Pre-Conciliar vs. Conciliar Thought

 Pre-Conciliar vs. Conciliar Thought

Topics	Page
On Novelty	2
On Tradition/Dogma	7
On the Definition of Man	13
On Collegiality and the Definition of Church Hierarchy	23
On Ecumenism and the Composition of the Church	27
On the Liturgy/Sacramental Rites	54
On Commmunicatio in Sacris	61
On Common Worship	63
On Religious Liberty and Human Rights	67
Relationship with other Religions	73
Relationship with Islam	86
Relationship with Judaism	93
On Socialism/Communism	102
On Globalism	106
On Marriage/Marital Act	108
On Genesis/Creation	112
On Hell/Limbo	116
On Mary	120
On Justification	124

Note: The structure of this study is pre-conciliar Church statements (prior to Vatican II) in the left column compared with statements made during and after Vatican II found in the right column. Importantly, many statements are not direct contradictions, and some may even have the potential to be viewed congruently with past statements. The important point is to notice the shift in not only the doctrines, but also the more subtle shift in emphasis, word choice, order, and tone which can contribute to significant misunderstandings among the faithful.

On Novelty

1 Timothy 6:20  “…keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding the profane novelties of words, and oppositions of knowledge falsely so called.”  Second Council of Nicaea (787)  “Those, therefore, who dare to think or to teach otherwise or to spurn according to the wretched heretics the ecclesiastical traditions and to invent anything novel, or to reject anything from these things which have been consecrated by the Church... or to invent perversely and cunningly for the overthrow of anyone of the legitimate traditions of the Catholic Church... if indeed they are bishops or clerics, we order them to be deposed; monks, however, or laymen, to be excommunicated.” Pope Gregory XVI- Mirari Vos (1832)     7: “…attend to yourselves and to doctrine and meditate on these words: ‘the universal Church is affected by any and every novelty’ and the admonition of Pope Agatho: ‘nothing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning.’” Pope St. Pius X- Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907)  1: “The office divinely committed to Us of feeding the Lord's flock has especially this duty assigned to it by Christ, namely, to guard with the greatest vigilance the deposit of the faith delivered to the saints, rejecting the profane novelties of words…it must be confessed that the number of the enemies of the cross of Christ has in these last days increased exceedingly, who are striving, by arts, entirely new and full of subtlety, to destroy the vital energy of the Church, and, if they can, to overthrow utterly Christ's kingdom itself.” 17: “The Modernists completely invert the parts, and to them may be applied the words of another Predecessor of Ours, Gregory IX, addressed to some theologians of his time: Some among you, inflated like bladders with the spirit of vanity strive by profane novelties to cross the boundaries fixed by the Fathers, twisting the sense of the heavenly pages . . .to the philosophical teaching of the rationals, not for the profit of their hearer but to make a show of science… these, seduced by strange and eccentric doctrines, make the head of the tail and force the queen to serve the servant.” 18: “…while they, on their side, after having blotted out the old theology, endeavour to introduce a new theology which shall follow the vagaries of their philosophers…” 40: “Our Predecessor, Gregory XVI., who wrote: A lamentable spectacle is that presented by the aberrations of human reason when it yields to the spirit of novelty…We are not as the rest of men, and which, to make them really not as other men, leads them to embrace all kinds of the most absurd novelties…” 42: “Whether it is ignorance or fear, or both, that inspires this conduct in them, certain it is that the passion for novelty is always united in them with hatred of scholasticism…for Catholics the second Council of Nicea will always have the force of law, where it condemns those who dare, after the impious fashion of heretics, to deride the ecclesiastical traditions, to invent novelties of some kind . . . or endeavour by malice or craft to overthrow any one of the legitimate traditions of the Catholic Church” 48: “…those who favour Modernism either by extolling the Modernists or excusing their culpable conduct, by criticising scholasticism, the Holy Father, or by refusing obedience to ecclesiastical authority in any of its depositaries; and towards those who show a love of novelty in history, archaeology, biblical exegesis…” 49: “Equal diligence and severity are to be used in examining and selecting candidates for Holy Orders. Far, far from the clergy be the love of novelty!” Pope Pius XII- Humani Generis (1950) 10: “We know that Catholic teachers generally avoid these errors, it is apparent, however, that some today, as in apostolic times, desirous of novelty…” 11: “…today some are presumptive enough to question seriously whether theology and theological methods, such as with the approval of ecclesiastical authority are found in our schools, should not only be perfected, but also completely reformed, in order to promote the more efficacious propagation of the kingdom of Christ everywhere throughout the world among men of every culture and religious opinion.” 13: “These new opinions, whether they originate from a reprehensible desire of novelty or from a laudable motive, are not always advanced in the same degree, with equal clarity nor in the same terms, nor always with unanimous agreement of their authors.” 15: “…some more audacious affirm that this can and must be done, because they hold that the mysteries of faith are never expressed by truly adequate concepts but only by approximate and ever changeable notions, in which the truth is to some extent expressed, but is necessarily distorted. Wherefore they do not consider it absurd, but altogether necessary, that theology should substitute new concepts in place of the old ones in keeping with the various philosophies which in the course of time it uses as its instruments, so that it should give human expression to divine truths in various ways which are even somewhat opposed, but still equivalent, as they say...” 17: “... to do this so that these things may be replaced by conjectural notions and by some formless and unstable tenets of a new philosophy, tenets which, like the flowers of the field, are in existence today and die tomorrow; this is supreme imprudence and something that would make dogma itself a reed shaken by the wind...” 18: “…these advocates of novelty easily pass from despising scholastic theology to the neglect of and even contempt for the Teaching Authority of the Church…” 25: “It is not surprising that novelties of this kind have already borne their deadly fruit in almost all branches of theology.” 30: “... let no Christian therefore, whether philosopher or theologian, embrace eagerly and lightly whatever novelty happens to be thought up from day to day, but rather let him weigh it with painstaking care and a balanced judgment, lest he lose or corrupt the truth he already has, with grave danger and damage to his faith...” 32: “How deplorable it is then that this [Thomistic] philosophy, received and honored by the Church, is scorned by some, who shamelessly call it outmoded in form and rationalistic, as they say, in its method of thought.” 40: “…those errors which today, whether through a desire for novelty or through a certain immoderate zeal for the apostolate, are being spread either openly or covertly. But we know also that such new opinions can entice the incautious…”

Pope John XXIII Opens Vatican II 8: “They keep repeating that our times, if compared to past centuries, have been getting worse. And they act as if they have nothing to learn from history, which is the teacher of life, and as if at the time of past Councils everything went favorably and correctly with respect to Christian doctrine, morality, and the Church's proper freedom. We believe We must quite disagree with these prophets of doom who are always forecasting disaster, as if the end of the world were at hand.” 9: “In the present historical moment, Providence is in the present course of human events, by which human society seems to be entering a new order of things, we should see instead the mysterious plans of divine Providence which through the passage of time and the efforts of men, and often beyond their expectation, are achieving their purpose and wisely disposing of all things, even contrary human events, for the good of the Church.” 11: “The greatest concern of the Ecumenical Council is this, that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be more effectively defended and presented.” 12: “She must also look at the present times which have introduced new conditions and new forms of life, and have opened new avenues for the Catholic apostolate.” 14: “As all sincere promoters of Christian, Catholic, and apostolic faith strongly desire, what is needed is that this doctrine be more fully and more profoundly known and that minds be more fully imbued and formed by it. What is needed is that this certain and unchangeable doctrine, to which loyal submission is due, be investigated and presented in the way demanded by our times. For the deposit of faith, the truths contained in our venerable doctrine, are one thing; the fashion in which they are expressed, but with the same meaning and the same judgement, is another thing. This way of speaking will require a great deal of work and, it may be, much patience: types of presentation must be introduced which are more in accord with a teaching authority which is primarily pastoral in character.” 16: “…new-born errors often vanish as quickly as a mist dispelled by the sun. The Church in every age has opposed these errors and often has even condemned them and indeed with the greatest severity. But at the present time, the spouse of Christ prefers to use the medicine of mercy rather than the weapons of severity; and, she thinks she meets today's needs by explaining the validity of her doctrine more fully rather than by condemning.” Pope St. John Paul II - Sacra Disciplinae Leges (1983) “What constitutes the substantial ‘novelty’ of the Second Vatican Council, in line with the legislative tradition of the Church, especially in regard to ecclesiology, constitutes likewise the ‘novelty’ of the new Code…If, therefore, the Second Vatican Council has drawn from the treasury of Tradition elements both old and new, and the new consists precisely in the elements which we have enumerated, then it is clear that the Code also should reflect the same note of fidelity in newness and of newness in fidelity, and conform itself to that in its own field and in its particular way of expressing itself.” Pope St. John Paul II - Fidei Depositum (1992) It is meant to support ecumenical efforts that are moved by the holy desire for the unity of all Christians, showing carefully the content and wondrous harmony of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope St. John Paul II - Crossing the Threshold of Hope (1994), pg. 164 “The Catechism was also indispensable in order that all the richness of the teaching of the Church following the Second Vatican Council could be preserved in a new synthesis and be given a new direction.” Pope St. Paul VI - General Audience, June 27, 1973 “…everything must change, everything must progress. Evolution seems to be the law that brings liberation. There must be a great deal that is true and good in this mentality…” Pope Benedict XVI - Light of the World (2010), pg. 65 “Above all, the Council took up and carried out its great mission of defining in a new way the Church’s purpose as well as her relation to the modern era, and also the relation of faith to this time with its values.”

On Tradition/Dogma

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” Matthew 5:19 “He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” Galatians 1:8 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema.” James: 3:1 “Be ye not many masters, my brethren, knowing that you receive the greater judgment.” Pope Gregory XVI - Inter Praecipuas (1844)                                                          2: “Indeed, you are aware that from the first ages called Christian, it has been the peculiar artifice of heretics that, repudiating the traditional Word of God, and rejecting the authority of the Catholic Church, they either falsify the Scriptures at hand, or alter the explanation of the meaning.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Ineffabilis Deus (1854)   “For the Church of Christ, watchful guardian that she is, and defender of the dogmas deposited with her, never changes anything, never diminishes anything, never adds anything to them; but with all diligence she treats the ancient documents faithfully and wisely; if they really are of ancient origin and if the faith of the Fathers has transmitted them, she strives to investigate and explain them in such a way that the ancient dogmas of heavenly doctrine will be made evident and clear, but will retain their full, integral, and proper nature, and will grown only within their own genus — that is, within the same dogma, in the same sense and the same meaning.” Vatican I (1870) Session 3, Chapter 3 “Further, by divine and Catholic faith, all those things must be believed which are contained in the written word of God and in tradition, and those which are proposed by the Church, either in a solemn pronouncement or in her ordinary and universal teaching power, to be believed as divinely revealed.” Chapter 4, 14: “[The true progress of knowledge, both natural and revealed]. For the doctrine of faith which God revealed has not been handed down as a philosophic invention to the human mind to be perfected, but has been entrusted as a divine deposit to the Spouse of Christ, to be faithfully guarded and infallibly interpreted. Hence, also, that understanding of its sacred dogmas must be perpetually retained, which Holy Mother Church has once declared; and there must never be recession from that meaning under the specious name of a deeper understanding [can. 3]. "Therefore . . . let the understanding, the knowledge, and wisdom of individuals as of all, of one man as of the whole Church, grow and progress strongly with the passage of the ages and the centuries; but let it be solely in its own genus, namely in the same dogma, with the same sense and the same understanding.''  Pope St. Pius X- Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907) 12: “These formulas have no other purpose than to furnish the believer with a means of giving to himself an account of his faith. These formulas therefore stand midway between the believer and his faith;”  13: “Dogma is not only able, but ought to evolve and to be changed. This is strongly affirmed by the Modernists, and clearly flows from their principles...religious formulas if they are to be really religious and not merely intellectual speculations, ought to be living and to live the life of the religious sense.”  25: [modernists think] “To prevent individual consciences from revealing freely and openly the impulses they feel, to hinder criticism from impelling dogmas towards their necessary evolutions - this is not a legitimate use but an abuse of a power given for the public utility.” 26: “…they [modernists] lay down the general principle that in a living religion everything is subject to change, and must change, and in this way, they pass to what may be said to be, among the chief of their doctrines, that of Evolution. To the laws of evolution everything is subject - dogma, Church, worship, the Books we revere as sacred, even faith itself, and the penalty of disobedience is death… The chief stimulus of evolution in the domain of worship consists in the need of adapting itself to the uses and customs of peoples, as well as the need of availing itself of the value which certain acts have acquired by long usage. Finally, evolution in the Church itself is fed by the need of accommodating itself to historical conditions and of harmonizing itself with existing forms of society.   27: “The conserving force in the Church is tradition, and tradition is represented by religious authority, and this both by right and in fact; for by right it is in the very nature of authority to protect tradition, and, in fact, for authority, raised as it is above the contingencies of life, feels hardly, or not at all, the spurs of progress. The progressive force, on the contrary, which responds to the inner needs lies in the individual consciences and ferments there…”   Pope St. Pius X - Praestantia Scripturae (1907)  “...Modernists, who by sophisms and artifices of every kind endeavor to destroy the force and efficacy not only of the Decree, 'Lamentabili sane exitu'... but also of Our Encyclical Letter, 'Pascendi Dominici gregis,' given on the eighth of September of this same year by Our Apostolic Authority, We repeat and confirm not only that Decree of the Sacred and Supreme Congregation, but also that Encyclical Letter of Ours, adding the penalty of excommunication against all who contradict them; and we declare and decree this: if anyone, which God forbid, proceeds to such a point of boldness that he defends any of the propositions, opinions, and doctrines disproved in either document mentioned above, he is ipso facto afflicted by the censure imposed in the chapter Docentes of the Constitution of the Apostolic See, first among those excommunications latae sententiae...” Pope St. Pius X – Sacrorum Antistitum (1910) “Fourthly, I sincerely hold that the doctrine of faith was handed down to us from the apostles through the orthodox Fathers in exactly the same meaning and always in the same purport. Therefore, I entirely reject the heretical’ misrepresentation that dogmas evolve and change from one meaning to another different from the one which the Church held previously. I also condemn every error according to which, in place of the divine deposit which has been given to the spouse of Christ to be carefully guarded by her, there is put a philosophical figment or product of a human conscience that has gradually been developed by human effort and will continue to develop indefinitely… I firmly hold, then, and shall hold to my dying breath the belief of the Fathers in the charism of truth, which certainly is, was, and always will be in the succession of the episcopacy from the apostles. The purpose of this is, then, not that dogma may be tailored according to what seems better and more suited to the culture of each age; rather, that the absolute and immutable truth preached by the apostles from the beginning may never be believed to be different, may never be understood in any other way.” Pope Benedict XV – Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum (1914) 25: “Nor do We merely desire that Catholics should shrink from the errors of Modernism, but also from the tendencies or what is called the spirit of Modernism. Those who are infected by that spirit develop a keen dislike for all that savours of antiquity and become eager searchers after novelties in everything: in the way in which they carry out religious functions, in the ruling of Catholic institutions, and even in private exercises of piety. Therefore, it is Our will that the law of our forefathers should still be held sacred: ‘Let there be no innovation; keep to what has been handed down.’ In matters of faith that must be inviolably adhered to as the law; it may however also serve as a guide even in matters subject to change, but even in such cases the rule would hold: ‘Old things, but in a new way.’”

Vatican II - Dei Verbum 8: “This tradition of the Apostles develops in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. For there is a growth in understanding the realities and the words which have been handed down. This happens through the contemplation and study made by believers who treasure these things in their hearts, through the intimate understanding of spiritual things they experience, and through the preaching of those who have received through Episcopal succession the sure gift of truth. For as the centuries succeed one another, the Church constantly moves toward the fullness of divine truth until the words of God reach their complete fulfilment in her.” Vatican II – Gaudium Et Spes 91: “Undeniably this conciliar program is but a general one in several of its parts; and deliberately so, given the immense variety of situations and forms of human culture in the world. Indeed, while it presents teaching already accepted in the Church, the program will have to be followed up and amplified since it sometimes deals with matters in a constant state of development.”  Pope St. John Paul II - Ecclesia Dei Afflicta (1988) “The root of this schismatic act can be discerned in an incomplete and contradictory notion of Tradition. Incomplete, because it does not take sufficiently into account the living character of Tradition, which, as the Second Vatican Council clearly taught, comes from the apostles and progresses in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. There is a growth in insight into the realities and words that are being passed on. This comes about in various ways. It comes through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts. It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which they experience. And it comes from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth.” (John Paul II – in excommunicating Archbishop Lefebvre) Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) 94: “Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church: - “…through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts"; it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth…" - “…from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience,” the sacred Scriptures, "grow with the one who reads them.” - "…from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth.” Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI - Principles of Catholic Theology (1987), pg. 100 “Our topic seems to demand that we take a third step here and speak of the problem of tradition as it exists in the Church...  This bearer of tradition in the case of Jesus is the Church… The Church’s role as bearer of tradition rests on the oneness of the historical context and the communal character of the basic experiences that constitute the tradition.  This bearer is, consequently, the sine qua non of the possibility of a genuine participation in the tradition of Jesus, which, without it, would be, not a historical and history-making reality, but only a private memory.  The Church is tradition, the concrete situs of the tradition of Jesus, into which – let us admit – much human pseudotradition has found its way; so much so, in fact, that even, and even precisely, the Church has contributed to the general crisis of tradition that afflicts mankind.” Ratzinger - Nature and Mission of Theology (1993), pg. 106 “The text also presents the various forms of binding authority which correspond to the grades of the Magisterium.  It states – perhaps for the first time with such candor – that there are magisterial decisions which cannot be the final word on a given matter as such but, despite the permanent value of their principles, are chiefly also a signal for pastoral prudence, a sort of provisional policy.  Their kernel remains valid, but the particulars determined by circumstances can stand in need of correction.  In this connection, one will probably call to mind both the pontifical statements of the last century regarding freedom of religion and the anti-Modernist decisions of the then Biblical Commission.  As warning calls against rash and superficial accommodations, they remain perfectly legitimate: no less a personage than J. B. Metz, for example, has remarked that the anti-Modernist decisions of the Church performed the great service of saving her from foundering in the bourgeois-liberal world.  Nevertheless, with respect to particular aspects of their content, they were superseded after having fulfilled their pastoral function in the situation of the time.” Pope Francis - L’ Osservatore Romano, October 13, 2017, pg. 7, 11 “Doctrine cannot be preserved without allowing it to develop, nor can it be tied to an interpretation that is rigid and immutable without demeaning the working of the Holy Spirit.” Pope Francis – Letter to Bishops accompanying Traditionis Custodes (2021) “The path of the Church must be seen within the dynamic of Tradition ‘which originates from the Apostles and progresses in the Church with the assistance of the Holy Spirit’ (Dei Verbum 8). A recent stage of this dynamic was constituted by Vatican Council II…” Pope Francis –  General Audience, August 18, 2021 (On the 10 commandments) “I observe them, but not as absolutes.”

On the Definition of Man

Mark 12:28-30  “The first commandment is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one God. And though shalt love the Lord thy God…the second is like to it, love thy neighbor as thyself.” 1 John 4:2-3  “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God: and this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh, and he is now already in the world…” Summa Theologica: "By sinning man departs from the order of reason, and consequently falls away from the dignity of his manhood, in so far as he is naturally free, and exists for himself, and he falls into the slavish state of the beasts..." Council of Trent (1547)   Chapter 3: “But, though He died for all, yet do not all receive the benefit of His death, but those only unto whom the merit of His passion is communicated.” Chapter 8: “...faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all Justification; without which it is impossible to please God..."  Roman Liturgy, Collect Thursday Passion Week: "Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the dignity of human nature, impaired by intemperance, may be restored by the practice of salutary self-denial.”   Vatican I (1870), Session 3  Chapter 3, #9: “Since, then, without faith it is impossible to please God and reach the fellowship of his sons and daughters, it follows that no one can ever achieve justification without it, neither can anyone attain eternal life unless he or she perseveres in it to the end.” Chapter 4, Canon 1, #5: “…if anyone denies that the world was made for the glory of God…let him be anathema.” Pope Leo XIII- Immortale Dei #32: “If the mind assents to false opinions, and the will chooses and follows after what is wrong, neither can attain its native fullness, but both must fall from their native dignity into an abyss of corruption.” Pope Leo XIII - Satis Cognitum (1896)   5: “So the Christian is a Catholic as long as he lives in the body: cut off from it he becomes a heretic – the life of the spirit follows not the amputated member” (S. Augustinus, Sermo cclxvii., n. 4). The Church of Christ, therefore, is one and the same forever; those who leave it depart from the will and command of Christ, the Lord – leaving the path of salvation they enter on that of perdition. “Whosoever is separated from the Church is united to an adulteress. He has cut himself off from the promises of the Church, and he who leaves the Church of Christ cannot arrive at the rewards of Christ…He who observes not this unity observes not the law of God, holds not the faith of the Father and the Son, clings not to life and salvation” (S. Cyprianus, De Cath. Eccl. Unitate, n. 6). Pope St. Pius X - E Supremi Apostolatus (1903)  “… the distinguishing mark of Antichrist, man has with infinite temerity put himself in the place of God…” Pope Pius XI- Quas Primas (1925)         15: “Indeed, this kingdom is presented in the Gospels as such, into which men prepare to enter by doing penance; moreover, they cannot enter it except through faith and baptism, which, although an external rite, yet signifies and effects an interior regeneration.” Pope Pius XII – Mystici Corporis Christi (1943)  4: “…the more they are detached from the vanities of this world and from inordinate love of temporal things, the more apt they will be to perceive the light of heavenly mysteries. But the vanity and emptiness of earthly things are more manifest today than perhaps at any other period.”

