stated in our Trinitarian
profession of faith: "I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of
God, eternally begotten of the Father.... For us men and for our salvation he
came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy spirit he became incarnate from
the Virgin Mary, and was made man."5 The redemption event brings
salvation to all, "for each one is included in the mystery of the
redemption and with each one Christ has united himself forever through this
mystery."6 It is only in faith that the Church's mission can be
understood and only in faith that it finds its basis.
Nevertheless, also as a
result of the changes which have taken place in modern times and the spread of
new theological ideas, some people wonder: Is missionary work among
non-Christians still relevant? Has it not been replaced by inter-religious
dialogue? Is not human development an adequate goal of the Church's mission?
Does not respect for conscience and for freedom exclude all efforts at
conversion? Is it not possible to attain salvation in any religion? Why then
should there be missionary activity?
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