It is not just Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis who have a better understanding. It is the College of Bishops as well as the theological community and the historians working with us on the one hand and our dialogue partners doing the exact same thing on their side…as they reassess their own positions.
“different understandings of the truth of the Christian faith”
"133. Q. In which church are these attributes and marks found?
A. These attributes and marks are found in the Holy Roman Catholic Church alone.
We have seen that some religions may seem to have one or two of the marks; but the Catholic Church alone has them all, and is consequently the only true Church of Christ. The other religions are not one-that is, united over the world; they give no proof of holiness, never having had any great saints whom God acknowledged as such by performing miracles for them. They are not catholic, because they have not taught in all ages and nations. They are not apostolic, because established hundreds of years after the Apostles. They are not infallible, for they have now declared things to be false which they formerly declared to be true; they are not indefectible-they are not as Our Lord founded them, for He never founded them; and they are constantly making changes in their beliefs and practices.
The marks of the Church are necessary also because the Church must be a visible Church, that all men may be able to see and know it; for Our Lord said, “He that will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican.” (Matt. 18:17). Heathens were those who worshipped false gods. Publicans were men who gathered the taxes from the Jews for the Romans; they were generally very cruel to the people, and were much hated and despised by them. Therefore Our Lord meant: if anyone will not obey the Church, you should avoid him as you avoid the heathens and the publicans, whom you despise. Now no one can be blamed for not obeying a church that is invisible and unknown. Therefore the true Church must be a visible body and easily known to all who earnestly seek it as the Church of Christ. But if some shut their eyes and refuse to look at the light of truth, ignorance will not excuse them; they must be blamed and fall under the sentence of Our Lord."
" 1http://www.cin.org/users/james/ebooks/master/baltimore/bcreed09.htm
“battle for public opinion is quite another matter.”
I think it was actually a battle for the Truth, not public opinion. This document, like so many others of recent history, uses a lens of relativism rather than the perennial teachings of the Church. St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Francis De Sales come to mind as faithful Sons of the Church who battled the errors of Luther and Protestantism, and there were many others. St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More gave their lives to defend Holy Mother Church. I dare say this was not the actions of someone who wished to merely sway “Public opinion”.
The document argues from a standpoint (relativistic) that neither group had the Fullness of the Truth. This sets up the entire premise that both sides shared in error. I refute that assumption.
I realize that much of what has transpired in the past 50 years was motivated by some as an attempt to reverse what they saw as a closing off of the Church by the actions of the Council of Trent. The hard teachings and Anathemas of Trent were seen as a hindrance to the “New Springtime”. But i would posit that we went too far. We jettisoned our protections and firewalls for the sake of Ecumenism and popularity. We stripped much of our Catholic Culture for the sake of a false ecumenism with the Protestants. We sought to win the world by moving into the world, rather than shining the Light of Truth to the lost as a beacon of Hope from whence they might leave the world and enjoin themselves with the One True Church.
There are many who argue that the cultural revolutions of the 60’s and 70’s would have created the demise of the culture even had the Church not changed. I argue that the demise of the culture is a result of the changes.
Even so, i submit to the Teachings of Holy Mother Church and to her physical Head, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and to His Bishops on all points of Doctrine and Dogma, as has been taught for the ages. I will submit to teachings and pastoral writings in the same manner.
Hillarious, after two posters lecture on how we should be professors before we dare make simple common sense observations about how bizzarre it is to celebrate one of the worst things that ever happened to you! 
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