Angelo Rancalli/Pope John XXIII “…whoever shouts is unjust! We must always respect the dignity of man standing before us, and above all the freedom of every man.” Vatican II – Gaudium Et Spes 12: “According to the almost unanimous opinion of believers and non-believers alike, all things on earth should be related to man as their center and summit.”   22: “For by his incarnation the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every man…All this holds true not only for Christians but for all men of good will….”  24: “…love for God and neighbor is the first and greatest commandment.” 26: “…there is a growing awareness of the exalted dignity proper to the human person, since he stands above all things, and his rights and duties are universal and inviolable.” 41: “The Church…proclaims the rights of man; she acknowledges and esteems the dynamic movements of today by which these rights are everywhere fostered.” 43: “Christians should rather rejoice that, following the example of Christ Who worked as an artisan, they are free to give proper exercise to all their earthly activities and to their humane, domestic, professional, social and technical enterprises by gathering them into one vital synthesis with religious values, under whose supreme direction all things are harmonized unto God's glory. Secular duties and activities belong properly although not exclusively to laymen. Therefore, acting as citizens in the world, whether individually or socially, they will keep the laws proper to each discipline, and labor to equip themselves with a genuine expertise in their various fields. They will gladly work with men seeking the same goals.” 44: “…for whoever promotes the human community at the family level, culturally, in its economic, social and political dimensions, both nationally and internationally, such a one, according to God's design, is contributing greatly to the Church as well, to the extent that she depends on things outside herself. Indeed, the Church admits that she has greatly profited and still profits from the antagonism of those who oppose or who persecute her.” Paul VI Closes Vatican II “The attention of our council has been absorbed by the discovery of human needs (and these needs grow in proportion to the greatness which the son of the earth claims for himself…recognize our own new type of humanism: we, too, in fact, we more than any others, honor mankind… but has also sought to express itself in simple, up-to-date, conversational style, derived from actual experience and a cordial approach which make it more vital, attractive and persuasive; it has spoken to modern man as he is…The Church has, so to say, declared herself the servant of humanity.”   Pope Paul VI - Discourse, September 4, 1968  “…the themes which today pre-occupy religion, be it Catholic or non-Catholic, all these converge from different directions upon one central, dominant focus, namely: man. “According to the almost unanimous opinion of believers and unbelievers alike, all things on earth should be related to man as their center and crown.” Address, December 29, 1968  “The Christian mystery which rests on Man…”  Audience, April 28, 1969  “In the final analysis, there are no true riches but man…”  Speech, June 10, 1969  “For in the final analysis there is no true riches but the riches of man.” Angelus Address, July 20, 1969  “We would do well to meditate on man…”  Address, August 1, 1969  “…do not let yourselves become discouraged by the obstacles and difficulties that constantly arise; do not lose faith in man.”  General Audience, December 17, 1969  “…Christmas is the birthday of Life. Of our life.”  Speech, September 12, 1970  “…the only word which explains Man is God himself made Man, the Word made Flesh.” General Audience, July 28, 1971  “The dignity of man! We will never be able to appreciate and honor it enough.”  Address, February 7, 1971 “All honor then to man!”  Message, March 25, 1971  “…man, to whom all things on earth should be related as their center and crown.”  Speech, November 18, 1971  “On our visit to Bombay we emphasized: ‘Man must meet man.’” Audience, January 10, 1972  “For the demands of justice, Gentlemen, can only be gathered in the light of truth, that truth which is man…”  Address, April 11, 1973  “…always anxious to safeguard, above everything else, the primacy of man…”  Angelus Address, January 27, 1974  “…the cult of man for man’s sake.”  Address, February 15, 1974  “…as Your Excellency has rightly recalled – that the final aim is man…”  Angelus Address, December 21, 1974  “A merry Christmas to you… It is the feast of human life…”  Angelus Message, July 13, 1975  “…the most precious science of all, the science of knowing oneself, of reflecting, almost dreaming, about one’s own conscience… Long live the holiday free of other commitments, but occupied in exploring the secrets of one’s own life.”  Angelus Message, September 26, 1976  “We are in ecstasy of admiration for the human countenance…”  Address, October 16, 1976  “…if the Gospel is for man, we Christians are completely for the Gospel.”  Address, December 4, 1976  “…above all ideological conditionings, the greatness and dignity of the human person must emerge as the only value to promote and defend.”  Angelus Message, December 18, 1976  “Christmas is a feast of mankind… dedicated, as a happy effect, to honor human existence.” Christmas Message, December 25, 1976  “Let us honor fallen and sinful humanity.”   “Brethren, let us honor in the Birth of Christ the incipient life of man.”  Pope St. John Paul II - December 25, 1978  “Christmas is the feast of man.”  General Audience, December 27, 1978  “Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity become a man; and therefore in Jesus, human nature and therefore the whole of humanity, is redeemed, saved, ennobled to the extent of participating in ‘divine life’ by means of Grace.” Catechesi Tradendae (1979) 32: “In this context, it is extremely important to give a correct and fair presentation of the other Churches and ecclesial communities that the Spirit of Christ does not refrain from using as means of salvation; moreover, some, even very many, of the outstanding elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church herself, can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church.” Redemptor Hominis (1979)  4: “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.” 13: “We are dealing with each man, for each one is included in the mystery of the Redemption and with each one Christ has united Himself forever through this mystery.” Homily, April 27, 1980  “… Jesus makes us, in Himself, once more sons of His Eternal Father. He obtains, once and for all, the salvation of man: of each man and of all…”  General Audience, February 22, 1984  “… so that consciences can be freed in the full truth of man, who is Christ, “peace and mercy‟ for everyone.”  Homily, June 6, 1985  “The Eucharist is the sacrament of the covenant of the Body and Blood of Christ, of the covenant which is eternal. This is the covenant which embraces all. This Blood reaches all and saves all.” Homily, August 10, 1985  “Today, in consecrating your cathedral, we ardently desire that it become a “true temple of God and man…”  December 25, 1985  “What is grace? Grace is precisely the manifestation of God… Grace is God as ‘our Father.’ It is the Son of God… It is the Holy Spirit… Grace is, also, man…” Homily, June 24, 1988  “… God wishes to encounter in man the whole of creation.” This means that in man one can find the whole of creation.” Homily, December 10, 1989  “… make straight the way of the Lord and of man…”  Centesimus Annus (1991) 53: “We are not dealing here with man in the ‘abstract,’ but with the real, ‘concrete,’ ‘historical’ man. We are dealing with each individual, since each one is included in the mystery of the Redemption and through this mystery Christ has united himself with each one forever.” March 31, 1991  “Let respect for man be total… Every offense against the person is an offense against God...”  Homily, December 17, 1991  “Dear brothers and sisters, look to Christ, the Truth about man...”  Veritatis Splendor (1993)  3: “It is precisely on the path of the moral life that the way of salvation is open to all.” Address to Missionaries of Precious Blood, September 14, 2001  “And at the moment of Easter this joy came to its fullness as the light of divine glory shone on the face of the Risen Lord, whose wounds shine forever like the Sun. This is the truth of who you are, dear Brothers…” December 25, 2001 “… let us pause in adoration in the cave, and gaze upon the Newborn Redeemer. In him we can recognize the face of every little child who is born…”  January 24, 2002 “To offend against man is, most certainly, to offend against God.”  Address to Ambassador of Tunisia, May 27, 2004, pg. 8  “…For its part, the modest Catholic community that lives in Tunisia has no other ambition than to witness to the dignity of man…”  Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI -Principles of Catholic Theology (1982),  pg. 94 “The whole life of Jesus consisted in being an encounter, an exchange, with him whom he called Father. To believe in Jesus means, therefore, to believe that there is a truth from which man proceeds and which is most signally his own, which is his true nature.” Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week (2011)  pg. 44: “The restlessness with which Paul journeyed to the nations, so as to bring the message to all and, if possible, fulfill the mission within his own lifetime – this restlessness can only be explained if one is aware of the eschatological significance of his exclamation: ‘Necessity is laid upon me.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!’ (1 Cor. 9:16).  In this sense, the urgency of evangelization in the apostolic era was predicated not so much on the necessity for each individual to acquire knowledge of the Gospel in order to attain salvation, but rather on this grand conception of history: if the world was to arrive at its destiny, the Gospel had to be brought to all nations.” pg. 161: “Indeed, the Son’s whole being is expressed in the ‘not I, but you’ – in the total self-abandonment of the ‘I’ to the ‘you’ of God the Father.  This same ‘I’ has subsumed and transformed humanity’s resistance, so that we are all now present within the Son’s obedience; we are all drawn into sonship.” Pope Francis - On Heaven and Earth, pp. 12-13  “I do not approach the relationship in order to proselytize, or convert the atheist; I respect him… nor would I say that his life is condemned, because I am convinced that I do not have the right to make a judgment about the honesty of that person… every man is the image of God, whether he is a believer or not." Response to open letter published September 2013  “First of all, you ask if the God of the Christians forgives those who do not believe and do not seek faith. Given that - and this is fundamental - God's mercy has no limits if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart, the issue for those who do not believe in God is in obeying their own conscience. In fact, listening and obeying it, means deciding about what is perceived to be good or to be evil. The goodness or the wickedness of our behavior depends on this decision.”

On Collegiality and the Definition of Church Hierarchy

Pope Boniface VIII - Unam Sanctam (1302)   “…of the one and only Church there is but one body, one head, not two heads as a monster…” Pope Leo XIII - Satis Cognitum (1896)  14: “But if the authority of Peter and his successors is plenary and supreme, it is not to be regarded as the sole authority. For He who made Peter the foundation of the Church also ‘chose, twelve, whom He called apostles’ (Luke vi., 13); and just as it is necessary that the authority of Peter should be perpetuated in the Roman Pontiff, so, by the fact that the bishops succeed the Apostles, they inherit their ordinary power, and thus the episcopal order necessarily belongs to the essential constitution of the Church. Although they do not receive plenary, or universal, or supreme authority…” 15: “From this it must be clearly understood that Bishops are deprived of the right and power of ruling, if they deliberately secede from Peter and his successors; because, by this secession, they are separated from the foundation on which the whole edifice must rest. They are therefore outside the edifice itself…the power of the Roman Pontiff is supreme, universal, and definitely peculiar to itself; but that of the bishops is circumscribed by definite limits…” Pope Pius XI - Mortalium Animos (1928) 11: “Furthermore, in this one Church of Christ no man can be or remain who does not accept, recognize and obey the authority and supremacy of Peter and his legitimate successors.” Pope Pius XII - Mystici Corporis Christi (1943)  22: “As therefore in the true Christian community there is only one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one Baptism, so there can only be one faith.  And therefore if a man refuse to hear the Church let him be considered – so the Lord commands – as a heathen and publican.  It follows that those who are divided in faith or government cannot be living in the unity of such a Body, nor can they be living the life of its one Divine Spirit.” 42: “Yet in exercising this office they are not altogether independent, but are subordinate to the lawful authority of the Roman Pontiff, although enjoying the ordinary power of jurisdiction which they receive directly from the same Supreme Pontiff…” Pope Pius XII - Ad Sinarum Gentem (1954) 12: “By virtue of the same Will is established the twofold sacred hierarchy, namely, of orders and jurisdiction. Besides - as has also been divinely established - the power of orders (through which the ecclesiastical hierarchy is composed of Bishops, priests, and ministers) comes from receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders. But the power of jurisdiction, which is conferred upon the Supreme Pontiff directly by divine rights, flows to the Bishops by the same right, but only through the Successor of St. Peter…” Pope Pius XII - Ad Apostolorum Principis (1958)   39: “…it follows that bishops who have been neither named nor confirmed by the Apostolic See, but who, on the contrary, have been elected and consecrated in defiance of its express orders, enjoy no powers of teaching or of jurisdiction since jurisdiction passes to bishops only through the Roman Pontiff as We admonished in the Encyclical Letter Mystici Corporis…” Vatican I (1870), Session 4 Chapter 1, #3: “And it was to Peter alone that Jesus, after his resurrection, confided the jurisdiction of supreme pastor and ruler of this whole fold, saying: Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” Chapter 3, #1: “… all the faithful of Christ must believe that the Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff hold primacy over the whole world, and the Pontiff of Rome himself is the successor of the blessed Peter, the chief of the apostles, and is the true vicar of Christ and head of the whole Church... Furthermore, We teach and declare that the Roman Church, by the disposition of the Lord, holds the sovereignty of ordinary power over all others… This is the doctrine of Catholic truth from which no one can deviate and keep his faith and salvation.” 5: “This power of the supreme pontiff by no means detracts from that ordinary and immediate power of episcopal jurisdiction, by which bishops, who have succeeded to the place of the apostles by appointment of the holy Spirit, tend and govern individually the particular flocks which have been assigned to them. On the contrary, this power of theirs is asserted, supported and defended by the supreme and universal pastor…” 9: “So, then, if anyone says that the Roman pontiff has merely an office of supervision and guidance, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole church, and this not only in matters of faith and morals, but also in those which concern the discipline and government of the church dispersed throughout the whole world; or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate both overall and each of the churches and overall and each of the pastors and faithful: let him be anathema.” Pope Pius XI - Mortalium Animos (1928)   7: “Among them (heretics and schismatics) there indeed are some, though few, who grant to the Roman Pontiff a primacy of honor or even a certain jurisdiction or power, but this, however, they consider not to arise from the divine law but from the consent of the faithful.”

Vatican II – Lumen Gentium 21: “Episcopal consecration, together with the office of sanctifying, also confers the office of teaching and of governing, which, however, of its very nature, can be exercised only in hierarchical communion with the head and the members of the college.” 22: “The supreme authority with which this college of bishops is empowered over the whole Church is exercised in a solemn way in an ecumenical council”  25: “The infallibility promised to the Church resides also in the body of Bishops, when that body exercises the supreme magisterium with the successor of Peter.” 1983 Code of Canon Law Canon 336: “The college of bishops, whose head is the Supreme Pontiff and whose members are bishops by virtue of sacramental consecration and hierarchical communion with the head and members of the college and in which the apostolic body continues, together with its head and never without this head, is also the subject of supreme and full power over the universal Church.” Canon 375 §2: “Through episcopal consecration itself, bishops receive with the function of sanctifying also the functions of teaching and governing; by their nature, however, these can only be exercised in hierarchical communion with the head and members of the college.” Cardinal Ratzinger - Principles of Catholic Theology (1982)  pg. 198: “Certainly, no one who claims allegiance to Catholic theology can simply declare the doctrine of primacy null and void, especially not if he seeks to understand the objections and evaluates with an open mind the relative weight of what can be determined historically. Nor is it possible, on the other hand, for him to regard as the only possible form and, consequently, as binding on all Christians the form this primacy has taken in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The symbolic gestures of Pope Paul VI and, in particular, his kneeling before the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch [the schismatic Patriarch Athenagoras] were an attempt to express precisely this and, by such signs, to point the way out of the historical impasse…In other words, Rome must not require more from the East with respect to the doctrine of the primacy than had been formulated and was lived in the first millennium.  When the Patriarch Athenagoras [the non-Catholic, schismatic Patriarch], on July 25, 1967, on the occasion of the Pope’s visit to Phanar, designated him as the successor of St. Peter, as the most esteemed among us, as one who presides in charity, this great Church leader was expressing the ecclesial content of the doctrine of the primacy as it was known in the first millennium.  Rome need not ask for more.” pp. 216-217: “Patriarch Athenagoras [the non-Catholic, schismatic Patriarch] spoke even more strongly when he greeted the Pope [Paul VI] in Phanar: ‘Against all expectation, the bishop of Rome is among us, the first among us in honor, ‘he who presides in love’.  It is clear that, in saying this, the Patriarch [the non-Catholic, schismatic Patriarch] did not abandon the claims of the Eastern Churches or acknowledge the primacy of the west.  Rather, he stated plainly what the East understood as the order, the rank and title, of the equal bishops in the Church – and it would be worth our while to consider whether this archaic confession, which has nothing to do with the ‘primacy of jurisdiction’ but confesses a primacy of ‘honor’ and agape, might not be recognized as a formula that adequately reflects the position that Rome occupies in the Church – ‘holy courage’ requires that prudence be combined with ‘audacity’: ‘The kingdom of God suffers violence.’”

