Dominus Iesus or Mystici Corporis Cristi? Where is the true Church?

[LatinCat]

I was reading the document “Dominus Iesus” today, which was released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faithful and I was horrified and scandalized. This domcument claims that the One true Church of Jesus Christ can be found subsiting paritially in Churches and ecclesial communities outside the Catholic Church. Funny. I thought that the Catholic Church taught that the Catholic Church, and only Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Guess what. I was correct. According to Pope Pius the XII, the Catholic Church is the Church. In his Encyclical, Mystici Corporis Cristi, he elaborates how Christ established the Catholic Church, and how those fall into the sins of schism, and apostasy are no longer members of the Church. In fact, he points out that the Catholic Church only is THE CHURCH. Now let me see. Who am I gonna believe in this matter? Well, although the encyclical by Pope Pius the XII was not an infallible document is is still an encyclical by the successor of Peter. An guess what, that holds a higher level of authority than does a document released by the CDF. So I guess I will stick with the traditional teaching of the Church and the encyclical produced by His Holiness Pope Pius XII. What will you do?

 

[BillyT92679]

LatinCat:

I was reading the document “Dominus Iesus” today, which was released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faithful and I was horrified and scandalized. This domcument claims that the One true Church of Jesus Christ can be found subsiting paritially in Churches and ecclesial communities outside the Catholic Church. Funny. I thought that the Catholic Church taught that the Catholic Church, and only Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Guess what. I was correct. According to Pope Pius the XII, the Catholic Church is the Church. In his Encyclical, Mystici Corporis Cristi, he elaborates how Christ established the Catholic Church, and how those fall into the sins of schism, and apostasy are no longer members of the Church. In fact, he points out that the Catholic Church only is THE CHURCH. Now let me see. Who am I gonna believe in this matter? Well, although the encyclical by Pope Pius the XII was not an infallible document is is still an encyclical by the successor of Peter. An guess what, that holds a higher level of authority than does a document released by the CDF. So I guess I will stick with the traditional teaching of the Church and the encyclical produced by His Holiness Pope Pius XII. What will you do?

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church LUMEN GENTIUM states that the the fullness of Christ’s Church subsists in (in essence, resides in) the Catholic Church. It is wholly orthodox to think that some elements of truth exist in Protestant ecclesial communiities, and certainly almost fully in Orthodoxy. This in absolutely no way at all diminshes the importance and necessity of the Catholic Communion of Churches in peace and communion with the Apostolic See. The only guarantee for salvation according to Catholic teaching can be found when one practices Catholicism, has faith shown with works, and repents his or her sins. Fullness is in Catholicism.

Lumen Gentium was affixed with Dogmatic for a very specific reason. As a fact, only it and Dei Verbum, on Divine Revelation were affixed with this because of their core elements central to the faith. They are to be believed with full assent.

 

[Contarini]

I find this truly hilarious. I spent a lot of time in 2001 and thereafter trying to convince other Protestants that Dominus Iesus did not totally condemn non-Catholics. Many Protestants were horrified by the text because they thought it reverted to the view of the Church LatinCat is defending.

I only wish I could persuade my fellow Protestants of LatinCat’s reading of Dominus Iesus. It would be a wonderful step forward for ecumenism.

In Christ,

Edwin

 

[LatinCat]

BillyT92679:

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church LUMEN GENTIUM states that the the fullness of Christ’s Church subsists in (in essence, resides in) the Catholic Church. It is wholly orthodox to think that some elements of truth exist in Protestant ecclesial communiities, and certainly almost fully in Orthodoxy. This in absolutely no way at all diminshes the importance and necessity of the Catholic Communion of Churches in peace and communion with the Apostolic See. The only guarantee for salvation according to Catholic teaching can be found when one practices Catholicism, has faith shown with works, and repents his or her sins. Fullness is in Catholicism.

Lumen Gentium was affixed with Dogmatic for a very specific reason. As a fact, only it and Dei Verbum, on Divine Revelation were affixed with this because of their core elements central to the faith. They are to be believed with full assent.

Of course they can have elements or truth them. But only the Catholic Church is the true Church.

 

[Della]

This domcument claims that the One true Church of Jesus Christ can be found subsiting paritially in Churches and ecclesial communities outside the Catholic Church.

It seems to me that all this is saying is what Lumen Gentium did–that Protestant churches have some of the truth within them. After all, whatever they believe that has its origins in and is upheld by the Catholic Church makes that a part of the Church, for the Church is the truth of Christ made manifest to the world. Yes?

 

[Della]

Contarini:

I find this truly hilarious. I spent a lot of time in 2001 and thereafter trying to convince other Protestants that Dominus Iesus did not totally condemn non-Catholics. Many Protestants were horrified by the text because they thought it reverted to the view of the Church LatinCat is defending.

I only wish I could persuade my fellow Protestants of LatinCat’s reading of Dominus Iesus. It would be a wonderful step forward for ecumenism.

In Christ,

Edwin

I don’t believe you mean to be calloused here , but I find it sad that a Catholic can have such a misunderstanding because if he can’t (or worse won’t) trust the Church on this issue it might lead him out of the true Church into some pseudo-church claiming to be the “true” Church, even though such bodies are only as Catholic in their beliefs as any other Protestant church because of what they might retain that is actual Church teaching.

And, if you can’t persuade your Protestant friends that the Church teaches that all Christian bodies have at least some of the truth I would have to say that that is their “fault” and not the Church’s for the Church has made it clear, over and over again that it is the case.

 

[LatinCat]

Della:

I don’t believe you mean to be calloused here , but I find it sad that a Catholic can have such a misunderstanding because if he can’t (or worse won’t) trust the Church on this issue it might lead him out of the true Church into some pseudo-church claiming to be the “true” Church, even though such bodies are only as Catholic in their beliefs as any other Protestant church because of what they might retain that is actual Church teaching.

And, if you can’t persuade your Protestant friends that the Church teaches that all Christian bodies have at least some of the truth I would have to say that that is their “fault” and not the Church’s for the Church has made it clear, over and over again that it is the case.

Thank you for your concern and let me assure you that I would NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE leave the Catholic Church for some psuedo-Catholic Church. My concern with the document Dominus Iesus is that it contradicts the official teachings of the Church and becasue most Catholics don’t understand that the level of authority that Dominus Iesus possess is not such that it can undo the traditional teachings of the Church. The fact of the matter is that the average lay person could easily be mislead, by the wording of this document,into believing that the Catholic Church no longer teaches that the Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Such could be disasterous for the faithful, for evangelization, and for the Church’s witness to truth in the world.

 

[tjmiller]

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.