On Ecumenism and the Composition of the Church

Matthew 28: 18-20  “And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” Nicene Creed (325) “I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.” St. Gregory the Illuminator (c. 257-332 A.D.)  “Was the “apostle of Armenia,” the one who propagated the true Christian Faith (the Catholic Faith) in Armenia: “Working very closely together, King Tiridates and St. Gregory the Illuminator destroyed all the old pagan shrines in Armenia, beginning with those of the goddess Anahit and the god Tir, for whom the King had been named. Crosses were erected in their place. Very large numbers of people were baptized.” Pope Celestine I - Council of Ephesus (431), Letter of Cyril to John of Antioch about Peace  “…remember that the followers of every heresy extract from inspired scripture the occasion of their error, and that all heretics corrupt the true expressions of the Holy Spirit with their own evil minds and they draw down on their heads an inextinguishable flame.” Pope St. Leo the Great  “It is necessary that the Church throughout the whole world be united and cleave to the center of ecclesiastical communion, so that whoever dares to depart from the unity of Peter might understand that he no longer shares in the divine mystery.” Second Council of Constantinople (553)   “…we bear in mind what was promised about the Holy Church and Him who said ‘the gates of hell will not prevail against it’ (by these we understand the death dealing tongues of heretics).” Pope Pelagius II - Dilectionis Vestrae (585), Epistle 2  “Those who were not willing to be at agreement in the Church of God, cannot remain with God; although given over to flames and fires, they burn, of thrown to wild beasts, they lay down their lives, there will not be for them that crown of faith, but the punishment of faithlessness, not a glorious result of religious virtue, but the ruin of despair. Such a one can be slain, he cannot be crowned” Lateran Council (649)  Can. 18: “If anyone according to the holy Fathers, harmoniously with us and likewise with the Faith, does not with mind and lips reject and anathematize all the most abominable heretics together with their impious writings even to one least portion, whom the holy Catholic and apostolic Church of God, that is, the holy and universal five Synods and likewise all the approved Fathers of the Church in harmony, rejects and anathematizes, …and briefly all the remaining heretics, who have been condemned and cast out by the Catholic Church; whose teachings are the fruit of diabolical operation, and those, who unto the end have obstinately suggested (ideas) similar to these, or do suggest (them), or are believed to suggest (them), with whom (they are) justly (associated), inasmuch as (they are) like them and (are) possessed of a similar error, according to which they are known to teach and by their own error determine their lives… persisting in their treachery, and all their impious writings; and those, who have unto the end obstinately suggested, or are suggesting, or are believed to suggest (ideas) similar to those… but also everything, which has been impiously written or done by them in defense of it, and those who accept it, or anything that has been written or done in defense of it…inasmuch as he promulgates equally the denial and by silence the binding together of two natural wills and operations, divine and human, which are piously preached by the holy Fathers in the very Christ, true God and our Savior, together with one will and operation, which is impiously venerated in Him by the heretics, and inasmuch as he unjustly defines that together with the holy Fathers the wicked heretics also are freed from all reprehension and condemnation, unto the trimming down of the definitions or of the rule of the Catholic Church.” Can. 19: “If anyone therefore, as has been said, does not in agreement with us reject and anathematize all these most impious teachings of their heresy, and those matters which have been impiously written by anyone in defense of them or in definition of them, and the specifically designated heretics… seeing that they are the rebels against the Catholic Church; or if anyone holds as condemned and entirely deposed some one of these who were in writing, or without writing, in any manner or place or time whatsoever rashly deposed or condemned by them (heretics) or by persons like them, inasmuch as the one condemned does not believe at all like them but with us confesses the doctrine of the holy Fathers-but, on the contrary (anyone) does not consider everybody who has been of this class-that is, whether bishop or priest or deacon or a member of any other ecclesiastical rank, or monk or layman-pious and orthodox and a defender of the Catholic Church, and also more firmly settled in the order to which he has been called by the Lord, but believes such (to be) impious and their judgments in defense of this detestable, or their opinions vain and invalid and weak, nay more wicked and execrable or worthy of condemnation, let such a person be condemned.” Pope St. Leo IX - In Terra Pax Hominibus (1053), letter to the Father of Eastern Orthodox, Michael Cerularius Ch. 7:  “The holy Church built upon a rock, that is Christ, and upon Peter or Cephas, the son of John who first was called Simon, because by the gates of Hell, that is, by the disputations of heretic which lead the vain to destruction, it would never be overcome.” Pope Innocent III - Eius Exemplo (1208) 423: “By the heart we believe and by the mouth we confess the one Church, not of heretics but the Holy Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic (Church) outside which we believe that no one is saved.” Fourth Lateran Council – (1215), Constitution 3 “Moreover, we determine to subject to excommunication believers who receive, defend, or support heretics.” Pope Clement VI - Super Quibusdam, (1351)  “We ask: In the first place, whether you and the Church of the Armenians which is obedient to you, believe that all those who in baptism have received the same Catholic faith, and afterwards have withdrawn and will withdraw in the future from the communion of this same Roman Church, which one alone is Catholic, are schismatic and heretical, if they remain obstinately separated from the faith of this Roman Church. In the second place, we ask whether you and the Armenians obedient to you believe that no man of the wayfarers outside the faith of this Church, and outside the obedience of the Pope of Rome, can finally be saved.” Council of Florence (1438-1445)   Session 8: “Whoever wishes to be saved before all things it is necessary that he holds the Catholic Faith. Unless a person keeps this Faith whole and undefiled, without a doubt he shall perish eternally.” Session 11: “Nobody however many works he has done, even if he thinks he sheds his blood for Christ can be saved if he is not within the Catholic Church and its union…” Fifth Lateran Council (1513), Session 8  “And since truth cannot contradict truth, we define that every statement contrary to the enlightened truth of the faith is totally false and we strictly forbid teaching otherwise to be permitted.  We decree that all those who cling to erroneous statements of this kind, thus sowing heresies which are wholly condemned, should be avoided in every way and punished as detestable and odious heretics and infidels who are undermining the Catholic faith." Pope Leo X - Exsurge Domine (1520)   “…because the preceding errors and many others are contained in the books or writings of Martin Luther, we likewise condemn, reprobate, and reject completely the books and all the writings and sermons of the said Martin, whether in Latin or any other language, containing the said errors or any one of them; and we wish them to be regarded as utterly condemned, reprobated, and rejected. We forbid each and every one of the faithful of either sex, in virtue of holy obedience and under the above penalties to be incurred automatically, to read, assert, preach, praise, print, publish, or defend them. They will incur these penalties if they presume to uphold them in any way, personally or through another or others, directly or indirectly, tacitly or explicitly, publicly or occultly, either in their own homes or in other public or private places.” Pope St. Pius V - Quo Primum (1570)   “Let all everywhere adopt and observe what has been handed down by the Holy Roman Church, the Mother and Teacher of the other churches…” Pope Benedict XIV - Allatae Sunt (1755)   18: “First, the missionary who is attempting with God’s help to bring back Greek and eastern schismatics to unity should devote all his effort to the single objective of delivering them from doctrines at variance with the Catholic faith…” 19: “For the only work entrusted to the missionary is that of recalling the Oriental to the Catholic faith…” Pope Pius VI - Charitas (1791)   32: “For no one can be in the Church of Christ without being in unity with its visible head and founded on the See of Peter.” Pope Pius VII - Diu Satis (1800)   15: “So the sheep of Christ should consider safe and eat cheerfully the food to which Peter’s voice and authority directs them; but despite any beauty and charm, they should shun as harmful and plague-ridden, what this voice forbids them.  Those who do not comply are certainly not to be counted among the sheep of Christ.” Pope Leo XII – Quod Hoc Ineunte (1824)   9: “We address all of you who are still removed from the true Church and the road to salvation. In this universal rejoicing, one thing is lacking: that… you might sincerely agree with the mother Church, outside of whose teachings there is no salvation.”  Pope Gregory XVI- Summo Iugiter Studio (1832)   2: “Finally some of these misguided people attempt to persuade themselves and others that men are not saved only in the Catholic religion, but that even heretics may attain eternal life.” 5: “Be not deceived, my brother; if anyone follows a schismatic, he will not attain the inheritance of the kingdom of God. St. Augustine and the other African bishops who met in the Council of Cirta in the year 412 explained the same thing at greater length: “Whoever has separated himself from the Catholic Church, no matter how laudably he lives, will not have eternal life, but has earned the anger of God because of this one crime… Thus, in the decree on faith which Innocent III published with the synod of Lateran IV, these things are written: “There is one universal Church of all the faithful outside of which no one is saved.” Finally, the same dogma is also expressly mentioned in the profession of faith proposed by the Apostolic See,” 6: “…they must instruct them in the true worship of God, which is unique to the Catholic religion.” Pope Gregory XVI - Mirari Vos (1832)   13: “A schismatic flatters himself falsely if he asserts that he, too, has been washed in the waters of regeneration. Indeed, Augustine would reply to such a man: “The branch has the same form when it has been cut off from the vine; but of what profit for it is the form, if it does not live from the root?” Pope Gregory XVI - Commissum Divinitus (1835)   11: “Just as he who does not gather with Christ, so he who does not gather with Christ’s vicar on earth, clearly scatters.  How can someone who destroys the holy authority of the Vicar of Christ and who infringes on his rights gather with him?” Pope Gregory XVI – Inter Praecipuas (1844)   4: “But later even more care was required when the Lutherans and Calvinists dared to oppose the changeless doctrine of the faith with an almost incredible variety of errors. They left no means untried to deceive the faithful with perverse explanations of the sacred books...” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Nostis et Nobiscum (1849)   6: “…they try to draw the Italian people over to Protestantism, which in their deceit they repeatedly declare to be only another form of the same true religion of Christ, thereby just as pleasing to God.” 10: “In particular, ensure that the faithful are deeply and thoroughly convinced of the truth of the doctrine that the Catholic faith is necessary for attaining salvation.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Singulari Quidem (1856)  4: “There is only one true, holy, Catholic church, which is the Apostolic Roman Church. There is only one See founded in Peter by the word of the Lord, outside of which we cannot find either true faith or eternal salvation. He who does not have the Church for a mother cannot have God for a father, and whoever abandons the See of Peter on which the Church is established trusts falsely that he is in the Church.” Pope Bl. Pius IX- Amantissimus (1862) 3:  “…all who want to belong to the true and only Church of Christ must honor and obey this Apostolic See and Roman Pontiff.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Syllabus of Errors (1864)  Condemned Statement: 18: “Protestantism is nothing else than a different form of the same true Christian religion, in which it is possible to serve God as well as in the Catholic Church.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Unity of the Church (1864)  Dz: 1685: “It has been made known to the Apostolic See that some Catholic laymen and ecclesiastics have enrolled in a society to "procure" as they say, the unity of Christianity, established at London in the year 1857, and that already many journalistic articles have been published, which are signed by the names of Catholics approving this society, or which are shown to be the work of churchmen commending this same society. But certainly, I need not say what the nature of this society is, and whither it is tending; this is easily understood from the articles of the newspaper entitled The Unity Review, and from that very page on which members are invited and listed. Indeed, formed and directed by Protestants, it is animated by that spirit which expressly avows for example, that the three Christian communions, Roman Catholic, Greek schismatic, and Anglican, however separated and divided from one another, nevertheless with equal right claim for themselves the name Catholic. Admission, therefore, into that society is open to all, wheresoever they may live, Catholics, Greek-schismatics, and Anglicans, under this condition, however, that no one is permitted to raise a question about the various forms of doctrine in which they disagree, and that it is right for each individual to follow with tranquil soul what is acceptable to his own religious creed.” Dz: 1686: “The foundation on which this society rests is of such a nature that it makes the divine establishment of the Church of no consequence. For, it is wholly in this: that it supposes the true Church of Jesus Christ to be composed partly of the Roman Church scattered and propagated throughout the whole world, partly, indeed, of the schism of Photius, and of the Anglican heresy, to which, as well as to the Roman Church, "there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism" [cf. Eph. 4:5]. Surely nothing should be preferable to a Catholic man than that schisms and dissensions among Christians be torn out by the roots and that all Christians be "careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" [Eph. 4:3]…The true Church of Jesus Christ was established by divine authority, and is known by a fourfold mark, which we assert in the Creed must be believed; and each one of these marks so clings to the others that it cannot be separated from them; hence it happens that that Church which truly is, and is called Catholic should at the same time shine with the prerogatives of unity, sanctity, and apostolic succession. Therefore, the Catholic Church alone is conspicuous and perfect in the unity of the whole world and of all nations, particularly in that unity whose beginning, root, and unfailing origin are that supreme authority and "higher principality'' of blessed Peter, the prince of the Apostles, and of his successors in the Roman Chair. No other Church is Catholic except the one which, founded on the one Peter, grows into one "body compacted and fitly joined together" [Eph. 4:16] in the unity of faith and charity.” Dz: 1687: “Therefore, the faithful should especially shun this London society, because those sympathizing with it favor indifferentism and engender scandal.” Pope Bl. Pius IX – Iam Vos Omnes (1868)  “…nor all of them together, can in any manner constitute and be that One Catholic Church which Christ our Lord built, and established, and willed should continue; and that they cannot in any way be said to be branches or parts of that Church, since they are visibly cut off from Catholic unity.” Vatican I - Chapter 2 “The interpretation of Sacred Scripture]. But, since the rules which the holy Synod of Trent salutarily decreed concerning the interpretation of Divine Scripture in order to restrain impetuous minds, are wrongly explained by certain men, We, renewing the same decree, declare this to be its intention: that, in matters of faith and morals pertaining to the instruction of Christian Doctrine, that must be considered as the true sense of Sacred Scripture which Holy Mother Church has held and holds, whose office it is to judge concerning the true understanding and interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures; and, for that reason, no one is permitted to interpret Sacred Scripture itself contrary to this sense, or even contrary to the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.” Pope Bl. Pius IX- Etsi Multa (1873)   25: “Therefore, the holy martyr Cyprian, writing about schism, denied to the pseudo-bishop Novatian even the title of Christian, on the grounds that he was cut off and separated from the Church of Christ. “Whoever he is,” he says, “and whatever sort he is, he is not a Christian who is not in the Church of Christ.”  Pope Leo XIII - Satis Cognitum (1896)   4: “Jesus Christ did not, in point of fact, institute a Church to embrace several communities similar in nature, but in themselves distinct, and lacking those bonds which render the Church unique and indivisible after that manner in which in the symbol of our faith we profess: ‘I believe in one Church.’ The Church in respect of its unity belongs to the category of things indivisible by nature, though heretics try to divide it into many parts… Furthermore, the eminence of the Church arises from its unity, as the principle of its constitution – a unity surpassing all else, and having nothing like unto or equal to it.”   5: “… This unity cannot be broken, nor the one body divided by the separation of its constituent parts.” 9: “The practice of the Church has always been the same, as is shown by the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, who were wont to hold as outside Catholic communion, and alien to the Church, whoever would recede in the least degree from any point of doctrine proposed by Her Authoritative Magisterium…The Church alone offers to the human race that religion - that state of absolute perfection - which He wished, as it were, to be incorporated in it.  And it alone supplies those means of salvation which accord with the ordinary counsels of Providence.” 13: “St. Augustine publicly attests…"You are not to be looked upon as holding the true Catholic faith if you do not teach that the faith of Rome is to be held" (Sermo cxx., n. 13)…Therefore, if a man does not want to be, or to be called, a heretic, let him not strive to please this or that man...but let him hasten before all things to be in communion with the Roman See.” 16: “…they can in no wise be counted among the children of God, unless they take Christ Jesus as their Brother, and at the same time the Church as their mother.” Pope St. Pius X- Editae Saepe (1910)   29: “The Church alone possesses together with her magisterium the power of governing and sanctifying human society.  Through her ministers and servants (each in his own station and office), she confers on mankind suitable and necessary means of salvation.” Pope Pius XI – Studiorum Ducem (1923) 27: “…if we are to avoid the errors which are the source and fountain-head of all the miseries of our time, the teaching of Aquinas must be adhered to more religiously than ever. For Thomas refutes the theories propounded by Modernists in every sphere, in philosophy, by protecting, as We have reminded you, the force and power of the human mind and by demonstrating the existence of God by the most cogent arguments; in dogmatic theology, by distinguishing the supernatural from the natural order…” Pope Pius XI - Rerum Omnium Perturbationem (1923)   4: “The saint was no less a person that Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Universal Church.  Like those brilliant examples of Christian perfection and wisdom to whom We have just referred, he seemed to have been sent especially by God to contend against the heresies begotten by the [Protestant] Reformation.  It is in these heresies that we discover the beginnings of that apostasy of mankind from the Church, the sad and disastrous effects of which are deplored, even to the present hour, by every fair mind.” Pope Pius XI - Mortalium Animos, (1928) 6: “Christ our Lord instituted His Church as a perfect society, external of its nature and perceptible to the senses, which should carry on in the future the work of the salvation of the human race, under the leadership of one head, with an authority teaching by word of mouth, and by the ministry of the sacraments, the founts of heavenly grace…” 7: “…condemns the false opinion that the unity of faith and government, which is a note of the one true Church of Christ, has hardly up to the present time existed, and does not today exist… Among them there indeed are some, though few, who grant to the Roman Pontiff a primacy of honor or even a certain jurisdiction or power, but this, however, they consider not to arise from the divine law but from the consent of the faithful…Meanwhile they affirm that they would willingly treat with the Church of Rome, but on equal terms, that is as equals with equals.” 9: “Everyone knows that John himself, the Apostle of love…altogether forbade any discourse with those who profess a mutilated and corrupt version of Christ’s teaching;…” 10: “…for the union of Christians can only be promoted by promoting the return to the one, true Church of Christ…For since the mystical body of Christ, in the same manner as His physical body, is one, compacted and fitly joined together, it were foolish and out of place to say that the mystical body is made up of members which are disunited and scattered abroad: whosoever therefore is not united with the body is no member of it, neither is he in communion with Christ its head.” 11: “The Catholic Church is alone in keeping the true worship… if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation.” 12: “How so great a variety of opinions can clear the way for the unity of the Church we know not.  That unity can arise from one teaching authority, one law of belief, & one faith of Christians, but do we not know that from such a state of affairs (here Pius XI is referring to Protestant dialogue) that it is but an easy step to the neglect of religion or indifferentism and to the error of the modernists who hold that dogmatic truth is not absolute but relative, that is changes according to the varying necessities of time and place and to the varying tendencies of the mind and it is not contained in an immutable tradition but can be altered to suit the needs of human life.”  Pope Pius XI - Rappresentanti in Terra (1929) 99: “It stands out conspicuously in the lives of numerous saints, whom the Church, and she alone, produces, in whom is perfectly realized the purpose of Christian education…” Pope Pius XII - Mystici Corporis Christi (1943)  14: “It is not enough that the Body of the Church should be an unbroken unity; it must also be something definite and perceptible to the senses as Our predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII, in his Encyclical Satis Cognitum asserts: "the Church is visible because she is a body. Hence they err in a matter of divine truth, who imagine the Church to be invisible, intangible, a something merely ‘pneumatological’ as they say, by which many Christian communities, though they differ from each other in their profession of faith, are united by an invisible bond.” 22: “Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the Body, or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed. "For in one spirit" says the Apostle, "were we all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free." As therefore in the true Christian community there is only one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one Baptism, so there can be only one faith. And therefore, if a man refuse to hear the Church, let him be considered - so the Lord commands - as a heathen and a publican.  It follows that those who are divided in faith or government cannot be living in the unity of such a Body, nor can they be living the life of its one Divine Spirit.” 65: “For this reason We deplore and condemn the pernicious error of those who dream of an imaginary Church, a kind of society that finds its origin and growth in charity, to which, somewhat contemptuously, they oppose another, which they call juridical. But this distinction which they introduce is false: for they fail to understand that the reason which led our Divine Redeemer to give to the community of man He founded the constitution of a Society, perfect of its kind and containing all the juridical and social elements - namely, that He might perpetuate on earth the saving work of Redemption, - was also the reason why He willed it to be enriched with the heavenly gifts of the Paraclete.” Pope Pius XII - Humani Generis (1950)   26: “Others destroy the gratuity of the supernatural order, since God, they say, cannot create intellectual beings without ordering and calling them to the beatific vision.” 27: “Some say they are not bound by the doctrine, explained in Our Encyclical Letter of a few years ago, and based on the sources of revelation, which teaches that the Mystical Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church are one and the same thing. Some reduce to a meaningless formula the necessity of belonging to the true Church in order to gain eternal salvation.” Pope Pius XII (1957), December 8 Allocution  “To be Christian one must be Roman. One must recognize the oneness of Christ’s Church that is governed by one successor of the Prince of the Apostles who is the Bishop of Rome, Christ’s Vicar on earth.”

Angelo Rancalli/Pope John XXIII - Writing to one Orthodox (1926) “Catholics and Orthodox are not enemies, but brothers. We have the same faith; we share the same sacraments, and especially the Eucharist. We are divided by some disagreements concerning the divine constitution of the Church of Jesus Christ. The persons who were the cause of these disagreements have been dead for centuries. Let us abandon the old disputes and, each in his own domain, let us work to make our brothers good, by giving them good example. Later on, though traveling along different paths, we shall achieve union among the churches to form together the true and unique Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.” At the Venice town hall  “…I am happy to be here, even though there may be some present who do not call themselves Christians, but who can be acknowledged as such because of their good deeds.” Pope John XXIII “We do not intend to conduct a trial of the past. We do not want to prove who was right or who was wrong. All we want to say is, ‘Let us come together; let us make an end of our divisions.” To the non-Catholic Roger Schutz, founder of the ecumenical community at Taize (a non-Catholic, ecumenical monastery) “You are in the Church, be at peace." Schutz exclaimed: "But then, we are Catholics!" John XXIII said: "Yes; we are no longer separated.” Pope John XXIII – Opens Vatican II 18: “Unfortunately, the whole family of Christians has not yet fully and perfectly attained this visible unity in the truth.” Vatican II – Sacrosanctam Concilium  1: “It is the goal of this most sacred Council…to make more responsive the requirements of our times those Church observances which are open to adaptation; to nurture whatever can contribute to the unity of all who believe in Christ.” Vatican II – Lumen Gentium 3: “All men are called to this union with Christ, who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live, and toward whom our whole life strains.” 4: “When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that He might continually sanctify the Church, and thus, all those who believe would have access through Christ in one Spirit.” 5: “While it slowly grows, the Church strains toward the completed Kingdom” 7: “In that Body the life of Christ is poured into the believers who, through the sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ.” 8: “Christ, the one Mediator, established and continually sustains here on earth His holy Church, the community of faith, hope and charity, as an entity with visible delineation…This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church…Although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside it’s visible structure.” 13: “All men are called to belong to the new people of God. Wherefore this people, while remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and must exist in all ages, so that the decree of God's will may be fulfilled. In the beginning God made human nature one and decreed that all His children, scattered as they were, would finally be gathered together as one…All men are called to be part of this catholic unity of the people of God which in promoting universal peace presages it. And there belong to or are related to it in various ways, the Catholic faithful, all who believe in Christ, and indeed the whole of mankind, for all men are called by the grace of God to salvation.” 15: “The Church recognizes that in many ways she is linked with those who, being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian, though they do not profess the faith in its entirety or do not preserve unity of communion with the successor of Peter. For there are many who honor Sacred Scripture, taking it as a norm of belief and a pattern of life, and who show a sincere zeal. They lovingly believe in God the Father Almighty and in Christ, the Son of God and Savior. They are consecrated by baptism, in which they are united with Christ. They also recognize and accept other sacraments within their own Churches or ecclesiastical communities. Many of them rejoice in the episcopate, celebrate the Holy Eucharist and cultivate devotion toward the Virgin Mother of God. They also share with us in prayer and other spiritual benefits. Likewise, we can say that in some real way they are joined with us in the Holy Spirit, for to them too He gives His gifts and graces whereby He is operative among them with His sanctifying power. Some indeed He has strengthened to the extent of the shedding of their blood.” Vatican II – Orientalium Ecclesiarum 30: “Let them pray also that the strength and the consolation of the Holy Spirit may descend copiously upon all those many Christians of whatsoever church they be who endure suffering and deprivations for their unwavering avowal of the name of Christ.” Vatican II – Unitatis Redintegratio 1: “Promoting the restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the main aims of the Sacrosanct Vatican Council II. Almost everyone, however, although in a different way, they long for a unique and visible Church of God that is truly universal and sent to the whole world, so that the world may be converted to the Gospel and saved for the glory of God.” 3: “The children who are born into these Communities and who grow up believing in Christ cannot be accused of the sin involved in the separation, and the Catholic Church embraces upon them as brothers, with respect and affection. For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect. The differences that exist in varying degrees between them and the Catholic Church - whether in doctrine and sometimes in discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church - do indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones, to full ecclesiastical communion. The ecumenical movement is striving to overcome these obstacles. But even in spite of them it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church. Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church: the written word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, and visible elements too. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ. The brethren divided from us also use many liturgical actions of the Christian religion. These most certainly can truly engender a life of grace in ways that vary according to the condition of each Church or Community. These liturgical actions must be regarded as capable of giving access to the community of salvation. It follows that the separated Churches and Communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means 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 Church. 4: “…it is necessary that Catholics, with joy, recognize and appreciate in their value the truly Christian treasures that, coming from the common heritage, are found in our separated brothers. It is fair and healthy to recognize the riches of Christ and the virtues in the lives of those who bear witness to Christ and, sometimes, even to the shedding of his blood…the divisions of Christians prevent the Church from effecting its own fullness of catholicity in those children who, being truly incorporated into it by baptism, are, however, separated from their full communion. Furthermore, it is very difficult for the Church itself to express, in all aspects, in the very reality of life, the fullness of Catholicity.” 6: “Christ summons the Church as she goes on her pilgrim way, to that continual reformation of which she always has need, insofar as she is an institution of men here on earth.  Therefore, if the influence of events or of the times has lead to deficiencies in conduct, in Church discipline, or even in the formulation of doctrine (which must be distinguished from the deposit of faith itself), these should be properly rectified at the proper moment.”  9: “We must get to know the outlook of our separated fellow Christians... Most valuable for this purpose are meetings of the two sides - especially for discussion of theological problems - where each side can treat with the other on an equal footing, provided that those who take part in them under the guidance of their authorities are truly competent.” 14: “For many centuries the Churches of the east and the west followed their separate ways though linked in a union of faith and sacramental life; the Roman See by common consent acted as guide when disagreements arose between them over matters of faith and discipline.” Vatican II – Ad Gentes 6: “For the Church, although of itself including the totality or fullness of the means of salvation, does not and cannot always and instantly bring them all into action. Rather, she experiences beginnings and degrees in that action by which she strives to make God's plan a reality. In fact, there are times when, after a happy beginning, she must again lament a setback, or at least must linger in a certain state of unfinished insufficiency. As for the men, groups and peoples concerned, only by degrees does she touch and pervade them, and thus take them up into full catholicity. The right sort of means and actions must be suited to any state or situation.” 29: “Together with the Secretariate for the promotion of Christian unity, it should search out ways and means for bringing about and organizing cooperation and harmonious relationships with other communities of Christians in their missionary projects, so that as far as possible the scandal of division may be removed.” Pope St. Paul VI - Speaking of the death of the Protestant Martin Luther King, Jr., April 7, 1968 “…we shall all share the hopes which his martyrdom inspires in us.” Message, May 23, 1968, to the Schismatic Patriarch of Moscow  “…Holiness, on the occasion of the celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary for the day when the Synod of the whole Orthodox Church of Russia re-established the Patriarchal See of Moscow… we have delegated to participate in the solemn celebrations which will take place in your Patriarchal City our very dear brothers in the Episcopate…” Address, May 25, 1968 “…the venerable Orthodox Church of Bulgaria.” Discourse, December 12, 1968  “…our sons are on friendly terms with their Christian brothers, Lutheran Evangelicals…” Speech to Representatives of non-Catholic churches in Geneva, June, 1969  “The spirit that animates us… This spirit lays down, as the first basis of every fruitful contact between different confessions, that each profess his faith loyally.” Speech, August 2, 1969  “We wished to meet the Anglican Church which flourishes in this country. We wished to pay homage to those sons of whom it is most proud, those who – together with our own Catholic martyrs – gave the generous witness of their lives to the Gospel...” Speech, April 19, 1970, speaking of the deceased schismatic Patriarch of Moscow “To the very end he was conscious and solicitous for his great ministry.” Angelus Address, January 17, 1971 “From polemical opposition among the various Christian denominations we have passed to mutual respect…” General Audience, January 20, 1971  “… the venerable Eastern Orthodox Churches…” Letter, March 7, 1971, regarding the death of two schismatic patriarchs  “…moved by the death of His Holiness Patriarch Kyrillos VI we express our sincere sympathy with assurance of our prayers for the eternal repose of your beloved pastor and for God‟s consoling blessing on the entire Coptic Orthodox Church.” Common Declaration with Patriarch of Syrian Schismatic Sect, October 27, 1971 “This should be done with love, with openness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and with mutual respect for each other and each other’s Church.” Speech, January 23, 1972  “…the great, venerable and excellent Orthodox Patriarch…” Address, January 24, 1972  “…greet among us an eminent representative of the venerable Orthodox Church… a man of great piety...” Message concerning deceased Russian schismatic, April 7, 1972  “…we express to Your Eminence and the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church our sincere condolences with the assurance of our prayers for the eternal repose of your pastor…” Telegram upon election of new Schismatic Patriarch of Constantinople, July, 1972  “At the moment when you assume a heavy charge in the service of the Church of Christ…” Speaking of the death of the Schismatic Patriarch Athenagoras, July 9, 1972 “…we recommend this great man to you, a man of a venerated Church…” General Audience, January 24, 1973 “…our brother of venerated memory, the ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople…” Homily, January 25, 1973  “…express a respectful and affectionate thought in Christ to Christians of other denominations residing in this city and assure them of our esteem…” Joint Declaration with the Schismatic “Pope” Shenouda III, May 10, 1973 “Bishop of Rome and Pope of the Catholic Church, and Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark…In the name of this charity, we reject all forms of proselytism…Let it cease, where it may exist…” Letter, Aug. 6, 1973, to the World Council of Churches  “The World Council of Churches has been created in order, by the grace of God, to serve the Churches and Ecclesial Communities in their endeavors to restore and to manifest to all that perfect communion in faith and love which is the gift of Christ to His Church. Letter to Schismatic, November, 1976  “…the first Pan-Orthodox Conference in preparation for the Great Holy Council of the Orthodox Churches is beginning its work… for the best service of the venerable Orthodox Church.” Address, December 14, 1976 “…very dear Brothers, sent by the venerable Church of Constantinople… we carried out the solemn and sacred ecclesial act of lifting the ancient anathemas, an act with which we wished to remove the memory of these events forever from the memory and the heart of the Church…” Address, April 28, 1977  “…relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion…these words of hope, ‘The Anglican Communion united not absorbed,’ are no longer a mere dream.” Address to Schismatic Delegation, June 27, 1977  “Then, ten years later, we paid a visit to your holy Church…” General Audience, November 30, 1977 “We greet you joyfully, beloved brothers, who represent here His Holiness Patriarch Pimen and the Russian Orthodox Church… all our esteem and brotherly love to His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, to his clergy and to the whole people of the faithful.” Pope St. John Paul II - In October 1983, speaking of Martin Luther  “Our world even today experiences his great impact on history.” Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992)  816: "The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it....This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in (subsists in) in) the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him." 817: “In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame." The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism - do not occur without human sin: Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.” 819: "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity." 820: "Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time." Christ always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: "That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, . . . so that the world may know that you have sent me." The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.  821: “Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call [to bring unity to the Church]:- dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different churches and communities.” 838: “The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.” Those “who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.” With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound "that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord's Eucharist."  Homily, January 25, 1993  “The way to achieve Christian unity, in fact, says the document of the Pontifical Commission for Russia, ‘is not proselytism but fraternal dialogue...’” Ut Unum Sint (1995) 1: “The courageous witness of so many martyrs of our century, including members of Churches and Ecclesial Communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church, gives new vigor to the Council’s call and reminds us of our duty to listen to and put into practice its exhortation.” 7: “And yet almost everyone, though in different ways, longs that there may be one visible Church of God, a Church truly universal and sent forth to the whole world that the world may be converted to the Gospel and so be saved, to the glory of God.” 8: “This is the hope of Christian unity, which has its divine source in the Trinitarian unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” 10: “In the present situation of the lack of unity among Christians and of the confident quest for full communion, the Catholic faithful are conscious of being deeply challenged by the Lord of the Church…” 11: “Speaking of the lack of unity among Christians, the Decree on Ecumenism does not ignore the fact that ‘people of both sides were to blame,’ and acknowledges that responsibility cannot be attributed only to the "other side". By God's grace, however, neither what belongs to the structure of the Church of Christ nor that communion which still exists with the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities has been destroyed. Indeed, the elements of sanctification and truth present in the other Christian Communities, in a degree which varies from one to the other, constitute the objective basis of the communion, albeit imperfect, which exists between them and the Catholic Church. To the extent that these elements are found in other Christian Communities, the one Church of Christ is effectively present in them. For this reason, the Second Vatican Council speaks of a certain, though imperfect communion. The Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium stresses that the Catholic Church "recognizes that in many ways she is linked" with these Communities by a true union in the Holy Spirit.” 12: “The same Dogmatic Constitution listed at length "the elements of sanctification and truth" which in various ways are present and operative beyond the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church: "For there are many who honour Sacred Scripture, taking it as a norm of belief and of action, and who show a true religious zeal… Some indeed he has strengthened to the extent of the shedding of their blood. In all of Christ's disciples the Spirit arouses the desire to be peacefully united, in the manner determined by Christ, as one flock under one shepherd.” 15: “…an unevangelical insistence on condemning the ‘other side’…” 34: “Christian unity is possible, provided that we are humbly conscious of having sinned against unity and are convinced of our need for conversion. Not only personal sins must be forgiven and left behind, but also social sins, which is to say the sinful "structures" themselves which have contributed and can still contribute to division and to the reinforcing of division.” 47: “It is right and salutary to recognize the riches of Christ and virtuous works in the lives of others who are bearing witness to Christ, sometimes even to the shedding of their blood.” 57: “The Council does not limit itself to emphasizing the elements of similarity between the Churches in the East and in the West. In accord with historical truth, it does not hesitate to say: "It is hardly surprising if sometimes one tradition has come nearer than the other to an apt appreciation of certain aspects of the revealed mystery or has expressed them in a clearer manner. As a result, these various theological formulations are often to be considered as complementary rather than conflicting.” Communion is made fruitful by the exchange of gifts between the Churches insofar as they complement each other.” 59: “I was able to declare in union with my Venerable Brother, His Holiness Dimitrios I, the Ecumenical Patriarch, it has concluded "that the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church can already profess together that common faith…”  62: “…when the Venerable Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church, Abuna Paulos, paid me a visit in Rome on 11 June 1993, together we emphasized the deep communion existing between our two Churches: “We share the faith handed down from the Apostles…” 74: “The Council Decree on Ecumenism notes that among other Christians "the faith by which they believe in Christ bears fruit in praise and thanksgiving for the benefits received from the hands of God.” 75: “…the communion of faith which already exists between Christians provides a solid foundation for their joint action…” 83: “All Christian Communities know that, thanks to the power given by the Spirit, obeying that will and overcoming those obstacles are not beyond their reach. All of them in fact have martyrs for the Christian faith.” 84: “In a theocentric vision, we Christians already have a common martyrology. This includes the martyrs of our own century, more numerous than one might think… Albeit in an invisible way, the communion between our Communities, even if still incomplete, is truly and solidly grounded in the full communion of the saints - those who, at end of a life faithful to grace, are in communion with Christ in glory. These saints come from all the Churches and Ecclesial Communities which gave them entrance into the communion of salvation… In the radiance of the "heritage of the saints" belonging to all Communities, the "dialogue of conversion" towards full and visible unity thus appears as a source of hope. This universal presence of the Saints is in fact a proof of the transcendent power of the Spirit.” Encyclical on Sts. Cyril and Methodius (2000) 27: [unity with the Orthodox] “…is neither absorption nor fusion,…” Address, May 22, 2002  “Praise to you, followers of Islam… Praise to you, Jewish people… Praise especially to you, Orthodox Church…” Homily, May 23, 2002  “I wish to repeat once again, honor also to you, the holy Orthodox Church…” Directory for the Application of the Principles and Norms of Ecumenism #125:  “… any suggestion of proselytism should be avoided.” In his address on the same day as their Joint Declaration, to Patriarch Teoctist  “The goal is… to reach a unity which implies neither absorption nor fusion…” To Patriarch Teoctist “For her part, the Catholic Church recognizes the mission which the Orthodox Churches are called to carry out in the countries where they have been rooted for centuries. She desires nothing else than to help this mission…” Ecclesia in Europa, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, June 28, 2003  “At the same time I wish to assure once more the pastors and our brothers and sisters of the Orthodox Churches that the new evangelization is in no way to be confused with proselytism...” Homily to schismatic Patriarch Karekin II, November 10, 2000  “… I am delighted to return to Your Holiness a relic of St. Gregory the Illuminator… The relic will be placed in the new cathedral now being built… My hope is that the new cathedral will adorn with still greater beauty the Bride of Christ in Armenia...” Speech to Orthodox Patriarch Karekin II, November 9, 2000  “Again, I thank Your Holiness for your willingness to be part of that liturgy in the person of your representative. In effect, „perhaps the most convincing form of ecumenism is the ecumenism of the saints and of the martyrs. The communio sanctorum speaks louder than the things which divide us.” Salvifici Doloris (1984)   22: “Christ’s resurrection has revealed ‘the glory of the future age’ and, at the same time, has confirmed ‘the boast of the cross’: the glory that is hidden in the very suffering of Christ and which has been and is often mirrored in human suffering, as an expression of man’s spiritual greatness. This glory must be acknowledged not only in the martyrs for the Faith but in many others also who, at times, even without belief in Christ, suffer and give their lives for the truth and for a just cause. In the sufferings of all of these people the great dignity of man is strikingly confirmed.” Angelus Address, September 19, 1993  “In the unbounded space of Eastern Europe, the Orthodox Church too can well say at the end of this century what the Fathers of the Church had proclaimed about the initial spread of the Gospel: “Sanguis martyrum – semen Christianorum” [the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians].” Tertio Millennio Adveniente (1994)  37: “The witness to Christ borne even to the shedding of blood has become a common inheritance of Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants, as Pope Paul VI pointed out in his Homily for the Canonization of the Ugandan Martyrs…the local Churches should do everything possible to ensure that the memory of those who have suffered martyrdom should be safeguarded, gathering the necessary documentation. This gesture cannot fail to have an ecumenical character and expression. Perhaps the most convincing form of ecumenism is the ecumenism of the saints and martyrs. The communio sanctorum speaks louder than the things which divide us.”  General Audience, May 12, 1999  “The experience of martyrdom joined Christians of various denominations in Romania. The Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants gave a united witness to Christ by the sacrifice of their lives.” Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI - Theological Highlights of Vatican II, New York: Paulist Press, 1966, pg. 61, 68  “The new text describes the relationship between the Church and non-Catholic Christians without speaking of ‘membership.’ By shedding this terminological armor, the text acquired a much wider scope… The Catholic has to recognize that his own Church is not yet prepared to accept the phenomenon of multiplicity in unity; he must orient himself toward this reality… Meantime the Catholic Church has no right to absorb other Churches.” Principles of Catholic Theology (1982) pg. 126: “As an Episcopal symbolum, the text is an instrument of unity for the whole Church… The ecumenical (‘catholic’) character is essential to it.  Only the episcopacy of the whole Church can be the official channel for the formulation of such a text.  It must be said that even after the schism of 1054 this includes also the episcopacy of the Eastern churches, for, as a legitimate episcopacy of churches that have preserved intact the heritage of faith, they continue to be an integral part of the Church as a whole.” pg. 259: “Even Luther looked to the Greek Church, which had remained a true church without being subject to the pope, and he, too, concluded that what was important was not the concrete, structured communion but the community behind the institutional one.” Co-Workers of the Truth (1990)  pg. 29: “To borrow Congar’s cogent phrase, it would be both foolish and perverse to identify the efficacy of the Holy Spirit with the work of the ecclesial apparatus.  This means that even in Catholic belief the unity of the Church is still in the process of formation; that it will be totally achieved only in the eschaton, just as grace will not be perfected until its effects are visible – although the community of God has already begun to be visible.” pg. 29: “Conversely, it must be said that, given this understanding of Church, there neither can nor should be any disavowal of the presence of Christ and of Christian values among separated Christians.  If, on the one hand, it is possible to summarize by saying that the Church is a community of communicants under the authority of the Bishop of Rome, who holds the office of primary witness established by the Lord and that, as such, she is visible and unique, with clearly definable boundaries, nevertheless, Catholic theology must state more clearly than ever before that, along with the actual presence of the word outside her boundaries, ‘Church’ is also present there in one form or another; that, furthermore, the boundaries of the efficacy of the Holy Spirit are not congruent with those of the visible Church.” Dominus Iesus (2000)    17: “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.” God and the World (2000), pg. 453 “…the unity of Christians cannot be restored by some kind of political coup or by cutting the Gordian know with a sword.  It’s a matter of living processes.  And neither a pope nor a World Council of Churches can simply say, Dear friends, let’s do it this way!” Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith (2004), pg. 229, Letter to the Schismatic Metropolitan “I have become still more clearly aware that the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church belong to one another and that none of the doctrinal questions that appear to divide us is insoluble.” pg. 232, Letter to the Schismatic Metropolitan: “I have always thought, and now even more so, that what stands between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches is far less questions of doctrine than the memory of old hurts that alienate us from each other: the power of the confused tangles of history seems to be stronger than the light of faith that ought to be transforming them into forgiveness.” pg. 248: “Besides, I reckon as one of the important results of ecumenical conversations particularly the realization that the question of the Eucharist cannot be restricted to the problem of ‘validity.’  Even a theology along the lines of the concept of [apostolic] succession, as is in force in the Catholic and in the Orthodox Church, should in no way deny the saving presence of the Lord in the Evangelical Lord’s Supper.” pg. 251: “The fact that the burdensome question of [apostolic] succession does not detract from the spiritual dignity of Evangelical Christianity, or from the saving power of the Lord at work within it, has been very nicely elucidated in the Decree on Ecumenism, especially in number 23, so it seems to me.” pg. 258: “…I tried to outline a model of ecumenism of which the acceptance of division, and drawing close to one another even while separated, was an essential element.  In that sense I could accept slogans like ‘unity through diversity’, ‘unity in diversity’, and a ‘reconciled diversity.’” Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week (2011) Foreword, pp. xiii-xiv: “A further joy for me is the fact that in the meantime this book has, so to speak, acquired an ecumenical companion in the comprehensive volume of the Protestant theologian Joachim Ringleben, Jesus (2008).  Anyone who reads both books will see, on the one hand, the great difference in approach and in underlying theological presuppositions through which the contrasting confessional backgrounds of the two authors are concretely expressed… Despite the differing theological viewpoints, it is the same faith that is at work, and it is the same Lord Jesus who is encountered.” Light of the World (2010), pg. 89  “… what I defended was the heritage of the Second Vatican Council and of the entire history of the Church.  The passage [from Dominus Iesus] means that the Eastern Churches [i.e., the “Orthodox”] are genuine particular churches, although they are not in communion with the Pope.  In this sense, unity with the Pope is not constitutive for the particular church.” The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood, pp. 87-88  “The difficulty in the way of giving an answer is a profound one.  Ultimately it is due to the fact that there is no appropriate category in Catholic thought for the phenomenon of Protestantism today (one could say the same of the relationship to the separated churches of the East).  It is obvious that the old category of ‘heresy’ is no longer of any value.  Heresy, for Scripture and the early Church, includes the idea of a personal decision against the unity of the Church, and heresy’s characteristic is pertinacia, the obstinacy of him who persists in his own private way.  This, however, cannot be regarded as an appropriate description of the spiritual situation of the Protestant Christian.  In the course of a now centuries-old history, Protestantism has made an important contribution to the realization of Christian faith, fulfilling a positive function in the development of the Christian message and, above all, often giving rise to a sincere and profound faith in the individual non-Catholic Christian, whose separation from the Catholic affirmation has nothing to do with the pertinacia characteristic of heresy.  Perhaps we may here invert a saying of St. Augustine’s: that an old schism becomes a heresy.  The very passage of time alters the character of a division, so that an old division is something essentially different from a new one.  Something that was once rightly condemned as heresy cannot later simply become true, but it can gradually develop its own positive ecclesial nature, with which the individual is presented as his church and in which he lives as a believer, not as a heretic.  This organization of one group, however, ultimately has an effect on the whole.  The conclusion is inescapable, then: Protestantism today is something different from heresy in the traditional sense, a phenomenon whose true theological place has not yet been determined.” Benedict XVI - August 17, 2005, on Bro. Roger "Bro. Roger Schutz [founder of a non-Catholic sect] is in the hands of eternal goodness, of eternal love; he has arrived at eternal joy…"  Benedict XVI - Address to Protestants at World Youth Day, August 19, 2005 “Bro. Roger Schutz… He is now visiting us and speaking to us from on high.” Pope Francis - Vatican Radio Message, May 24, 2015  “I feel like saying something that may sound controversial, or even heretical, perhaps. But there is someone who “knows” that, despite our differences, we are one. It is he who is persecuting us. It is he who is persecuting Christians today, he who is anointing us with (the blood of) martyrdom. He knows that Christians are disciples of Christ: that they are one, that they are brothers! He doesn’t care if they are Evangelicals, or Orthodox, Lutherans, Catholics or Apostolic…he doesn’t care! They are Christians.” L’ Osservatore Romano, October 7, 2016, pg. 11  “Never fight! Let the theologians study the abstract realities of theology. But what should I do with a friend, neighbor, an Orthodox person? Be open, be a friend. ‘But should I make efforts to convert him or her?’ There is a very grave sin against ecumenism: proselytism. We should never proselytize the Orthodox!” L’ Osservatore Romano, Oct 21, 2016 pg. 11 “I am very happy to meet you on the occasion of your ecumenical pilgrimage which began in the land of Luther, Germany, and ended here at the See of the Bishop of Rome… The Apostle Paul tells us that, by virtue of our baptism, we all form the one Body of Christ. The different members, in fact, form one body. This is why we belong to each other and when one suffers, everyone suffers, when one rejoices, all rejoice (cf. 1 Cor 12:12, 26). Let us continue with confidence on our ecumenical journey… At the end of this month, God willing, I will go to Lund, Sweden, and together with the Lutheran World Federation, we will commemorate, after five centuries, the beginning of Luther’s reformation…”  L’ Osservatore Romano, Nov 4, 2016, pg. 3, 7  “With this Joint Statement, we express joyful gratitude to God for this moment of common prayer in the Cathedral of Lund, as we begin the year commemorating the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation… While we are profoundly thankful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation...”

On the Liturgy/Sacramental Rites

Second Council of Lyons (1274), Constitution 25 “Churches, then, should be entered humbly and devoutly; behavior inside should be calm, pleasing to God, bringing peace to the beholders, a source not only of instruction but of mental refreshment... In churches the sacred solemnities should possess the whole heart and mind; the whole attention should be given to prayer.  Hence where it is proper to offer heavenly desires with peace and calm, let nobody arouse rebellion, provoke clamor or be guilty of violence... Idle and, even more, foul and profane talk must stop; chatter in all its forms must cease.  Everything, in short, that may disturb divine worship or offend the eyes of the divine majesty should be absolutely foreign to the churches, lest where pardon should be asked for our sins, occasion is given for sin, or sin is found to be committed... Those indeed who impudently defy the above prohibitions... will have to fear the sternness of divine retribution and our own, until having confessed their guilt, they have firmly resolved to avoid such conduct in the future.” Council of Vienne (1311-1312)  22: “There are some, both clergy and laity, especially on the vigil of certain feasts when they ought to be in church persevering in prayer, who are not afraid to hold licentious dances in the cemeteries of the churches and occasionally to sing ballads and perpetrate many excesses.  From this sometimes there follows the violation of churches and cemeteries, disgraceful conduct and various crimes; and the liturgical office is greatly disturbed, to the offense of the divine majesty and the scandal of the people nearby.” Council of Florence - Session 8 (1439)   “All these sacraments are made up of three elements: namely, things as the matter, words as the form, and the person of the minister who confers the sacrament with the intention of doing what the Church does. If any of these is lacking, the sacrament is not effected.” Council of Trent – Session 7, Canon 13  “If anyone says that the received and approved rites of the Catholic Church, wont to be used in the solemn administrations of the sacraments, may be condemned, or without sin be omitted at pleasure by the ministers, or be changed by any pastor of the churches whomsoever into new ones; let him be anathema.”  Session 13, Canon 10: “If anyone saith, that it is not lawful for the celebrating priest to communicate himself; let him be anathema.” The Catechism of the Council of Trent, On the Form of the Eucharist “The additional words for you and for many, are taken, some from Matthew, some from Luke, but were joined together by the Catholic Church under the guidance of the Spirit of God. They serve to declare the fruit and advantage of His Passion. For if we look to its value, we must confess that the Redeemer shed His Blood for the salvation of all; but if we look to the fruit which mankind has received from it, we shall easily find that it pertains not unto all, but to many of the human race.  When therefore (our Lord) said: For you, He meant either those who were present, or those chosen from among the Jewish people, such as were, with the exception of Judas, the disciples with whom He was speaking. When He added, And, for many, He wished to be understood to mean the remainder of the elect from among the Jews and Gentiles. With reason, therefore, were the words for all not used, as in this place the fruits of the Passion are alone spoken of, and to the elect only did His Passion bring the fruit of salvation.” The Rites and Ceremonies of the Mass “The Sacrifice (of the Mass) is celebrated with many solemn rites and rites and ceremonies, none of which should be deemed useless or superfluous.” Pope Pius V- Quo Primum (1570)   “…let Masses not be sung or read according to any other formula than that of this Missal published by Us. This ordinance applies henceforth, now, forever, throughout all the providences of the Christian world…this present Constitution...will be valid henceforth, now, and forever. We order and enjoin that nothing must be added...nothing omitted...nor anything whatsoever be changed within it under the penalty of Our displeasure…We order them (all Church leaders) in virtue of holy obedience to chant or to read the Mass according to the rite and manner and norm herewith laid down by Us and, hereafter, to discontinue and completely discard all other rubrics...they must not in celebrating Mass presume to introduce any ceremonies or recite any prayers other than those contained in this Missal.” Pope Benedict IV – Allatae Sunt (1755) 20: “Since the Latin Rite is the one used by the Holy Roman Church, which is Mother and Teacher of the other Churches, it must be preferred to all the other Rites.” Pope Pius VI- Auctorem Fidei (1794)   33: “The proposition of the synod by which it shows itself eager to remove the cause through which, in part, there has been induced a forget-fulness of the principles relating to the order of the liturgy, "by recalling it (the liturgy) to a greater simplicity of rites, by expressing it in the vernacular language, by uttering it in a loud voice"; as if the present order of the liturgy, received and approved by the Church, had emanated in some part from the forgetfulness of the principles by which it should be regulated,— rash, offensive to pious ears, insulting to the Church, favorable to the charges of heretics against it.” Vatican I (1870), Session 4, Chapter 4     6: “For the holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by his revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by his assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles.” Pope St. Pius X - Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907)                                            26: “The chief stimulus of evolution in the domain of worship consists in the need of adapting itself to the uses and customs of peoples…” Pope Pius XII - Mediator Dei (1947)      59: “…the temerity and daring of those who introduce novel liturgical practices, or call for the revival of obsolete rites out of harmony with prevailing laws and rubrics, deserve severe reproof. It has pained Us grievously to note, Venerable Brethren, that such innovations are actually being introduced, not merely in minor details but in matters of major importance as well. We instance, in point of fact, those who make use of the vernacular in the celebration of the august eucharistic sacrifice; those who transfer certain feast-days - which have been appointed and established after mature deliberation - to other dates; those, finally, who delete from the prayerbooks approved for public use the sacred texts of the Old Testament, deeming them little suited and inopportune for modern times.”

Vatican II – Sacrosanctam Concilium 1: “It is the goal of this most sacred Council…to make more responsive the requirements of our times those Church observances which are open to adaptation; to nurture whatever can contribute to the unity of all who believe in Christ…” 3: “These norms being observed, it is for the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, to decide whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used; their decrees are to be approved, that is, confirmed, by the Apostolic See. And, whenever it seems to be called for, this authority is to consult with bishops of neighboring regions which have the same language.” 4: “Mother Church holds all lawfully acknowledged rites to be of equal authority and dignity; that she wishes to preserve them in the future and foster them in every way.  The Council also desires that, where necessary, the rites be carefully and thoroughly revised in the light of sound tradition, and that they be given new vigor to meet the circumstances and needs of modern times.”  14: “In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, this full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else”.  63a: “The vernacular language may be used in administering the sacraments and sacramentals.” 37: “…she [the Church] respect and foster the genius and talents of the various races and peoples. Anything in these peoples' way of life which is not indissolubly bound up with superstition and error she studies with sympathy and, if possible, preserves intact. Sometimes in fact she admits such things into the liturgy itself, so long as they harmonize with its true and authentic spirit.” 40: “In some places and circumstances, however, an even more radical adaptation of the liturgy is needed” 40.1: “The competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, must, in this matter, carefully and prudently consider which elements from the traditions and culture of individual peoples might appropriately be admitted into divine worship. Adaptations which are judged to be useful or necessary should then be submitted to the Apostolic See, by whose consent they may be introduced.” 44: “It is desirable that the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, set up a liturgical commission, to be assisted by experts in liturgical science, sacred music, art and pastoral practice. So far as possible the commission should be aided by some kind of Institute for Pastoral Liturgy, consisting of persons who are eminent in these matters, and including laymen as circumstances suggest. Under the direction of the above-mentioned territorial ecclesiastical authority the commission is to regulate pastoral-liturgical action throughout the territory, and to promote studies and necessary experiments whenever there is question of adaptations to be proposed to the Apostolic See.” 50: “The rite of the Mass is to be revised in such a way that the intrinsic nature and purpose of its several parts, as also the connection between them, may be more clearly manifested, and that devout and active participation by the faithful may be more easily achieved. For this purpose the rites are to be simplified, due care being taken to preserve their substance; elements which, with the passage of time, came to be duplicated, or were added with but little advantage, are now to be discarded; other elements which have suffered injury through accidents of history are now to be restored to the vigor which they had in the days of the holy Fathers, as may seem useful or necessary.” 62: “…asks for simplifying rite…” 63b: “There is to be a new edition of the Roman book of rites…” 66: “Both rites of adult baptism are to be revised…” 67: “The rite of infant baptism is to be revised…” 71: “The rite of confirmation is to be revised…” 72: “…rites and formulas of Penance are to be revised…” 76: “…ordination rites are to be revised…” 77: “…marriage rites are to be revised…” 79: “…the sacraments are to be revised…the requirements of our times have to be weighed…” 80: “The rite of consecration of virgins is to be subject to review…” 82: “The rite for burying little children is to be revised.” 89b: “…the hour of prime is to be suppressed…” 101: “1) In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office. But in individual cases the ordinary has the power of granting the use of a vernacular translation to those clerics for whom the use of Latin constitutes a grave obstacle to their praying the office properly. 2) The competent superior has the power to grant the use of the vernacular in the celebration of the divine office. 3. Any cleric bound to the divine office fulfills his obligation if he prays the office in the vernacular together with a group of the faithful or with those mentioned in above provided that the text of the translation is approved.” 107: “…liturgical year is to be revised…” 119: “In some parts of the world, especially in mission areas, peoples are found who have a musical tradition of their own, a tradition which has great importance for their religious and cultural way of life... For this reason, special care should be taken in the musical training of missionaries, so that, as far as possible, they will be able to encourage the traditional music of these peoples in schools, in choirs, and in acts of worship.” 128: “…there is to be an early revision of the canons and ecclesiastical statutes which govern the provision of material things involved in sacred worship…” Vatican II – Orientalium Ecclesiarum 3: “These individual Churches, whether of the East or the West, although they differ somewhat among themselves in rite (to use the current phrase), that is, in liturgy, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage, are, nevertheless, each as much as the others, entrusted to the pastoral government of the Roman Pontiff, the divinely appointed successor of St. Peter in primacy over the universal Church. They are consequently of equal dignity, so that none of them is superior to the others as regards rite and they enjoy the same rights and are under the same obligations, also in respect of preaching the Gospel to the whole world (cf. Mark 16, 15) under the guidance of the Roman Pontiff.” 6: “All members of the Eastern Rite should know and be convinced that they can and should always preserve their legitimate liturgical rite and their established way of life, and that these may not be altered except to obtain for themselves an organic improvement. All these, then, must be observed by the members of the Eastern rites themselves. Besides, they should attain to an ever greater knowledge and a more exact use of them, and, if in their regard they have fallen short owing to contingencies of times and persons, they should take steps to return to their ancestral traditions.” Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI -Feast of the Faith (1981), pg. 80  “First of all it must be said that both the Constitution on the Liturgy and the Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity explicitly allow for the possibility of far-reaching adaptations to the customs and cultic traditions of peoples.  To that extent the new Missal is only providing a framework for the mission lands.” Co-Workers of the Truth (1990), pg. 318  “There is an obsession with the letter that regards the liturgy of the Church as invalid and thus puts itself outside the Church.  It is forgotten here that the validity of the liturgy depends primarily, not on specific words, but on the community of the Church; under the pretext of Catholicism, the very principle of Catholicism is denied, and, to a large extent, custom is substituted for truth.” God is Near Us (2001) pg. 34: “The German translation no longer says, ‘for many’, but ‘for all’, and this takes into account that in the Latin Missal and in the Greek New Testament, that is to say, in the original text that is being translated, we find ‘for many.’  This disparity has given rise to some disquiet; the question is raised as to whether the text of the Bible is not being misrepresented, whether perhaps an element of untruth has been brought into the most sacred place in our worship.”  pp. 36-37: “I leave open the question of whether it was sensible to choose the translation ‘for all’ here and, thus, to confuse translation with interpretation, at a point at which the process of interpretation remains in any case indispensable.  There can be no question of misrepresentation here, since whichever of the formulations is allowed to stand, we must in any case listen to the whole of the gospel message: that the Lord truly loves everyone and died for all.” Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith (2004) pg. 377: “…we are witnesses today of a new integralism [read: traditionalism] that may seem to support what is strictly Catholic but in reality corrupts it to the core.  It produces a passion of suspicions, the animosity of which is far from the spirit of the gospel.  There is an obsession with the letter that regards the liturgy of the Church as invalid and thus puts itself outside the Church.  It is forgotten here that the validity of the liturgy depends primarily, not on specific words, but on the community of the Church; under the pretext of Catholicism, the very principle of Catholicism is denied, and, to a large extent, custom is substituted for truth.” Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week (2011), pg. 135: “He [Joachim Jeremias] tried to prove that the word ‘many’ in the Old Testament means ‘the totality’ and is therefore most accurately translated as ‘all’. This thesis quickly gained ground at the time and became part of received theological thinking. On this basis, during the words of consecration, the word ‘many’ has been translated in a number of languages as ‘all’. ‘Shed for you and for all’ is how the faithful in many countries today hear the words of Jesus during the mass.”

On Communicatio in Sacris

4th Lateran Council (1215)  “Clerics should not, of course, give the sacraments of the Church to such pestilent people nor give them a Christian burial…” Pope Pius VIII - Traditi Humilitati (1829)                                                       4: “Against these experienced sophists the people must be taught that the profession of the Catholic faith is uniquely true, as the apostle proclaims: one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Jerome used to say it this way: he who eats the lamb outside this house will perish as did those during the flood who were not with Noah in the ark.” Pope Gregory XVI - Commissum Divinitus (1835)   11: “…whoever dares to depart from the unity of Peter might understand that he no longer shares in the divine mystery.” St. Jerome adds: “Whoever eats the lamb outside of this house is unholy.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Amantissimus (1862)  3: “He who deserts the Church will vainly believe that he is in the Church; “whoever eats of the lamb and is not a member of the Church, has profaned…” 1917 Code of Canon Law Canon 731, §2:  “It is forbidden that the Sacraments of the Church be ministered to heretics and schismatics, even if they ask for them and are in good faith, unless beforehand, rejecting their errors, they are reconciled with the Church.”

Vatican II - Orientalium Ecclesiarum 27: “Eastern Christians who are in fact separated in good faith from the Catholic Church, if they ask of their own accord and have the right dispositions, may be admitted to the sacraments of Penance, the Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick. Further, Catholics may ask for these same sacraments from those non-Catholic ministers whose churches possess valid sacraments, as often as necessity or a genuine spiritual benefit recommends such a course and access to a Catholic priest is physically or morally impossible.” 1983 Code of Canon Law, Canon 844 §3: “Catholic ministers may licitly administer the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick to members of the oriental churches which do not have full communion with the Catholic Church...” §4: “If the danger of death is present or if, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops, some other grave necessity urges it, Catholic ministers administer these same sacraments licitly also to other Christians not having full communion with the Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who seek such on their own accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed.” Pope St. John Paul II - Ut Unum Sint (1995) 58: “The Catholic Church has often adopted and now adopts a milder policy, offering to all the means of salvation and an example of charity among Christians through participation in the Sacraments and in other sacred functions and objects…”

On Common Worship

Council of Laodicea (364)  “No one shall pray in common with heretics and schismatics.” Council of Carthage, Patrologia Latina, vol. 56, col. 486 (419):  “Cut off from the Church: One must neither pray nor sing psalms with those who are cut off from the communion of the Church, whether clergy or laymen: let him be anathema.” Third Council of Constantinople (681)   “If any ecclesiastic or layman shall go into the synagogue of the Jews or to the meeting houses of the heretics to join in prayer with them, let them be deposed and deprived of communion.  Pope Gregory XVI- Summo Iugiter Studio (1832) 5: “We shall praise St. Gregory the Great who expressly testifies that this indeed is the teaching of the Catholic Church. He says: “The holy universal Church teaches that it is not possible to worship God truly except in her and asserts that all who are outside of her will not be saved.” Official acts of the Church proclaim the same dogma.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Unity of the Church (1864)  Dz 1685: “Indeed, the society itself indicates to all its members the prayers to be recited, and to the priests the sacrifices to be celebrated according to its own intention: namely, that the said three Christian communions, inasmuch as they, as it is alleged, together now constitute the Catholic Church, may at some time or other unite to form one body.” Dz: 1686: But, that the faithful of Christ and the clergy should pray for Christian unity under the leadership of heretics, and, what is worse, according to an intention, polluted and infected as much as possible with heresy, can in no way be tolerated. 1917 Code of Canon Law, Canon 1258  “…forbidding communicatio in sacris reads:  §1: “It is unlawful for Catholics to assist actively in any way at, or to take part in, the religious services of non-Catholics.” §2: “A passive and merely material presence at funerals and weddings and similar solemnities of non-Catholics may be tolerated for the sake of civil duty or honor, because of a grave reason, (to be approved by the bishop in a doubtful case), provided there is no danger of perversion or scandal present.” Pope Pius XI - Mortalium Animos (1928) 10: “…[the] Apostolic See has never allowed its subjects to take part in the assemblies of non-Catholics…”

Vatican II - Unitatis Redintegratio 8: “…it says “As for common worship…the practical course to be adopted, after due regard has been given to all the circumstances of time, place, and personage, is left to prudent decision of the local episcopal authority, unless the local Bishops’ conference according to its own statutes or the Holy See, has determined otherwise.” Pope St. John Paul II – Ut Unum Sint  25: “I would now like to recall the prayer meeting, also held in Saint Peter's Basilica, at which I joined the Lutheran Archbishops, the Primates of Sweden and Finland, for the celebration of Vespers” 46: “…it is a source of joy to note that Catholic ministers are able, in certain particular cases, to administer the Sacraments of the Eucharist, Penance and Anointing of the Sick to Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church but who greatly desire to receive these sacraments, freely request them and manifest the faith which the Catholic Church professes with regard to these sacraments. Conversely, in specific cases and in particular circumstances, Catholics too can request these same sacraments from ministers of Churches in which these sacraments are valid.” 76: “In 1986, at Assisi, during the World Day of Prayer for Peace, Christians of the various Churches and Ecclesial Communities prayed with one voice to the Lord…” Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI – Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith (2004) pg. 232, Letter to the Schismatic Metropolitan  “The two codes of canon law of the Catholic Church and her Ecumenical directory show that under certain conditions admission to Communion between East and West is permissible or even positively recommended.  And agreement is about to be concluded between the ‘Assyrian’ and the ‘Chaldean’ Churches about mutual admission to Communion in wide areas of the diaspora, where very often only one of the two has a priest available.  This case needed special studies to be made, because the Anaphora of Addai and Mari most commonly in use by the Assyrians does not include an institution narrative.  But these difficulties were able to be overcome, and thus in general, despite many problems, there are now and again little bits of encouragement that give us hope.” Address during ecumenical Vespers service, Sept. 12, 2006  “Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ! We are gathered, Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Protestants – and together with us there are also some Jewish friends – to sing together the evening praise of God… This is an hour of gratitude for the fact that we can pray together in this way and, by turning to the Lord, at the same time grow in unity among ourselves… Among those gathered for this evening’s Vespers, I would like first to greet warmly the representatives of the Orthodox Church. I have always considered it a special gift of God’s Providence that, as a professor at Bonn, I was able to come to know and to love the Orthodox Church, personally as it were, through two young Archimandrites, Stylianos Harkianakis and Damaskinos Papandreou, both of whom later became Metropolitans… Our koinonia [communion] is above all communion with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit; it is communion with the triune God, made possible by the Lord through his incarnation and the outpouring of the Spirit. This communion with God creates in turn koinonia among people, as a participation in the faith of the Apostles…” Joint Declaration with Schismatic Patriarch Bartholomew, Nov. 30, 2006  “This fraternal encounter which brings us together, Pope Benedict XVI of Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, is God's work, and in a certain sense his gift. We give thanks to the Author of all that is good, who allows us once again, in prayer and in dialogue, to express the joy we feel as brothers and to renew our commitment to move towards full communion. This commitment comes from the Lord's will and from our responsibility as Pastors in the Church of Christ… As far as relations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople are concerned, we cannot fail to recall the solemn ecclesial act effacing the memory of the ancient anathemas which for centuries had a negative effect on our Churches.” Pope Francis - Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio, pg. 208 “Not long ago I was in a synagogue taking part in a ceremony. I prayed a lot and, while praying, I heard a phrase from one of the books of wisdom that had slipped my mind: ‘Lord, may I bear mockery in silence.’ It gave me much peace and joy.” L’Osservatore Romano, Oct 14, 2016, pp. 7-8 “Nor should our (Catholic and Anglican) differences come in the way of our common prayer: not only can we pray together, we must pray together, giving voice to our shared faith and joy in the Gospel of Christ, the ancient Creeds, and the power of God’s love, made present in the Holy Spirit…” L’Osservatore Romano, Nov 4, 2016, pg. 3, 6  “As Lutherans and Catholics, we pray together in this Cathedral, conscious that without God we can do nothing. We ask his help, so that we can be living members, abiding in him, ever in need of his grace, so that together we may bring his word to the world…”

On Religious Liberty and Human Rights

Exodus 20:1-3 “And the Lord spoke all these words: ‘I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.” Fourth Lateran Council (1215)   3: “We excommunicate and anathematize every heresy raising itself up against the holy, orthodox, Catholic faith. We condemn whatever heretics, whatever names they may go under.” Pope Leo XII- Ubi Primum (1824)   12: “Under the gentle appearance of piety and liberality this sect professes what they call tolerance or indifferentism. It preaches that not only in civil affairs, which is not Our concern here, but also in religion, God has given every individual a wide freedom to embrace and adopt without danger to his salvation whatever sect or opinion appeals to him on the basis of his private judgment.” Pope Gregory XVI - Mirari Vos (1832) 14: “From this poison source of indifferentism flows that false and absurd or rather extravagant maxim that liberty of conscience should be established and guaranteed to each man. A most contagious error to which leads the absolute and unbridled liberty of opinion which for the ruin of Church and State spreads over the whole world and which some men by unbridled imprudence fear not to represent as advantages to the Church.  And what more certain death for souls says St. Augustine than liberty of error.”  15: “Here We must include that harmful and never sufficiently denounced freedom to publish any writings whatever and disseminate them to the people, which some dare to demand and promote with so great a clamor. We are horrified to see what monstrous doctrines and prodigious errors are disseminated far and wide in countless books, pamphlets, and other writings which, though small in weight, are very great in malice.” Pope Gregory XVI- Inter Praecipuas (1844)   14: “…experience shows that there is no more direct way of alienating the populace from fidelity and obedience to their leaders than through that indifference to religion propagated by the sect members under the name of religious liberty.” Pope Bl. Pius IX – Qui Pluribus (1846)  15: “They pretend that men can gain eternal salvation by the practice of any religion, as if there could ever be any sharing between justice and iniquity, any collaboration between light and darkness, or any agreement between Christ and Belial.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Quanta Cura (1864) 3: “From which totally false idea of social government they do not fear to foster that erroneous opinion, most fatal in its effects on the Catholic Church and the salvation of souls, called by Our Predecessor, Gregory XVI, an “insanity,” namely, that “liberty of conscience and worship is each man’s personal right, which ought to be legally proclaimed and asserted in every rightly constituted society; and that a right resides in the citizens to an absolute liberty, which should be restrained by no authority whether ecclesiastical or civil, whereby they may be able openly and publicly to manifest and declare any of their ideas whatever, either by word of mouth, by the press, or in any other way.” 6: “Therefore, by our Apostolic authority, we reprobate, proscribe, and condemn all the singular and evil opinions and doctrines severally mentioned in this letter, and will and command that they be thoroughly held by all children of the Catholic Church as reprobated, proscribed and condemned.” 8: “…that the royal power was given not only for the governance of the world, but most of all for the protection of the Church;” and that there is nothing which can be of greater advantage and glory to Princes and Kings than if, as another most wise and courageous Predecessor of ours, St. Felix, instructed the Emperor Zeno, they “permit the Catholic Church to practice her laws, and allow no one to oppose her liberty.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Syllabus of Errors (1864) Condemned Statements: 15: “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.”  16: “Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation, and arrive at eternal salvation.” 20: “The ecclesiastical power ought not to exercise its authority without the permission and assent of the civil government.” 21: “The Church has not the power of defining dogmatically that the religion of the Catholic Church is the only true religion.” 55: “The Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church.” 77: “In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State, to the exclusion of all other forms of worship.” 78: “Hence it has been wisely decided by law, in some Catholic countries, that persons coming to reside therein shall enjoy the public exercise of their own peculiar worship.” 79: “Moreover, it is false that the civil liberty of every form of worship, and the full power, given to all, of overtly and publicly manifesting any opinions whatsoever and thoughts, conduce more easily to corrupt the morals and minds of the people, and to propagate the pest of indifferentism.” 80: “The Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization.” Pope Bl. Pius IX – Multiplices Inter Machinationis (1865)   “But who does not see how much such an idea is far removed from the truth? What is it then that this association of men of every religion and every belief claims?” Pope Leo XIII - Immortale Dei (1885)   34: “Thus, Gregory XVI in his encyclical letter Mirari Vos, dated August 15, 1832, inveighed with weighty words against the sophisms which even at his time were being publicly inculcated-namely, that no preference should be shown for any particular form of worship; that it is right for individuals to form their own personal judgments about religion; that each man's conscience is his sole and all-sufficing guide; and that it is lawful for every man to publish his own views, whatever they may be…” Pope Leo XIII- Libertas Praestantissimum (1888)  21: “Justice therefore forbids, and reason itself forbids, the State to be godless; or to adopt a line of action which would end in godliness- namely, to treat the various religions (as they call them) alike, and to bestow upon them promiscuously equal rights and privileges…” 42: "From what has been said it follows that it is quite unlawful to demand, to defend, or to grant unconditional freedom of thought, of speech, or writing, or of worship, as if these were so many rights given by nature to man." Pope St. Pius X- Vehementer Nos (1906) 13: “We in accord with the supreme authority which we hold from God, disprove and condemn the established law which separates the French state from the Church, for such reasons we have set forth: because it inflicts the greatest injury upon God whom it solemnly rejects, declaring in the beginning that the state is devoid of any religious worship…” Pope Pius XI - Mortalium Animos (1928)  2: “Certainly, such attempts can nowise be approved by Catholics, founded as they are on that false opinion which considers all religions to be more or less good and praiseworthy, since they all in different ways manifest and signify that sense which is inborn in us all, and by which we are led to God and to the obedient acknowledgment of His rule. Not only are those who hold this opinion in error and deceived, but also in distorting the idea of true religion they reject it, and little by little turn aside to naturalism and atheism, as it is called; from which it clearly follows that one who supports those who hold these theories and attempt to realize them, is altogether abandoning the divinely revealed religion.” 11: “The Catholic Church is alone in keeping the true worship. This is the fount of truth, this the house of Faith, this the temple of God: if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation.”

Pope John XXIII – Pacem in Terris (1963) 14: “Also, among man’s rights is that of being able to worship God in accordance with the right dictates of his own conscience, and to profess his religion both in private and in public.” Vatican II – Inter Mirifica 8: “Since public opinion exercises the greatest power and authority today in every sphere of life…as a result, all must strive, through these media as well, to form and spread sound public opinion.” Vatican II – Gravissimum Educationis 7: “The Church esteems highly those civil authorities and societies which, bearing in mind the pluralism of contemporary society and respecting religious freedom, assist families so that the education of their children can be imparted in all schools according to the individual moral and religious principles of the families.” Vatican II – Nostra Aetate 5: “The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion.” Vatican II – Dignitatis Humanae 2: “This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.  The council further declares that the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself. This right of the human person to religious freedom is to be recognized in the constitutional law whereby society is governed and thus it is to become a civil right. It is in accordance with their dignity as persons-that is, beings endowed with reason and free will and therefore privileged to bear personal responsibility-that all men should be at once impelled by nature and also bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth, once it is known, and to order their whole lives in accord with the demands of truth. However, men cannot discharge these obligations in a manner in keeping with their own nature unless they enjoy immunity from external coercion as well as psychological freedom. Therefore, the right to religious freedom has its foundation not in the subjective disposition of the person, but in his very nature. In consequence, the right to this immunity continues to exist even in those who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the truth and adhering to it and the exercise of this right is not to be impeded, provided that just public order be observed.” 4: “…it comes within the meaning of religious freedom that religious communities should not be prohibited from freely undertaking to show the special value of their doctrine in what concerns the organization of society and the inspiration of the whole of human activity. Finally, the social nature of man and the very nature of religion afford the foundation of the right of men freely to hold meetings and to establish educational, cultural, charitable and social organizations, under the impulse of their own religious sense.” 6: “…government is to see to it that equality of citizens before the law, which is itself an element of the common good, is never violated, whether openly or covertly, for religious reasons. Nor is there to be discrimination among citizens." Pope St. Paul VI - Address, July 9, 1969 “She [the Church] has also affirmed, during Her long history, at the cost of oppression and persecution, freedom for everyone to profess his own religion. No one, She says, is to be restrained from acting, no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs… As we said, the Council demanded a true and public religious freedom…” Message, Dec. 10, 1973  “… the repeated violations of the sacred right to religious liberty in its various aspects and the absence of an international agreement supporting this right…”  Letter, July 25, 1975 “…the Holy See rejoices to see specifically emphasized the right of religious liberty.” Pope St. John Paul II - Freedom of Conscience and Religion (1980) letter 2c: “On the basis of his personal convictions, man is led to recognize and follow a religious or metaphysical concept involving his whole life with regard to fundamental choices and attitudes. This inner reflection, even if it does not result in an explicit and positive assertion of faith in God, cannot but be respected in the name of the dignity of each one's conscience, whose hidden searching may not be judged by others.” 3: “…there is a danger of setting arbitrary norms of application and of ‘imposing, in so intimate a field of man's life, rules or restrictions that are opposed to his true religious needs’…” (Address to the UN 34th General Assembly, no. 20). Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), 2106:  “Nobody may be forced to act against his convictions, nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his conscience in religious matters in private or in public, alone or in association with others, within due limits." This right is based on the very nature of the human person, whose dignity enables him freely to assent to the divine truth which transcends the temporal order. For this reason it "continues to exist even in those who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the truth and adhering to it.” Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI - Principles of Catholic theology (1982), pg. 381  “If it is desirable to offer a diagnosis of the text [of the Vatican II document, Gaudium et Spes] as a whole, we might say that (in conjunction with the texts on religious liberty and world religions) it is a revision of the Syllabus of Pius IX, a kind of counter syllabus…As a result, the one-sidedness of the position adopted by the Church under Pius IX and Pius X in response to the situation created by the new phase of history inaugurated by the French Revolution was, to a large extent, corrected via facti, especially in Central Europe, but there was still no basic statement of the relationship that should exist between the Church and the world that had come into existence after 1789.” Address to ambassador of Spain, May 20, 2006  “The Church also insists on the inalienable right of individuals to profess their own religious faith without hindrance, both publicly and privately, as well as the right of parents to have their children receive an education that complies with their values and beliefs without explicit or implicit discrimination.” Pope Francis - L’Osservatore Romano, May 22, 2013, pg. 11  “… proAmote religious freedom for everyone, everyone! Every man and every woman must be free in his or her profession of religion, whatever it may be.”  Evangelii Gaudium (2013)   254: “Non-Christians, by God’s gracious initiative, when they are faithful to their own consciences, can live ‘justified by the grace of God’, and thus be ‘associated to the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ…” L’Osservatore Romano, October 30, 2015, pp. 3-4 “…the Church regards with esteem the believers of all religions, appreciating their spiritual and moral commitment…Now, to conclude this Audience, I invite everyone, each one on his or her own, to pray in silence. May each one do so according to his or her own religious tradition.”   L’Osservatore Romano, January 12, 2018, pg. 9 “Among the human rights that I would also like to mention today is the right to freedom of thought, conscience and of religion, including the freedom to change religion...”    L’Osservatore Romano, January 26, 2018, pg. 1 “Every person has the right to profess his or her own religious creed freely and without constraint…”

On the Relationship with Other Religions

Psalm 95:5  “For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils…”  Matthew 22:14 “Many are called but few are chosen.” John 3:35-36 “The Father loveth the Son: and he hath given all things into His hand.  He that believeth in the Son, hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 8:23-24 “And Jesus said to them: You are from beneath, I am from above.  You are of this world, I am not of this world.  Therefore, I said to you, that you shall die in your sins.  For if you do not believe that I am He, you shall die in your sin.” John 14:6 “Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.” Acts 2:5, 22-23, 37-38 “Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven… Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him, in the midst of you, as you also know: This same being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked men have crucified and slain… Now when they had heard these things, they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles: What shall we do, men and brethren?  But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” 3:12-19: “But Peter seeing, made answer to the people: Ye men of Israel, why wonder you at this? or why look you upon us, as if by our strength or power we had made this man to walk?... But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you.   But the author of life you killed, whom God hath raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses… But those things which God before had shewed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.  Be penitent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” 4:12: “… the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ… Nor is there salvation in any other.  For there is no other name, under heaven, given to men, whereby we must be saved.” Romans 1:19-21 “Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of Him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; His external power also, and divinity: so that they are inexcusable.” 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 “But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to the devils, and not to God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3 “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 “For you, brethren, are become followers of the churches of God which are in Judea, in Christ Jesus: for you also have suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they have from the Jews, Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and the prophets, and have persecuted us, and please not God, and are adversaries to all men…” Colossians 1:13 “Giving thanks to God the Father... Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.” Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604) “The holy universal Church teaches that it is not possible to worship God truly except in her and asserts that all who are outside of her will not be saved.” Council of Sens – The Errors of Peter Abelard (1140) Condemned 10: “That they have not sinned who being ignorant have crucified Christ, and that whatever is done through ignorance must not be considered sin.” Pope Boniface VIII - Unam Sanctam (1302)  “…we firmly believe and simply confess this (Church) outside which there is no salvation nor remission of sin.” Council of Vienne (1312)  30: “Since however there is for both regulars and seculars, for superiors and subjects, for exempt and non-exempt, one universal Church, outside of which there is no salvation.” Council of Florence (1442) Session 11:  “The Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that nobody who exists outside the Catholic Church, not only the pagans, but also not the Jews, also not the heretics, also not the schismatics, can be participants in eternal life, but they will go to the eternal fire prepared the devil and his angels unless they be joined with the Church before the end of their life.  And the Council, professes, believes and preaches the unity of this ecclesiastical body is worth so much that only those who remain within her, and receive the salvation of the ecclesiastical sacraments, and profess them, and do their fastings and works and all the other offices of piety and all the other exercises of Christian virtues will have the eternal Christ.  Council of Trent - Session 5 “…our Catholic faith, ‘without which it is impossible to please God’ [Heb. 11:6]…”  Pope Leo XII - Ubi Primum (1824)  14: “It is impossible for the most true God, who is Truth Itself, the best, the wisest Provider, and the Rewarder of good men, to approve all sects who profess false teachings which are often inconsistent with one another and contradictory, and to confer eternal rewards on their members… By it we are taught, and by divine faith we hold one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and that no other name under heaven is given to men except the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in which we must be saved. This is why we profess that there is no salvation outside the Church.” Pope Gregory XVI - Summo Iugiter Studio (1832)   2: “Finally, some of these misguided people attempt to persuade themselves and others that men are not saved only in the Catholic religion, but that even heretics may attain eternal life.” Pope Gregory XVI - Mirari Vos (1832)   13: “They should consider the testimony of Christ Himself that, “those who are not with Christ are against Him,” (Lk. 11:23) and that they disperse unhappily who do not gather with Him. Therefore, without a doubt, they will perish forever, unless they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate‟ (Athanasian Creed).” Pope Gregory XVI - Probe Nostis (1840)  6: “We are thankful for the success of apostolic missions in America, the Indies, and other faithless lands… They search out those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to summon them to the light and life of the Catholic religion… At length they snatch them from the Devil’s rule, by the bath of regeneration and promote them to the freedom of God’s adopted sons.” Pope Pius IX- Qui Pluribus (1846) 15: “Also perverse is that shocking theory that it makes no difference to which religion one belongs, a theory greatly at variance even with reason.  By means of this theory, those crafty men remove all distinction between virtue and vice, truth and error, honorable and vile action.  They pretend that men can gain eternal salvation by the practice of any religion, as if there could ever be any sharing between justice and iniquity, any collaboration between light and darkness, or any agreement between Christ and Belial.” Vatican I (1870) Session 3, Canon 2 1: “If anyone shall have said that the one true God, our Creator and Lord, cannot be known with certitude by those things which have been made, by the natural light of human reason: let him be anathema.” Pope Leo XIII - Custodi Di Quella Fede (1892)  15: “Everyone should avoid familiarity or friendship with anyone suspected of belonging to masonry or to affiliated groups. Know them by their fruits and avoid them. Every familiarity should be avoided, not only with those impious libertines who openly promote the character of the sect, but also with those who hide under the mask of universal tolerance, respect for all religions...” Pope Leo XIII - Ad Extremas (1893)  1: “… the blessed Apostle Thomas who is rightly called the founder of preaching the Gospel to the Hindus. Then, there is Francis Xavier… Through his extraordinary perseverance, he converted hundreds of thousands of Hindus from the myths and vile superstitions of the Brahmans to the true religion.” Pope St. Pius X - Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907) 14: “On what grounds can Modernists deny the truth of an experience affirmed by a follower of Islam? Will they claim a monopoly of true experiences for Catholics alone? Indeed, Modernists do not deny, but actually maintain, some confusedly, others frankly, that all religions are true. That they cannot feel otherwise is clear. For on what ground, according to their theories, could falsity be predicated of any religion whatsoever? … For they heap such praise and bestow such public honor on the teachers of these errors [false religions] as to give rise to the belief that their admiration is not meant merely for the persons, who are perhaps not devoid of a certain merit, but rather for the errors which these persons openly profess and which they do all in their power to propagate.” 23: “A wider field for comment is opened when you come to treat of the vagaries devised by the Modernist school concerning the Church. You must start with the supposition that the Church has its birth in a double need, the need of the individual believer, especially if he has had some original and special experience, to communicate his faith to others, and the need of the mass, when the faith has become common to many, to form itself into a society and to guard, increase, and propagate the common good. What, then, is the Church? It is the product of the collective conscience…” Pope Pius XI- Mortalium Animos (1928)   2: “For which reason conventions, meetings and addresses are frequently arranged by these persons, at which a large number of listeners are present, and at which all without distinction are invited to join in the discussion, both infidels of every kind, and Christians, even those who have unhappily fallen away from Christ or who with obstinacy and pertinacity deny His divine nature and mission. Certainly such attempts can nowise be approved by Catholics, founded as they are on that false opinion which considers all religions to be more or less good and praiseworthy, since they all in different ways manifest and signify that sense which is inborn in us all, and by which we are led to God and the obedient acknowledgement His rule.  Not only are those who hold this opinion in error and deceived, but also in distorting the idea of true religion they reject it, and little by little, turn aside to naturalism and atheism, as it is called; from which it clearly follows that one who supports those who holds these theories and attempt to realize them, is altogether abandoning the divinely revealed religion.” Pope Pius XII - Mystici Corporis Christi (1943) 18: “As therefore in the true Christian community there is only one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one Baptism, so there can be only one faith. And therefore, if a man refuse to hear the Church, let him be considered - so the Lord commands - as a heathen and a publican. It follows that those who are divided in faith or government cannot be living in the unity of such a Body, nor can they be living the life of its one Divine Spirit.”

Vatican II - Lumen Gentium 16: “Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel.” Vatican II - Nostra Aetate 2: “…in Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust. Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination.” Vatican II – Ad Gentes 10: “For the Gospel message has not yet, or hardly yet, been heard by two million human beings (and their number is increasing daily), who are formed into large and distinct groups by permanent cultural ties, by ancient religious traditions, and by firm bonds of social necessity. Some of these men are followers of one of the great religions,…” Vatican II – Gaudium Et Spes, 58: “At the same time the Church, which has been sent to all peoples of whatever age or region, is not connected exclusively and inseparably to any race or nation, to any particular pattern of human behavior, or to any ancient or recent customs.” Pope St. Paul VI - Address, August, 1969 “…Uganda includes differing faiths which respect and esteem one another.” Message, November 24, 1969 “…overcome divisions, by developing a mutual respect between the different religious confessions.”  Address, December 3, 1970 “We greet with respect the representatives of all the other religions who have honored us by their presence.”  General Audience, January 12, 1972  “…a disconcerting picture opens up before our eyes: that of religions, the religions invented by man; attempts that are sometimes extremely daring and noble…”  Address to Buddhists, June 5, 1972 “It is with great cordiality and esteem that we greet so distinguished a group of Buddhist leaders from Thailand... We have a profound regard for… your precious traditions.” General Audience, November 8, 1972 “Ecumenism began in this way; as respect for non-Christian religions…” Address, September 22, 1973 “…noble non-Christian religions…” This is apostasy – a total rejection of Jesus Christ.  General Audience to Japanese Buddhists, Sept. 5, 1973 “It is a great pleasure for us to welcome the members of the Japanese Buddhists Europe Tour, honored followers of the Soto-shu sect of Buddhism… At the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church exhorted her sons and daughters to study and evaluate the religious traditions of mankind and to… learn by sincere and patient dialogue what treasures a bountiful God has distributed among the nations of the earth.” (Ad Gentes, 11) “…Buddhism is one of the riches of Asia…” Address to Dalai Lama, September 30, 1973 “We are happy to welcome Your Holiness today… You come to us from Asia, the cradle of ancient religions and human traditions which are rightly held in deep veneration.” General Audience to Japanese Buddhist Mission Tour, October 24, 1973 “Once again it is our pleasure to welcome a distinguished group of the Japan Buddhist Mission Tour. We are happy to reiterate the esteem we have for your country,your noble traditions…” Address to Buddhist Patriarch of Laos, June 8, 1973: “… Buddhism… the Catholic Church considers its spiritual riches with esteem and respect and wishes to collaborate with you, as religious men, to bring about real peace and the salvation of man.” Address, August 24, 1974 “Religious and cultural differences in India, as you have said, are honored and respected… We are pleased to see that this mutual honor and esteem is practiced…”  Address to Synod of Bishops, September 2, 1974 “Likewise we cannot omit a reference to the non-Christian religions. These, in fact, must no longer be regarded as rivals, or obstacles to Evangelization…” Speech to Tibetan Buddhist Spiritual Leader, January 17, 1975 “The Second Vatican Council has expressed sincere admiration for Buddhism in its various forms… We wish Your Holiness and all your faithful an abundance of Prosperity and Peace.” Apostolic Exhortation, December 8, 1975 “The Church respects and esteems these non-Christian religions…” Message to Pagan Shinto Priests, March 3, 1976 “We know the fame of your temple, and the wisdom that is represented so vividly by the images contained therein.” To a group of Buddhist Leaders, June 15, 1977 “To the distinguished group of Buddhist leaders from Japan we bid a warm welcome. The Second Vatican Council declared that the Catholic Church looks with sincere respect on your way of life… On this occasion we are happy to recall the words of St. John: „The world, with all it craves for, is coming to an end; but anyone who does the will of God remains forever.” General Audience, July 6, 1977 “We welcome with sincere respect the Japanese delegation of the Konko-kyo religion.” Message, Dec. 6, 1977 “…non-Christian religions, which the Church respects and esteems…”  Pope St. John Paul II - Sign of Contradiction, book (1979) pg. 15-16  “This God is professed in his silence by the Trappist and the Camaldolite. It is to Him that the desert Bedouin turns at his hour of prayer. And perhaps the Buddhist too, wrapt in contemplation as he purifies his thought, preparing the way for Nirvana. God in His absolute transcendence, God who transcends absolutely the whole of creation, all that is visible and comprehensible.” Redemptor Hominis (1979)  6: “Does it not sometimes happen that the firm belief of the followers of the non-Christian religions – a belief that is also an effect of the Spirit of truth operating outside the visible confines of the Mystical Body…” 11: “The Fathers of the Church rightly saw in the various religions as it were so many reflections of the one truth.” Dives in Misericordia (1980) pg.15-16  “This God is professed in his silence by the Trappist and the Camaldolite. It is to Him that the desert Bedouin turns at his hour of prayer. And perhaps the Buddhist too, wrapt in contemplation as he purifies his thought, preparing the way for Nirvana. God in His absolute transcendence, God who transcends absolutely the whole of creation, all that is visible and comprehensible.” Redemptor Missio (1990)  10: “The universality of salvation means that it is granted not only to those who explicitly believe in Christ and have entered the Church.” 29: “The Church’s relationship with other religions is dictated by a twofold respect: ‘Respect for man in his quest for answers to the deepest questions of his life, and respect for the action of the Spirit in man.’” 55: “God… 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…” 56: “Other religions constitute a positive challenge for the Church: they stimulate her both to discover and acknowledge the signs of Christ’s presence and of the working of the Spirit.” Address at Airport in Korea, May 3, 1984  “Yours is a proud and sturdy people… bearing splendid fruits in art, religion, and human living. Your ancestors embraced such overwhelming spiritual worlds as Confucianism and Buddhism, yet made them truly their own, enhanced them, lived them and even transmitted them to others. Wonhyo and Sosan… eloquently express this feat.” May 6, 1984 “…the world looks to Korea with particular interest. For the Korean people throughout history have sought, in the great ethical and religious visions of Buddhism and Confucianism, the path to renewal of self… May I address a particular greeting to the members of the Buddhist tradition as they prepare to celebrate the festivity of the Coming of the Lord Buddha? May your rejoicing be complete and your joy fulfilled.” The State of the World and the Spirit of Assisi (1986) “The event of Assisi can thus be considered as a visible illustration, an object lesson, a catechesis understandable by all, of the presuppositions and signification of our commitment to the ecumenism and interreligious dialogue recommended and promoted by the Second Vatican Council… All authentic prayer is inspired by the Holy Ghost, who is mysteriously present in the heart of every man.” Angelus Address, Oct. 12, 1986 “In a few days we shall go to Assisi, representatives of the Catholic Church, of other Christian Churches and ecclesial communities, and of the great religions of the world... I issued this invitation to ‘believers of all religions.’” Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992)  836: “All men are called to this catholic unity of the People of God.... and to it, in different ways, belong or are ordered: the Catholic faithful, others who believe in Christ, and finally all mankind, called by God's grace to salvation.” 843: “The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.” 842: “The Church's bond with non-Christian religions is in the first place the common origin and end of the human race: All nations form but one community. This is so because all stem from the one stock which God created to people the entire earth, and also because all share a common destiny, namely God. His providence, evident goodness, and saving designs extend to all against the day when the elect are gathered together in the holy city…” General Audience, Jan. 11, 1995  “I gladly take this occasion to assure those who follow the Buddhist religion of my deep respect and sincere esteem.” Homily, April 12, 1997  “… the Church, which seeks only to be able freely to preach … with respect for… every religion.” Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI - Co-Workers of the Truth (1990) pg. 217  “The question that really concerns us, the question that really oppresses us, is why it is necessary for us in particular to practice the Christian Faith in its totality; why, when there are so many other ways that lead to heaven and salvation, it should be required of us to bear day after day the whole burden of ecclesial dogmas and of the ecclesial ethos.  And so we come again to the question: What exactly is Christian reality?  What is the specific element in Christianity that not merely justifies it, but makes it compulsorily necessary for us?  When we raise the question about the foundation and meaning of our Christian existence, there slips in a certain false hankering for the apparently more comfortable life of other people who are also going to heaven.  We are too much like the laborers of the first hour in the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Mt. 20:1-16).  Once they discovered that they could have earned their day’s pay of one denarius in a much easier way, they could not understand why they had had to labor the whole day.  But what a strange attitude it is to find the duties of our Christian life unrewarding just because the denarius of salvation can be gained without them!  It would seem that we – like the workers of the first hour – want to be paid not only with our own salvation, but more particularly with others’ lack of salvation.  That is at once very human and profoundly un-Christian.” Salt of the Earth (1997)  pg. 23: “And so we can also see that in the Indian religious cosmos (‘Hinduism’ is a rather misleading designation for a multiplicity of religions) there are very different forms: very high and pure ones that are marked by the idea of love, but also wholly gruesome ones that include ritual murder.” pg. 24: “Q.  But could we not also accept that someone can be saved through a faith other than the Catholic?  A.  That’s a different question altogether.  It is definitely possible for someone to receive from his religion directives that help him become a pure person, which also, if we want to use the word, help him please God and reach salvation.  This is not at all excluded by what I said; on the contrary, this undoubtedly happens on a large scale.” Zenit News Report, Feb. 21, 2002   “…a symbol of our pilgrimage in history (train that took the false religious leaders from the Vatican to Assisi)…Are we not all, perhaps, passengers on the same train?... Is not the fact that the train chose as its destiny peace and justice, and the reconciliation of peoples and religions, a great inspiration and, at the same time, a splendid sign of hope?” Truth and Tolerance (2003)  pg. 44: “…the controversy between religions.  We have been far more concerned to determine more clearly (and this is still rather inexact) the place of Christian faith and practice in the history of religions as a whole, by looking at the others to see ourselves and our own way more clearly.  If, in looking at this question, what divides us from others has been emphasized, what unites us with them should not be forgotten: that we are all a part of a single history that is in many different fashions on the way toward God.  For that was what turned out to be the critical insight: for Christian faith, the history of religions is not a circle of what is endlessly the same, never touching the essential thing, which itself ever remains outside of history; rather, the Christian holds the history of religions to be a genuine history, to be a path whose direction we call progress and whose attitude we call hope.” pg. 51: “Just as Barth is seen as the chief representative of the exclusivist position, so Rahner is reckoned to be the classical advocate of inclusivism: that Christianity is present in all religions, or (putting it the other way around) that all religions, without knowing this, are moving toward Christianity...” pg. 204: “In Hinduism (which is actually a collective name for a whole multitude of religions) there are some marvelous elements – but there are also negative aspects: involvement with the caste system; suttee [self-immolation] for widows, which developed from beginnings that were merely symbolic; offshoots of the cult of the goddess Sakti – all these might be mentioned to give just a little idea.  Yet even Islam, with all the greatness it represents, is always in danger of losing balance, letting violence have a place and letting religion slide away into mere outward observance and ritualism.” pg. 207: “The fact that in every age there have been, and still are, ‘pagan saints’ is because everywhere and in every age – albeit often with difficulty and in fragmentary fashion – the speech of the ‘heart’ can be heard, because God’s Torah may be heard within ourselves...” Homily, Sept. 10, 2006  “We do not fail to show respect for other religions and cultures, we do not fail to show profound respect for their faith…” Special Address, Sept. 12, 2006  “For philosophy and, albeit in a different way, for theology, listening to the great experiences and insights of the religious traditions of humanity, and those of the Christian faith in particular, is a source of knowledge, and to ignore it would be an unacceptable restriction of our listening and responding.” Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week (2011) pg.168-169  “… an eventual decision on the case of Jesus… John tells us that the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together.  These were the two leading groups within Judaism at the time of Jesus, and on many points they were opposed to one another.  But their common fear was this: ‘The Romans will come and destroy both our holy place [that is, the Temple, the holy place for divine worship] and our nation’ (11:48).  One is tempted to say that the motive for acting against Jesus was a political concern shared by the priestly aristocracy and the Pharisees, though they arrived at it from different starting points… Nevertheless, we must not be too hasty in condemning the ‘purely political’ outlook of his opponents.  For in the world they inhabited, the two spheres – political and religious – were inseparable.”

On the Relationship with Islam

Matthew 10:33 “But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.”    Luke 9:26  “For he that shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of man shall be ashamed, when he shall come in his majesty, and that of his Father, and of the holy angels.”    1 John 2:23  "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father."    Pope Callixtus III  “I vow to… exalt the true Faith, and to extirpate the diabolical sect of the reprobate and faithless Mahomet [Islam] in the East.” Council of Rome (382)   “If anyone does not say that Jesus Christ…will come to judge the living and the dead, he is a heretic.” Pope St. Gregory the Great- Moralia in Job (578-595), 5:  “The holy universal Church teaches that it is not possible to worship God truly except in her and asserts that all who are outside of her will not be saved.” Pope St. Leo IX- Ut Enim letter (1053)  “For I firmly believe that the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…the Creator of all creation, from whom all things, through whom all things, in whom all things which are in heaven or on earth, visible or invisible.” Council of Vienne (1312)   s25: “It is an insult to the holy name and a disgrace to the Christian faith that in certain parts of the world subject to Christian princes where Saracens [i.e., the followers of Islam, also called Muslims] live, sometimes apart, sometimes intermingled with Christians, the Saracen priests, commonly called Zabazala, in their temples or mosques, in which the Saracens meet to adore the infidel Mahomet, loudly invoke and extol his name each day at certain hours from a high place… This brings disrepute on our faith and gives great scandal to the faithful.  These practices cannot be tolerated without displeasing the divine majesty. We therefore, with the sacred council’s approval, strictly forbid such practices henceforth in Christian lands.  We enjoin on Catholic princes, one and all... They are to forbid expressly the public invocation of the sacrilegious name of Mahomet… Those who presume to act otherwise are to be so chastised by the princes for their irreverence, that others may be deterred from such boldness.” Council of Basel (1431), Session 19  “Moreover, we trust that with God’s help another benefit will accrue to the Christian commonwealth; because from this union, once it is established, there is hope that very many from the abominable sect of Mahomet will be converted to the Catholic faith.” Pope Benedict XIV- Quod Provinciale (1754)  “The Provincial Council of your province of Albania... decreed most solemnly in its third canon, among other matters, as you know, that Turkish or Mohammedan names should not be given either to children or adults in baptism... This should not be hard for any one of you, venerable brothers, for none of the schismatics and heretics has been rash enough to take a Mohammedan name, and unless your justice abounds more than theirs, you shall not enter the kingdom of God.” Pope Gregory XVI- Summo Iugiter Studio (1832)   2: “Therefore, they must instruct them in the true worship of God, which is unique to the Catholic religion.”

Vatican II – Lumen Gentium  16: “But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind.” Vatican II - Nostra Aetate  3: “The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God.” Pope St. Paul VI - Address, August, 1969 “…Our lively desire to greet, in your persons, the great Moslem communities spread throughout Africa? You thus enable Us to manifest here Our high respect for the faith you profess… In recalling the Catholic and Anglican Martyrs, We gladly recall also those confessors of the Moslem faith who were the first to suffer death…” Angelus Address, Aug. 3, 1969  “Twenty-two martyrs were recognized, but there were many more, and not only Catholics. There were also Anglicans and some Mohammedans.” Address, September 18, 1969  “…Moslems… along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind.” Speech, September 9, 1972  “We would also like you to know that the Church recognizes the riches of the Islamic faith – a faith that binds us to the one God.” Address to Muslim Ambassador, June 4, 1976  “... Moroccan Moslems … our brothers in faith in the one God. You will always be made very welcome and you will find esteem and understanding here.” Address, December 2, 1977  “…the Moslems (who) profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day, as the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared.” Pope St. John Paul II – Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987)  47: “… Muslims who, like us, believe in a just and merciful God.”  Homily, Oct. 13, 1989 “… the followers of Islam who believe in the same good and just God.”  Homily, Jan. 28, 1990  “… our Muslim brothers and sisters… who worship as we do the one and merciful God.” John Paul II, General Audience, May 16, 2001: “… the believers of Islam, to whom we are united by the adoration of the one God.”  Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) 841: “The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day.” General Audience, May 5, 1999  “Today I would like to repeat what I said to young Muslims some years ago in Casablanca: We believe in the same God…” Message to "Grand Sheikh Mohammed," February 24, 2000  “Islam is a religion. Christianity is a religion. Islam has become a culture. Christianity has become also a culture... I thank your university, the biggest center of Islamic culture. I thank those who are developing Islamic culture...” March 21, 2000  “May Saint John the Baptist protect Islam and all the people of Jordan...” Speech to the Muslims from the Mosque, May 6, 2001  “It is in mosques and churches that the Muslim and Christian communities shape their religious identity... What sense of identity is instilled in young Christians and young Muslims in our churches and mosques? It is my ardent hope that Muslim and Christian religious leaders and teachers will present our two great communities in respectful dialogue, never more as communities in conflict.” Cardinal Ratzinger/ Pope Benedict XVI -General Audience, Sept. 20, 2006 “I hope that in the various circumstances during my Visit – for example, when in Munich I emphasized how important it is to respect what is sacred to others – that my deep respect for the great religions, and especially the Muslims, who worship God… appeared quite clear!” Address, December 22, 2006 “My visit to Turkey afforded me the opportunity to show also publicly my respect for the Islamic Religion, a respect, moreover, which the Second Vatican Council (declaration Nostra Aetate#3) pointed out to us as an attitude that is only right.” Salt of the Earth, 1996, pg. 244 “And, to prescind from the schism between Sunnites and Shiites, it [Islam] also exists in many varieties. There is a noble Islam, embodied, for example, by the King of Morocco, and there is also the extremist, terrorist Islam, which, again, one must not identify with Islam as a whole, which would do it an injustice.” Address to Representatives of Islam, August 20, 2005 “The believer – and all of us, as Christians and Muslims, are believers – … You guide Muslim believers and train them in the Islamic faith... You, therefore, have a great responsibility for the formation of the younger generation.” Benedict XVI, Catechesis, August 24, 2005: “This year is also the 40th anniversary of the conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, which has ushered in a new season of dialogue and spiritual solidarity between Jews and Christians, as well as esteem for the other great religious traditions. Islam occupies a special place among them.” Address, September 25, 2006 “I would like to reiterate today all the esteem and the profound respect that I have for Muslim believers, calling to mind the words of the Second Vatican Council which for the Catholic Church are the magna Carta of Muslim-Catholic dialogue: „The Church looks upon Muslims with respect. They worship the one God living and subsistent… At this time when for Muslims the spiritual journey of the month of Ramadan is beginning, I address to all of them my cordial good wishes, praying that the Almighty may grant them serene and peaceful lives. May the God of peace fill you with the abundance of his Blessings, together with the communities you represent!” Angelus Address, October 22, 2006 “I am happy to send a cordial greeting to the Muslims of the entire world who are celebrating in these days the conclusion of the month of the Ramadan fast.” General Audience, December 6, 2006 “I thus had the favorable opportunity to renew my sentiments ofesteem for the Muslims and for the Islamic civilizations.” Address in Turkey to Muslim figures, November 28, 2006 “… I was pleased to express my profound esteem for all the People of this great Country and to pay my respects at the tomb of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk… I extend my greetings to all the religious leaders of Turkey, especially the Grand Muftis of Ankara and Istanbul. In your person, Mr. President, I greet all the Muslims in Turkey with particular esteem and affectionate regard… This noble Land has also seen a remarkable flowering of Islamic civilization in the most diverse fields…There are so many Christian and Muslim monuments that bear witness to Turkey’s glorious past. You rightly take pride in these, preserving them for the admiration of the ever-increasing number of visitors who flock here… As believers, we draw from our prayer the strength that is needed to overcome all traces of prejudice and to bear joint witness to our firm faith in God.” Light of the World, pg.98 “During my visit to Turkey, I was able to show that I respect Islam, that I acknowledge it as a great religious reality with which we must be in dialogue.” Pope Francis - Evangelii Gaudium (2013)  252: “We must never forget that they [the Moslems] ‘profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, who will judge humanity on the last day’.”   Address to the President of Religious Affairs in Turkey and Muslim and Christian political and religious leaders, Nov 28, 2014 “We, Muslims and Christians, are the bearers of spiritual treasures of inestimable worth. Among these we recognize some shared elements, though lived according to the traditions of each, such as the adoration of the All-Merciful God, reference to the Patriarch Abraham, prayer, almsgiving, fasting… elements which, when lived sincerely, can transform life and provide a sure foundation for dignity and fraternity.”

On the Relationship with Judaism

Matthew 10:33  “But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.”  John 5:39, 45-47 “Search the scriptures, for you think in them to have life everlasting; and the same are they that give testimony of me…Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” 8:23-24-“And he said to them [the Jews]: You are from beneath, I am from above.  You are of this world, I am not of this world.  Therefore, I said to you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sin.”  Acts 10:39 “And we are witnesses of all things that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed, hanging him upon a tree.” 13:45-46 “And the Jews seeing the multitudes, were filled with envy, and contradicted those things which were said by Paul, blaspheming.  Then Paul and Barnabas said boldly: To you it behooved us first to speak the word of God: but because you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold we turn to the Gentiles.” Galatians 3:14 “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus: that we may receive the promise of the spirit by faith.”  Galatians 3:29 “And if you be Christ’s; then you are the seed of Abraham.”  1 John 2:22 “Who is a liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, who denieth the Father, and the Son.” Pope St. Leo the Great, Dogmatic Letter to Flavian (449), read at Council of Chalcedon (451) “The promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed. He does not say ‘to his seeds’ – as if referring to multiplicity – but to a single one, ‘and to thy seed,’ which is Christ (Gal. 3:16).” Pope St. Gregory the Great (+ c. 590)  “… if you be Christ’s then you are the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29). If we because of our faith in Christ are deemed children of Abraham, the Jews therefore because of their perfidy have ceased to be His seed.” St. Thomas Aquinas, Lectures on St. Matthew’s Gospel, ch.23, §1861: “When a person becomes a Jew, he becomes a participant in the killing of Christ.”  Pope Benedict XIV- A Quo Primum (1751), Epistle 365 “Another threat to Christians has been the influence of Jewish faithlessness...Surely it is not in vain that the Church has established the universal prayer which is offered up for the faithless Jews from the rising of the sun to its setting, that the Lord God may remove the veil from their hearts, that they may be rescued from their darkness into the light of truth.” Pope Benedict XIV - Ex Quo (1756) 59: “However they are not attempting to observe the precepts of the old Law which as everybody knows have been revoked by the coming of Christ.” 61: “The first consideration is that the ceremonies of the Mosaic Law were abrogated by the coming of Christ and that they can no longer be observed without sin after the promulgation of the Gospel.”  Council of Florence (1442) Session 8 “Whoever wishes to be saved, needs above all to hold the Catholic faith; unless each one preserves this whole and inviolate, he will without a doubt perish in eternity.– But the Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in the Trinity, and the Trinity in unity…  Therefore, let him who wishes to be saved, think thus concerning the Trinity. “But it is necessary for eternal salvation that he faithfully believe also in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ...the Son of God is God and man... This is the Catholic faith; unless each one believes this faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.” Session 11: "The Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and teaches that the matter pertaining to the law of the Old Testament, of the Mosaic Law, which are divided into ceremonies, sacred rites, sacrifices, and sacraments, because they were established to signify something in the future, although they were suited to divine worship at that time, after our Lord's coming had been signified by them, ceased, and the sacraments of the New Testament began; and that whoever, even after the passion, placed hope in these matters of the law and submitted himself to them as necessary for salvation, as if faith in Christ could not save without them, sinned mortally.  Yet it does not deny that after the passion of Christ up to the promulgation of the Gospel they could have been observed until they were believed to be in no way necessary for salvation; but after the promulgation of the Gospel it asserts that they cannot be observed without the loss of eternal salvation.  All, therefore, who after that time (the promulgation of the Gospel) observe circumcision and the Sabbath and the other requirements of the law, it declares alien to the Christian faith and not in the least fit to participate in eternal salvation, unless someday they recover from these errors." Pope Pius XII - Mystici Corporis Christi (1943)                                                          29-30: “And first of all, by the death of our Redeemer, the New Testament took the place of the Old Law which had been abolished… on the gibbet of His death Jesus made void the Law with its decrees [Eph. 2:15]…establishing the New Testament in His blood shed for the whole human race…To such an extent, then,‟ says St. Leo the Great, speaking of the Cross of our Lord, was there effected a transfer from the Law to the Gospel, from the Synagogue to the Church, from many sacrifices to one Victim, that, as our Lord expired, that mystical veil which shut off the innermost part of the temple and its sacred secret was rent violently from top to bottom.‟ On the Cross then the Old Law died, soon to be buried and to be a bearer of death…”

Angelo Rancalli/Pope John XXIII - Composed the following prayer for the Jews “We realize today how blind we have been throughout the centuries and how we did not appreciate the beauty of the Chosen People or the features of our favored brothers. We are aware of the divine mark of Cain placed upon our forehead. In the course of centuries our brother, Abel, has been lying bleeding and in tears on the ground through our fault, only because we had forgotten Thy love. Forgive us our unjustified condemnation of the Jews. Forgive us that by crucifying them we have crucified You for the second time. Forgive us. We did not know what we were doing.” To a recently baptized Jewish boy, John XXIII said: “By becoming a Catholic you do not become less a Jew.” Vatican II – Lumen Gentium  16: “In the first place we must recall the people to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh. (125) On account of their fathers this people remains most dear to God, for God does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues. But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator.”  Vatican II - Nostra Aetate 4: “As Holy Scripture testifies, Jerusalem did not recognize the time of her visitation, nor did the Jews in large number, accept the Gospel; indeed not a few opposed its spreading. Nevertheless, God holds the Jews most dear for the sake of their Fathers…Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies as well as of fraternal dialogues…what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God…the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel's spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone. Besides, as the Church has always held and holds now, Christ underwent His passion and death freely, because of the sins of men and out of infinite love, in order that all may reach salvation…” Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) 121: “The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value, for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.” Pope St. John Paul II - Meeting on the Roots of Anti-Semitism, 1997 “This people [the Jewish people] has been called and led by God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Their existence then is not a mere natural or cultural happening… It is a supernatural one. This people continues in spite of everything to be the people of the covenant…” L‟Osservatore Romano, June 2, 2004 pg. 7 “To the most distinguished Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, Chief Rabbi of Rome. Shalom! With deep joy I join the Jewish Community of Rome which is celebrating the centenary [100th anniversary] of the Great Synagogue in Rome, a symbol and a reminder of the millennial presence in this city of the people of the Covenant of Sinai. For more than 2000 years your community has been an integral part of life in the city; it can boast of being the most ancient Jewish community in Western Europe and of having played an important role in spreading Judaism on this Continent. Today’s commemoration, therefore, acquires a special significance… Since I am unable to attend in person, I have asked my Vicar General Camillo Ruini, to represent me; he is accompanied by Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Holy See’s Commission for Relations with the Jews. They formally express my desire to be with you this day. “In offering you my respectful greeting, distinguished Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, I extend my cordial thoughts to all the Members of the Community, to their President, Mr. Leone Elio Paserman, and to all who are gathered to witness once again to the importance and vigor of the religious patrimony that is celebrated every Saturday in the Great Synagogue of Rome… Today’s celebration, in whose joy we all readily join, recalls the first century of this majestic Synagogue. It stands on the banks of the Tiber, witnessing with the harmony of its architectural lines to faith and to praise of the Almighty. The Christian Community of Rome, through the Successor of Peter, joins you in thanking the Lord for this happy occasion [the 100th anniversary of the Synagogue!]. As I said during the Visit I mentioned, we greet you as our ‘beloved brothers’ in the faith of Abraham, our Patriarch… you continue to be the firstborn people of the Covenant (Liturgy of Good Friday, General Intercessions, For the Jewish People)…[These friendly relations] saw us united in commemorating the victims of the Shoah [deceased Jews who did not accept Christ], especially those who were wrenched from their families and from your beloved Jewish Community in Rome in October 1943 and interned in Auschwitz. May their memory be blessed and induce us to work as brothers and sisters…the Church has not hesitated to express deep sorrow at the ‘failures of her sons and daughters in every age’ and, in an act of repentance, has asked forgiveness for their responsibility connected in any way with the scourges of anti-Judaism and anti- Semitism… Today… we are addressing a fervent prayer to the Eternal One, to the God of Shalom, so that enmity and hatred may no longer overpower those who turn to our father, Abraham – Jews, Christians and Muslims…“Our meeting today is, as it were, in preparation for your imminent solemnity of Shavu’ot and of our Pentecost which proclaim the fullness of our respective paschal celebrations. May these feasts see us united in praying David’s paschal Hallel.”  Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI - Principles of Catholic Theology (1982),  pg. 95 “…Jesus did not present his message as something totally new, as the end of all that had preceded it.  He was and remained a Jew; that is, he linked his message to the tradition of believing Israel.  He did not abandon the Old Testament as something antiquated and now superseded.” Milestones (1998), pp. 53-54 “I have ever more come to the realization that Judaism (which, strictly speaking, begins the end of the formation of the canon, that is, in the first century after Christ) and the Christian faith described in the New Testament are two ways of appropriating Israel’s Scriptures, two ways that, in the end, are both determined by the position one assumes with regard to the figure of Jesus of Nazareth.  The Scripture we today call Old Testament is in itself open to both ways.  For the most part, only after the Second World War did we begin to understand that the Jewish interpretation, too, in the time ‘after Christ’, of course possesses a theological mission of its own.” God and the World (2000)  pg. 151: “This is another of the paradoxes that the New Testament sets before us.  On the one hand, their [the Jews] No to Christ brings the Israelites into conflict with the subsequent acts of God, but at the same time we know that they are assured of the faithfulness of God.  They are not excluded from salvation, but they serve in a particular way, and thereby they stand within the patience of God, in which we, too, place our trust.” pg. 209: “It is of course possible to read the Old Testament so that it is not directed toward Christ; it does not point quite unequivocally to Christ.  And if Jews cannot see the promises as being fulfilled in him, this is not just ill will on their part, but genuinely because of the obscurity of the texts and the tension in the relationship between these texts and the figure of Jesus.  Jesus brings a new meaning to these texts – yet it is he who first gives them their proper coherence and relevance and significance.  There are perfectly good reasons, then, for denying that the Old Testament refers to Christ and for saying, No, that is not what he said.  And there are also good reasons for referring it to him – that is what the dispute between Jews and Christians is about.” Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith (2004) pg. 271: “We therefore have to thank our Jewish brothers, who despite all the difficulties of their history have maintained to this day their faith in this God and bear witness to him before other peoples, who without knowledge of the one God ‘sit in darkness and in the shadow of death’ (Lk. 1:79).” pg. 272: “Precisely on account of the dramatic nature of this final tragedy, perhaps, a new vision of the relationship between the Church and Israel has arisen, a sincere intention of overcoming every kind of anti-Jewish attitude and of beginning a constructive dialogue in pursuit of knowledge of one another and of reconciliation.” Address to Chief Rabbi of Rome, January 16, 2006 “Distinguished Chief Rabbi, you were recently entrusted with the spiritual guidance of Rome’s Jewish Community; you have taken on this responsibility enriched by your experience as a scholar and a doctor who has shared in the joys and sufferings of a great many people.  I offer you my heartfelt good wishes for your mission, and I assure you of my own and my collaborators’ cordial esteem and friendship.” Pope Benedict XVI – Light of the World (2010), pg. 81 “… Q.  Your very first official act as Successor of Peter was a letter to the Jewish community of Rome.  Was this symbolic gesture meant to convey a basic thrust of the pontificate?  A.  Absolutely.  I must say that from the very first day I began to study theology, the intrinsic unity of the Old and New Covenants, of the two parts of Holy Scripture, was somehow immediately clear to me... Then as Germans we were of course shaken by what happened in the Third Reich, which gave us a special reason to look with humility and shame, and with love, upon the People of Israel.  As I have just said, it was already during my theological studies that these things came together and began to shape the course of my thinking as a theologian.  For this reason it was clear to me – here, too, in the full continuity with Pope John Paul II – that this new, loving, sympathetic interrelation of Israel and the Church, where each respects the being and distinctive mission of the other, had to play an essential part in my proclamation of the Christian faith.” Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week (2011) pg. 45: “Hildegard Brem comments on this passage as follows: ‘In the light of Romans 11:25, the Church must not concern herself with the conversion of the Jews, since she must wait for the time fixed for this by God, ‘until the full number of the Gentiles come in’ (Rom 11:25).” pg. 46: “Moreover, we have seen that the nucleus of Jesus’ eschatological message includes the proclamation of an age of the nations, during which the Gospel must be brought to the whole world and to all people: only then can history attain its goal. In the meantime, Israel retains its own mission.  Israel is in the hands of God, who will save it ‘as a whole’ at the proper time, when the number of Gentiles is complete.  The fact that that historical duration of this period cannot be calculated is self-evident and should not surprise us.” pg. 90: “This purifying and sanctifying ‘truth’ is ultimately Christ himself.  They must be immersed in him; they must, so to speak, be ‘newly robed’ in him, and thus they come to share in his consecration, in his priestly commission, in his sacrifice. Judaism, likewise, after the demise of the Temple, had to discover a new meaning to the cultic prescriptions.  It now saw ‘sanctification’ in the fulfillment of the commandments – in being immersed in God’s holy word and in God’s will expressed therein (cf. Schnakenburg, The Gospel according to St. John III, pp. 185.” Pope Francis - On Heaven and Earth pg. 188: “The Jewish People can no longer be accused of having killed God, as they were for a long time. When one reads the account of the Passion, it is clear.” Response to open letter published September, 2013 “What I can say, with the Apostle Paul, is that God has never stopped believing in the alliance made with Israel and that, through the terrible trials of these past centuries, the Jews have kept their faith in God.” Evangelii Gaudium (213)  247: “We hold the Jewish people in special regard because their covenant with God has never been revoked.”

On Socialism/Communism

Pope Pius IX – Qui Pluribus (1846) 16: "To this goal also tends the unspeakable doctrine of Communism, as it is called, a doctrine most opposed to the very natural law. For if this doctrine were accepted, the complete destruction of everyone's laws, government, property, and even of human society itself would follow." Pope Bl. Pius IX - Nostis et Nobiscum (1849)  6: “...the goal of this most iniquitous plot is to drive people to overthrow the entire order of human affairs and to draw them over to the wicked theories of this Socialism and Communism, by confusing them with perverted teachings.” Pope Leo XIII - Quod Aposolici Muneris (1878)  1: “...that sect of men who, under various and almost barbarous names, are called socialists, communists, or nihilists, and who, spread over all the world, and bound together by the closest ties in a wicked confederacy, no longer seek the shelter of secret meetings, but, openly and boldly marching forth in the light of day, strive to bring to a head what they have long been planning – the overthrow of all civil society whatsoever. Surely, these are they who, as the sacred Scriptures testify, ‘Defile the flesh, despise dominion and blaspheme majesty.’  “They [socialists, communists, or nihilists] debase the natural union of man and woman, which is held sacred even among barbarous peoples; and its bond, by which the family is chiefly held together, they weaken, or even deliver up to lust. Lured, in fine, by the greed of present goods, which is ‘the root of all evils, which some coveting have erred from the faith’ (1 Tim. 6:10.3), they assail the right of property sanctioned by natural law; and by a scheme of horrible wickedness, while they seem desirous of caring for the needs and satisfying the desires of all men, they strive to seize and hold in common whatever has been acquired either by title of lawful inheritance, or by labor of brain and hands, or by thrift in one’s mode of life.”  Pope Leo XIII - Diuturnum (1881) 23: “...communism, socialism, nihilism, hideous deformities of the civil society of men and almost its ruin.”  Pope Leo XIII - Humanum Genus (1884)                                                27: “...fear of God and reverence for divine laws being taken away, the authority of rulers despised, sedition permitted and approved, and the popular passions urged on to lawlessness, with no restraint save that of punishment, a change and overthrow of all things will necessarily follow. Yea, this change and overthrow is deliberately planned and put forward by many associations of communists and socialists…”  Pope Leo XIII - Libertas Praestantissimum (1888)   27: “This change and overthrow is deliberately planned and put forward by many associations of communists and socialists;…” Pope Leo XIII - Graves de Communi Re (1901)   21: “…the dreadful projects of the most disastrous national upheavals are threatening us from the growing power of the socialistic movement. They have insidiously worked their way into the very heart of the community, and in the darkness of their secret gatherings, and in the open light of day, in their writings and their harangues, they are urging the masses onward to sedition; they fling aside religious discipline; they scorn duties; they clamor only for rights; they are working incessantly on the multitudes of the needy which daily grow greater, and which, because of their poverty are easily deluded and led into error. It is equally the concern of the State and of religion, and all good men should deem it a sacred duty to preserve and guard both in the honor which is their due.”  Pope Benedict XV - Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum (1914)   13: “...the errors of Socialism and of similar doctrines...take the greatest care that those grave precepts are never forgotten, but that whenever circumstances call for it, they should be clearly expounded and inculcated in Catholic associations and congresses, in sermons and in the Catholic press.” Pope Pius XI - Quadragesimo Anno (1931)   117: “Socialism...cannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth.” 120: “[Socialism] is based nevertheless on a theory of human society peculiar to itself and irreconcilable with true Christianity. Religious socialism, Christian socialism, are contradictory terms; no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist.”  Pope Pius XI – Divini Redemptoris – (1937)   58: “See to it, Venerable Brethren, that the Faithful do not allow themselves to be deceived! Communism is intrinsically wrong, and no one who would save Christian civilization may collaborate with it in any undertaking whatsoever. Those who permit themselves to be deceived into lending their aid towards the triumph of Communism in their own country, will be the first to fall victims of their error. And the greater the antiquity and grandeur of the Christian civilization in the regions where Communism successfully penetrates, so much more devastating will be the hatred displayed by the godless…”

Angelo Rancalli/Pope John XXIII “I see no reason why a Christian could not vote for a Marxist if he finds the latter to be more fit to follow such a political line and historical destiny.” Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio, pg. 39  “It’s true that I was, like the rest of my family, a practicing Catholic. But my mind was not made solely for religious questions… I read Our Word and Proposals, a publication by the Communist Party, and I loved every article ever written by Leonidas Barletta, one of their best-known members…”

On Globalism

Pope St. Pius X - Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907)   55: “Let them combat novelties of words remembering the admonitions of Leo XIII. (Instruct. S.C. NN. EE. EE., 27 Jan., 1902): It is impossible to approve in Catholic publications of a style inspired by unsound novelty which seems to deride the piety of the faithful and dwells on the introduction of a new order of Christian life, on new directions of the Church, on new aspirations of the modern soul, on a new vocation of the clergy, on a new Christian civilization.”

Vatican II – Gaudium Et Spes 88: “Christians should collaborate willingly and wholeheartedly in the establishment of an international order…”  Pope St. Paul VI - Message, April 26, 1968  “…may all men of heart join together peacefully in order that the principles of the United Nations may be not only proclaimed, but put into effect, and that not only the constitution of States may promulgate them, but public authorities apply them…” Message to U.N., October 4, 1970  “Today we wish once more to repeat the words which we had the honor to pronounce on 4th October 1965 from the tribune of your assembly: ‘This Organization represents the path that has to be taken for modern civilization and for world peace’… Where else, moreover, could these governments and peoples better find a bridge to link them, a table round which they can gather, and a tribunal where they may plead the cause of justice and peace?... who better than the United Nations Organization and its specialized agencies will be able to take up the challenge presented to all mankind?... There exists in effect a common good of man, and it is up to your Organization, because of its dedication to universality, which is its reason for being, to promote it untiringly.” Address, February 5, 1972  “…we have faith in the UN.”  Message to President of a U.N. Conference, May, 1976  “…this new international economic order that has to be ceaselessly built up.”  Address to Secretary General of the U.N., July 9, 1977  “We wish to listen to the voice of the authorized representative of the United Nations Organization… all this merely emphasizes more the beneficial and irreplaceable role of the United Nations Organization…”  Message, September 8, 1977  “Stress is legitimately laid nowadays on the necessity of constructing a new world order...”  Message to United Nations, May 24, 1978  “…we are aware that the path which must lead to the coming of a new international order… cannot in any case be as short as we would like it to be… Disarmament, a new world order and development are three obligations that are inseparably bound together…”

On Marriage/Marital Act

1 Corinthians 6:9-10  “Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.”  Jude 1:7  “As Sodom and Gomorrha, and the neighboring cities, in like manner, having given themselves to fornication, and going after other flesh, were made an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire…”  Council of Trent - Ch. VIII  “It is a grievous sin for unmarried men to have concubines ...Wherefore, the holy Synod, that it may by suitable remedies provide against this exceeding evil, ordains that these concubinaries, whether unmarried or married, of whatsoever state, dignity, and condition they may be, if, after having been three times admonished on this subject by the Ordinary, even ex officio, they shall not have put away their concubines, and have separated themselves from all connexion with them, they shall be smitten with excommunication; from which they shall not be absolved until they have really obeyed the admonition given them.”   Pope Bl. Pius IX – Nostis et Nobiscum (1849)   13: “But in all these affairs, one of your aims should be to instill in the faithful a greater aversion for sins which scandalize others; your priests should share this aim. You are aware of the increase in the number of those who sin in a scandalous manner: those who blaspheme the heavenly saints and the holy name of God as well; those who live in concubinage.....So, make the faithful consider the seriousness of sins of this kind and the heavy penalties for them, both for the guilt of the sin itself and for the spiritual danger in which they place their brothers by the infection of their bad example. For it is written: ‘Woe to the world because of scandals . . . Woe to that man by whom the scandal comes!’” 1917 Code of Canon Law 1014: “Marriage enjoys the favor of the law; therefore, in case of doubt, its validity ought to be maintained until the contrary be proved…”  1043: “The scandal of concubinage is removed by marriage, which should be made known to those who were scandalized, either by the pastor or by the parties themselves.”  1081, §2: “Matrimonial consent is an act of the will by which each party gives and accepts perpetual and exclusive rights to the body, for those actions that are of themselves suitable for the generation of children.” 1082: “Hence if both parties intended and expressed the intention in some way or other to enter upon a mere Concubinage, there would be no marriage.”  1084: “If a marriage is found invalid, as, for instance, among the Gallas, where slaves contract a contubernium or legalized concubinage, the parties must be separated until they are lawfully married.”  1124: “Therefore concubinage must be given up because it is incompatible with Christian morals…” Pope Pius XI- Divini Illius Magistri (1929)   65: “Another very grave danger is that naturalism which nowadays invades the field of education in that most delicate matter of purity of morals. Far too common is the error of those who with dangerous assurance and under an ugly term propagate a so-called sex-education,” Pope Pius XI - Casti Cannubi (1930)   54: “But no reason, however grave, may be put forward by which anything intrinsically against nature may become conformable to nature and morally good. Since, therefore, the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children, those who in exercising it deliberately frustrate its natural power and purpose sin against nature and commit a deed which is shameful and intrinsically vicious.” 56: “...any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin.” “...No difficulty can arise that justifies the putting aside of the law of God which forbids all acts intrinsically evil.”    Catholic Encyclopedia, Hermann Busembaum “A negative precept of natural law which prohibits a thing intrinsically evil can never be lawfully transgressed not even under the influence of the fear of death, (Lib. I, tr. ii, c. iv, dub. 2, n. 1) So that it is not lawful to do a thing which is wrong in itself, even to escape death.”  “But no reason, however grave, may be put forward by which anything intrinsically against nature may become conformable to nature and morally good. Since, therefore, the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children, those who in exercising it deliberately frustrate its natural power and purpose sin against nature and commit a deed which is shameful and intrinsically vicious.”

Vatican II – Gravissimum Educationis 1: “Therefore children and young people must be helped, with the aid of the latest advances in psychology and the arts and science of teaching, to develop harmoniously their physical, moral and intellectual endowments so that they may gradually acquire a mature sense of responsibility in striving endlessly to form their own lives properly and in pursuing true freedom as they surmount the vicissitudes of life with courage and constancy. Let them be given also, as they advance in years, a positive and prudent sexual education” Vatican II – Gaudium Et Spes 52: “Those too who are skilled in other sciences, notably the medical, biological, social and psychological, can considerably advance the welfare of marriage and the family along with peace of conscience if by pooling their efforts they labor to explain more thoroughly the various conditions favoring a proper regulation of births.” 87: “For in keeping with man's inalienable right to marry and generate children, a decision concerning the number of children they will have depends on the right judgment of the parents and it cannot in any way be left to the judgment of public authority. But since the judgment of the parents presupposes a rightly formed conscience, it is of the utmost importance that the way be open for everyone to develop a correct and genuinely human responsibility which respects the divine law and takes into consideration the circumstances of the situation and the time. But sometimes this requires an improvement in educational and social conditions, and, above all, formation in religion or at least a complete moral training. Men should discreetly be informed, furthermore, of scientific advances in exploring methods whereby spouses can be helped in regulating the number of their children and whose safeness has been well proven and whose harmony with the moral order has been ascertained.” Pope St. Paul VI - Humanae Vitae (1968) 16: “It cannot be denied that in each case the married couple, for acceptable reasons, are both perfectly clear in their intention to avoid children and wish to make sure that none will result.” Address, August 24, 1969  “…the liberty of husband and wife and does not forbid them a moral and reasonable limitation of birth…”  Speech, November 16, 1970  “…this, among other effects, will undoubtedly favor a rational control of birth by couples…” 1983 Code of Canon Law Canon 1055 §1: “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized.” Canon 1057 §2: “Matrimonial consent is an act of the will by which a man and a woman mutually give and accept each other through an irrevocable covenant in order to establish marriage.” Pope Francis - Press conference on flight from Brazil, July 28, 2013  “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”   In-flight interview from Mexico, February 17, 2016  “The great Paul VI, in a difficult situation in Africa, permitted nuns to use a form of artificial contraceptives in cases of rape...On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one (the Zika virus outbreak), or in the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear.”   Address to the Diocese of Rome’s Pastoral Congress, Q&A Session1, June 16, 2016  “They prefer to cohabitate, and this is a challenge, a task. Not to ask ‘why don’t you marry?’ No, to accompany, to wait, and to help them to mature, help fidelity to mature.” “I’ve seen a lot of fidelity in these cohabitations, and I am sure that this is a real marriage, they have the grace of a real marriage because of their fidelity.” On Heaven and Earth pg. 114 Concerning same-sex marriage: “Religion has the right to give an opinion as long as it is in service to the people.” “The religious minister does not have the right to force anything on anyone’s private life. If God, in creation, ran the risk of making us free, who am I to get involved? We condemn spiritual harassment that takes place when a minister imposes directives, conduct, and demands in such a way that it takes away the freedom of the other person. God left the freedom to sin in our hands.” He later adds: “I insist that our opinion about the marriage between two people of the same sex is not based on religion, but rather on anthropology.” Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio  pg. 111 “The Church is not opposed to sex education. Personally, I believe that it ought to be available throughout children’s upbringing, adapted to different age groups. In truth, the Church always provided sex education, although I acknowledge that it hasn’t always been adequate.”

On Genesis/Creation 

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth, and breathed into his face the breath of life.”  Exodus 20:11 “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them, and rested on the seventh day.” Exodus 31:18  “And the Lord, when he had ended these words in mount Sinai, gave to Moses two stone tables of testimony, written with the finger of God.”  Deuteronomy 10:1  “At that time the Lord said to me: Hew thee two tables of stone like the former, and come up to me into the mount…” Council of Mileum II (416) Canon 3 “[W]hoever says that infants fresh from their mothers’ wombs ought not to be baptized, or say that they are indeed baptized unto the remission of sins, but that they draw nothing of the original sin of Adam, which is expiated in the bath of regeneration . . . let him be anathema [excommunicated]. Since what the apostle [Paul] says, ‘Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so passed to all men, in whom all have sinned’ [Rom. 5:12], must not be understood otherwise than the Catholic Church spread everywhere has always understood it. For on account of this rule of faith even infants, who in themselves thus far have not been able to commit any sin, are therefore truly baptized unto the remission of sins, so that that which they have contracted from generation may be cleansed in them by regeneration…” Council of Trent – Session 5, (1546)   “…the sacred ecumenical and general Synod of Trent… has established, confesses, and declares the following concerning original sin…” Catechism of the Council of Trent, Formation of the Universe “By the sacred history of Genesis the pastor will easily make himself familiar with these things for the instruction of the faithful.”   Pope St. Pope X - Catechism of Christian Doctrine “The first men were Adam and Eve, who were created immediately by God” Pope St. Pius X- Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907)   26: “Explaining the doctrine of the Modernists: “To the laws of evolution everything is subject – dogma, Church, worship, the Books we revere as sacred, even faith itself, and the penalty of disobedience is death.  The enunciation of this principle will not astonish anybody who bears in mind what the Modernists have had to say about each of these subjects.” Pope Pius XII – Humani Generis (1950)  5: “Some imprudently and indiscreetly hold that evolution, which has not been fully proved even in the domain of natural sciences, explains the origin of all things, and audaciously support the monistic and pantheistic opinion that the world is in continual evolution. Communists gladly subscribe to this opinion so that, when the souls of men have been deprived of every idea of a personal God, they may the more efficaciously defend and propagate their dialectical materialism.” 6: “Such fictitious tenets of evolution which repudiate all that is absolute, firm and immutable, have paved the way for the new erroneous philosophy which, rivaling idealism, immanentism and pragmatism, has assumed the name of existentialism, since it concerns itself only with existence of individual things and neglects all consideration of their immutable essences.” 36: “For these reasons the Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experienced in both fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter - for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God. However, this must be done in such a way that the reasons for both opinions, that is, those favorable and those unfavorable to evolution, be weighed and judged with the necessary seriousness, moderation and measure, and provided that all are prepared to submit to the judgment of the Church, to whom Christ has given the mission of interpreting authentically the Sacred Scriptures and of defending the dogmas of faith.[11] Some however, rashly transgress this liberty of discussion, when they act as if the origin of the human body from pre-existing and living matter were already completely certain and proved by the facts which have been discovered up to now and by reasoning on those facts, and as if there were nothing in the sources of divine revelation which demands the greatest moderation and caution in this question.”

Pope St. John Paul II - October 22, 1996  [evolution is] “…more than a mere hypothesis.” Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI - A New Song for the Lord pg. 86 “The cult rooted in biblical faith is not an imitation of the course of the world in miniature – as is the case for the basic form of all cults of nature.  It is an imitation of God himself and therefore a preliminary exercise in the world to come.  Only in this way does one correctly understand the singularity of the biblical creation account.  The pagan creation accounts on which the biblical story is in part based end without exception in the establishment of a cult, but the cult in this case is situated in the cycle of the do ut des.” In the Beginning, 4-homily series subtitled: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall (1985) “…for science has long since disposed of the concepts (Genesis: l-49) that we have just now heard ...we hear of the Big Bang, which happened billions of years ago.” pg. 12: “…it was rather in complex ways and over vast periods of time that earth and the universe were constructed.” pg. 65: “We cannot say: creation or evolution. The proper way of putting it is: creation and evolution.” pg. 66: “…the progress of thought in the last two decades helps us to grasp anew the inner unity of creation and evolution and of faith and reason.” (1986) pg. 72: “In the Genesis story that we are considering, still a further characteristic of sin is described.  Sin is not spoken of in general as an abstract possibility but as a deed, as the sin of a particular person, Adam, who stands at the origin of humankind and with whom the history of sin begins.  The account tells us that sin begets sin, and that therefore all the sins of history are interlinked.  Theology refers to this state of affairs by the certainly misleading and imprecise term ‘original sin.’” God and the World pp. 165-166, 168  “Q.  …Were these laws really handed over to Moses by God when he appeared on Mount Sinai?  As stone tablets, on which, as it says, ‘the finger of God had written?’… to what extent are these Commandments really supposed to come from God.  A.  … [p. 166] This [Moses] is the man who has been touched by God, and on the basis of this friendly contact he is able to formulate the will of God, of which hitherto only fragments had been expressed in other traditions, in such a manner that we truly hear the word of God.  Whether there really were any stone tablets is another question… [p. 168] How far we should take this story literally is another question.” Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week (2011)  pg. 100: …human world as it has evolved in history.   pp. 139-140: He speaks of how the liturgy was to “evolve.”   pg. 244: He tells us that the Resurrection of Jesus constitutes “an evolutionary leap.”   pg. 247: He writes of creation waiting for the last and highest “evolutionary leap.”   pg. 274: He speaks again of the Resurrection of Christ as a radical “evolutionary leap.”

On Hell/Limbo

Matthew 13:39-42 “Even as cockle therefore is gathered up, and burnt with fire: so shall it be at the end of the world. The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all scandals, and them that work iniquity. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 26:24 “Woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed: it were better for him, if that man had not been born…” John 17:12 “None of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture may be fulfilled.”  Second Council of Lyons (1274)   “The souls of those who die in mortal sin or with original sin only… immediately descend into Hell, yet to be punished with different punishments.” Pope Benedict XII - Benedictus Deus (1336)   “Moreover, we declare that according to the common arrangement of God, the souls of those who depart in actual mortal sin immediately after their death descend to hell where they are tortured by infernal punishments...” Council of Florence (1442)  Session 6: “We define also that… the souls of those who depart this life in actual mortal sin, or in original sin alone, go straightaway to hell, but to undergo punishments of different kinds.”  Session 11: “Regarding children, indeed, because of danger of death, which can often take place, when no help can be brought to them by another remedy than through the sacrament of baptism, through which they are snatched from the domination of the Devil [original sin] and adopted among the sons of God, it advises that holy baptism ought not be deferred for forty or eighty days, or any time according to the observance of certain people…” Council of Trent - Session 5, 4:  “If anyone says that recently born babies should not be baptized even if they have been born to baptized parents; or says that they are indeed baptized for the remission of sins, but incur no trace of the original sin of Adam needing to be cleansed by the laver of rebirth for them to obtain eternal life, with the necessary consequence that in their case there is being understood a form of baptism for the remission of sins which is not true, but false: let him be anathema.”  St. Alphonsus - Preparation for Death pg. 127 “Poor Judas! Above seventeen hundred years have elapsed since he has been in Hell, and his Hell is still only beginning.”  Pope Pius VI - Auctorem Fidei (1794)   26: “The doctrine which rejects as a Pelagian fable, that place of the lower regions (which the faithful generally designate by the name of the limbo of the children) in which the souls of those departing with the sole guilt of original sin are punished with the punishment of the condemned, exclusive of the punishment of fire, just as if, by this very fact, that these who remove the punishment of fire introduced that middle place and state free of guilt and of punishment between the kingdom of God and eternal damnation, such as that about which the Pelagians idly talk” – Condemned as false, rash, injurious to Catholic schools.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Quanto Conficiamur (1863)  “…the Catholic dogma according to which outside the Catholic Church no one can be saved is well known and whoever is rebellious to the authority and decisions of the Church, who is obstinately separated from the unity of the Church itself and from the Roman Pontiff, Successor of Peter,who has been entrusted with the custody of the vineyard by the Savior, cannot obtain eternal salvation.” Pope Bl. Pius IX - Syllabus of Errors (1864)  Condemned Statements: 17: “Good hope at least is to be entertained of the eternal salvation of all those who are not at all in the true Church of Christ.” Pope St. Pius X - Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907)  3: “Moreover, they [the Modernists] lay the ax not to the branches and shoots, but to the very root, that is, to the faith and its deepest fibers. And once having struck at this root of immortality, they proceed to diffuse poison through the whole tree, so that there is no part of Catholic truth which they leave untouched, none that they do not strive to corrupt.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), 1261: “As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them," allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism.” Pope St John Paul II - Evangelium Vitae (1995) 99: “To the same Father and his mercy, you can with sure hope entrust your child [after an abortion].” On July 28, 1999  “It is precisely this tragic situation that Christian doctrine explains when it speaks of eternal damnation of Hell. It is not a punishment imposed externally by God but a development of premises already set by people in this life." "By using images, the New Testament presents the place destined for evildoers as a fiery furnace, where people will 'weep and gnash their teeth'... The images of Hell that Sacred Scripture presents to us must be correctly interpreted. They show the complete frustration and emptiness of life without God. Rather than a place, Hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy.” “Eternal damnation remains a real possibility, but we are not granted, without special divine revelation, the knowledge of whether or which human beings are effectively involved in it. The thought of Hell - and even less the improper use of biblical images - must not create anxiety or despair, but is a necessary and healthy reminder of freedom within the proclamation that the risen Jesus has conquered Satan, giving us the Spirit of God who makes us cry ‘Abba, Father!’” In a brief audience in Polish to fellow countrymen: [recalling Balthasar]  “There is a Hell, but it could be empty.” Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI - Principles of Catholic Theology (1982), pg. 43 “The conflict over infant baptism shows the extent to which we have lost sight of the true nature of faith, baptism and membership in the Church.  Once we begin to understand again, it will be clear to us that baptism is neither the imposition of burdens about which we should have been allowed to make our own decision nor acceptance by a society into which we have been forced without being consulted in advance but rather the grace of that meaning which, in the crisis of self-doubting mankind, can alone enable us to rejoice in being human.  It is obvious also that the meaning of baptism is destroyed wherever it is no longer understood as an anticipatory gift but only as a self-contained rite.  Wherever it is severed from the catechumenate, baptism loses its raison d’etre [its reason to be].” October 18, 2006 “This poses two questions when it comes to explaining what happened [with Judas]. The first consists in asking ourselves how it was possible that Jesus chose this man and trusted him. In fact, though Judas is the group's administrator (cf. John 12:6b; 13:29a), in reality he is also called "thief" (John 12:6a). The mystery of the choice is even greater, as Jesus utters a very severe judgment on him: “Woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed!” (Matthew 26:24). This mystery is even more profound if one thinks of his eternal fate, knowing that Judas “repented and brought back the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying 'I have sinned in betraying innocent blood'" (Matthew 27:3- 4). Though he departed afterward to hang himself (cf. Matthew 27:5), it is not for us to judge his gesture, putting ourselves in God's place, who is infinitely merciful and just.” God and the World (2000), pg. 401  “Q… But what happens, when a man dies unbaptized?  And what happens to the millions of children who are killed in their mothers’ wombs?  A.  The question of what it means to say that baptism is necessary for salvation has become ever more hotly debated in modern times.  The Second Vatican Council said on this point that men who are seeking for God and who are inwardly striving toward that which constitutes baptism will also receive salvation.  That is to say that a seeking after God already represents an inward participation in baptism, in the Church, in Christ.  To that extent, the question concerning the necessity of baptism for salvation seems to have been answered, but the question about children who could not be baptized because they were aborted then presses upon us that much more urgently.  Earlier ages had devised a teaching that seems to me rather unenlightened.  They said that baptism endows us, by means of sanctifying grace, with the capacity to gaze upon God.  Now, certainly, the state of original sin, from which we are freed by baptism, consists in a lack of sanctifying grace.  Children who die in this way are indeed without any personal sin, so they cannot be sent to hell, but, on the other hand, they lack sanctifying grace and thus the potential for beholding God that this bestows.  They will simply enjoy a state of natural blessedness, in which they will be happy.  This state people called limbo.  In the course of our century, that has gradually come to seem problematic to us.  This was one way in which people sought to justify the necessity of baptizing infants as early as possible, but the solution is itself questionable.  Finally, the Pope made a decisive turn in the encyclical  Evangelium Vitae, a change already anticipated by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, when he expressed the simple hope that God is powerful enough to draw to himself all those who were unable to receive the sacrament.” Pope Francis - Interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, March 28, 2018 “When asked where bad souls are punished, Francis replied: “They are not punished, those who repent obtain the forgiveness of God and enter the rank of souls who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot therefore be forgiven disappear. There is no hell, there is the disappearance of sinful souls.”

On Mary

Pope Innocent III - (1198 - 1216), Sermon 28  "It was necessary that, as death came into the world through a woman, so through a woman life would return to the world. Thus, what Eve condemned Mary saved, so that where death had arisen life would rise again…" (Quoting St. Augustine) Pope Leo XIII - Iucunda Semper Expectatione (1894) 2: “In the Rosary all the part that Mary took as our co-Redemptress comes to us, as it were, set forth, and in such wise as though the facts were even then taking place; and this with much profit to our piety, whether in the contemplation of the succeeding sacred mysteries, or in the prayers which we speak and repeat with the lips.” 3: “But she knew beforehand all these agonies; she knew and saw them. When she professed herself the handmaid of the Lord for the mother's office, and when, at the foot of the altar, she offered up her whole self with her Child Jesus-then and thereafter she took her part in the laborious expiation made by her Son for the sins of the world. It is certain, therefore, that she suffered in the very depths of her soul with His most bitter sufferings and with His torments. Moreover, it was before the eyes of Mary that was to be finished the Divine Sacrifice for which she had borne and brought up the Victim. As we contemplate Him in the last and most piteous of those Mysteries, there stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother, who, in a miracle of charity, so that she might receive us as her sons, offered generously to Divine Justice her own Son, and died in her heart with Him, stabbed with the sword of sorrow.” Leo XIII - Fidentem Piumque Animum (1896)                                                            3: “For no single individual can even be imagined who has ever contributed or ever will contribute so much towards reconciling man with God. She offered to mankind, hastening to eternal ruin, a Saviour, at that moment when she received the announcement of the mystery of peace brought to this earth by the Angel, with that admirable act of consent in the name of the whole human race (Summa. p. III, q. xxx., art. 1). She it is from whom is born Jesus; she is therefore truly His mother, and for this reason a worthy and acceptable "Mediatrix to the Mediator." As the various mysteries present themselves one after the other in the formula of the Rosary for the meditation and contemplation of men's minds, they also elucidate what we owe to Mary for our reconciliation and salvation.” Pope Leo XIII - Parta Humano Generi (1901)   “…it comes to mind so often both in Mary's lofty dignity, and then entered by God through the blessed fruit of the womb. Each time we remember the other special merits by which she became partaker of the human redemption with the Son of Jesus,…” Pope St. Pius X - Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum (1904) 12: “The Most Holy Mother of God is not to be praised only for having provided the material of her flesh for the Only Begotten God who was to be born with human members and that thereby she prepared a victim for the salvation of men; it was also her role to protect and to nourish this victim and at the proper time to bring him to the altar.” Pope Benedict XV - Inter Sodalicia “As she suffered and almost died together with her suffering and dying Son, so she renounced her maternal rights over her Son for the salvation of the human race, and to placate the divine justice as far as she could, she sacrificed her Son so that it can rightly be said that along with Christ she redeemed the human race.”  Pope Pius XI - Explorata Res (1923) AAS 15, 104: “The sorrowing Virgin participated with Christ in the work of redemption.” Pope Pius XI - Miserentissimus Redemptor (1928)  21: “May the most gracious Virgin Mother of God look kindly, she who, because she gave us Jesus the Redeemer, nourished him, and at the Cross offered him as a victim, by reason of her mysterious union with him and utterly singular grace, became and is piously called the Reparatrix.” Pope Pius XII - MC (AAS 35 [1943] 247) “It was she who, free from all sin, original or personal, always most intimately united with her Son, offered him on Golgotha, along with the holocaust of her maternal rights and maternal love, like a new Eve, for the sake of the children of Adam, stained by his wretched fall.” Pope Pius XII - Ad Caeli Reginam (1954)   38: “In the achievement of spiritual salvation, Mary was by God's will associated with Christ, the principle of salvation, and indeed in a way similar to Eve's association with Adam, the principle of death, so that it can be said that the work of our salvation was accomplished through a certain ‘recapitulation’.”

Cardinal Ratzinger - God and the World (2000), pg. 300 “Co-redemptrix” departs to too great an extent from the language of Scripture and of the Fathers and therefore gives rise to misunderstandings. What is true here? Well, it is true that Christ does not remain outside us or to one side of us, but builds a profound and new community with us. Everything that is his becomes ours, and everything that is ours he has taken upon himself, so that it became his: this great exchange is the actual content of redemption, the removal of limitations from our self and its extension into community with God. Because Mary is the prototype of the Church as such and is, so to say, the Church in person, this being “with” is realized in her in exemplary fashion. But this “with” must not lead us to forget the “first” of Christ: Everything comes from him, as the Letter to the Ephesians and the Letter to the Colossians, in particular, tell us; Mary, too, is everything that she is through him. The word “Co-redemptrix” would obscure this origin. A correct intention is being expressed in the wrong way. For matters of faith, continuity of terminology with the language of Scripture and that of the Fathers is itself an essential element; it is improper simply to manipulate language.” Pope Francis - Homily, December 12, 2019 “Being faithful to her Master, who is her Son, the only Redeemer, she never wanted to take anything for herself from her Son. She never presented herself as a co-redemptrix…When they come to us with the story according to which we should declare this, or that other dogma, let us not get lost in nonsense.” General Audience, March 24, 2021  “…the Madonna who ‘covers,’ like a Mother, to whom Jesus entrusted us, all of us; but as a Mother, not as a goddess, not as co-redeemer: as Mother…But we need to be careful: the things the Church, the saints, say about her, beautiful things, about Mary, subtract nothing from Christ’s sole Redemption. He is the only Redeemer. They are expressions of love like a child for his or her mamma -- some are exaggerated…Christ is the Mediator, Christ is the bridge that we cross to turn to the Father. He is the only Redeemer: there are no co-redeemers with Christ. He is the only one. He is the Mediator par excellence.”

On Justification

Romans 2:5-6 “… the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds.” 2:13 “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” James 2:24 “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” Council of Trent - Session 6, Ch. 7 on Justification “… the instrumental cause [of Justification] is the Sacrament of Baptism, which is the ‘Sacrament of Faith,’…”

Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI - Principles of Catholic Theology (1982), pg. 108 “The question of the relationship of faith and baptism has consequently become increasingly unanswerable for contemporary theology.  Even Luther’s solution is not particularly convincing.  Baptism is widely regarded as no more than a positive dispensation of God, who intended in this way to give faith a necessary and meaningful support – but, from the perspective of our century, we must ask if he did not, in fact, burden rather than support it.  It is understandable, then, that for many exegetes the level of baptism and that of faith seem, in Pauline theology, to be two wholly distinct paths that are fundamentally incapable of meeting.  What is genuinely Christian is strangely intermingled with what has been borrowed from the mystery religions.  The fact that baptism took place long before Paul makes it even more difficult to separate what refers to Christianity as a whole from what refers solely to the sacraments.” Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, Annex to the Official Common Statement, #2, C [“Catholic” side and Lutheran side together]  "Justification takes place by grace alone, by faith alone, the person is justified apart from works.” Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week (2011), pp. 236-237 “Paul, who places so much emphasis on the impossibility of justification on the basis of one’s own morality, is doubtless presupposing that this new form of Christian worship, in which Christians themselves are the ‘living and holy sacrifice’, is possible only through sharing in the incarnate love of Jesus Christ, a love that conquers all our insufficiency through the power of his holiness. If, on the other hand, we should acknowledge that Paul in no way yields to moralism in this exhortation or in any sense belies his doctrine of justification through faith and not through works, it is equally clear that this doctrine of justification does not condemn man to passivity – he does not become a purely passive recipient of a divine righteousness that always remains external to him.”