Development implies that each point of doctrine is expanded within itself, while alteration indicates that a thing has been changed from what it was into something different...
~ St Vincent of Lerins, Commonitoria, ch. 23
If anyone says that it is possible that at some time, given the advancement of knowledge, a sense may be assigned to the dogmas propounded by the church which is different from that which the church has understood and understands: let him be anathema.
~ Pope Pius IX, Vatican I, Dei Filius, Canons, 4.3
The Epicenter:
Dogmas & Doctrines In Despute
On 5 June 1960, Pope John XXIII established the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity as one of the preparatory commissions for Vatican II. By this single act, John XXIII set in motion forces which would give birth to the Vatican's distinctive understanding of and doctrine regarding the nature and mission of the Church.
Vatican II would go on to promulgate this distinctive doctrine concerning the nature and mission of the Church in five documents: Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church), Unitatis redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism), Nostra aetate (Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions), Dignitatis humanae (Declaration on Religious liberty), and Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World). The distinctive doctrines solemnly promulgated in these five texts and their relationship to the perennial dogmas and doctrines of the Catholic Church constitute the epicenter of the crisis that afflicts the Catholic world.
On this page we offer brief summaries of each of the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the affirmation affixed by Paul VI to each document indicating its character and authority, and links to the official Latin text of the document and to the Vatican's official online English translation. We have also appended a series of catechetical questions to several of the documents, and provide the answers to those questions from the perennial doctrine of the Catholic Church, and from the conciliar texts.
It is our hope that this straightforward presentation will assist the plain man's effort to determine whether any or all of the claims made about Vatican II's fidelity to the perennial teaching of the Holy Roman Church by Super-maximalist, Continuitist, Recognize and Resist or Sedevacantist Catholics are corroborated by the relevant data.
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
(4 December 1963)
Promulgated on 4 December 1963, Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) authorized an extensive revision of the Mass, the Sacraments, the Breviary, and other rites, in order to foster Christian reunion, and to strengthen the Church’s evangelization.
THE AUTHORITY OF SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hac Constitutione edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum
die IV decembris anno MCMLXIII.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Inter Mirifica
The Decree on the Instruments of Social Communication
(4 December 1963)
Promulgated on 4 December 1963, Inter Mirifica (Decree on the Instruments of Social Communication) defined the modern means of communication as those which can reach not only single individuals but even the whole of human society. It called on members of the church, especially the laity, to infuse newspapers, magazines, books, films, radio and television with “a human and Christian spirit.” It declared that the content of the media must be true, and as complete as justice and charity would permit.
THE AUTHORITY OF INTER MIRIFICA
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula, quae in hoc Decreto edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die IV decembris anno MCMLXIII.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Lumen Gentium
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
(21 November 1964)
Promulgated on 21 November 1964, Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) recast the Church's teaching regarding her nature, constitution, and mission. Employing a largely new vocabulary, the council taught that the Church was a mystery, a communion of baptized believers, the people of God, the body of Christ and as a pilgrim people, marked on earth with “a sanctity that is real, although imperfect.”
THE AUTHORITY OF LUMEN GENTIUM
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Each and all these items which are set forth in this dogmatic Constitution have met with the approval of the Council Fathers. And We by the apostolic power given Us by Christ together with the Venerable Fathers in the Holy Spirit, approve, decree and establish it and command that what has thus been decided in the Council be promulgated for the glory of God.
Given in Rome at St. Peter's on November 21, 1964.
-
Is the Church of Christ the Roman Catholic Church?
CATHOLIC TEACHING
YES. The Church of Christ is the Roman Catholic Church. They are one and the same entity.
If we would define and describe this true Church of Jesus Christ — which is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Roman Church — we shall find nothing more noble, more sublime, or more divine than the expression “the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ” – an expression which springs from and is, as it were, the fair flowering of the repeated teaching of the Sacred Scriptures and the holy Fathers.
~ Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis, 13CONCILIAR TEACHING
NO. The Church of Christ is not the Roman Catholic Church. The Church of Christ is a larger entity which subsists within the Roman Catholic Church.
This Church (i.e. the unique Church of Christ), constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in union with that successor, although many elements of sanctification and of truth can be found outside of her visible structure. These elements, however, as gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, possess an inner dynamism toward Catholic unity.
~ Pope Paul VI, Lumen Gentium, 8 -
Can salvation be found outside of the Roman Catholic Church?
CATHOLIC TEACHING
NO. Salvation is not to be found outside the Roman Catholic Church.
It must, of course, be held as a matter of faith that outside the apostolic Roman Church no one can be saved, that the Church is the only ark of salvation, and that whoever does not enter it will perish in the flood.
~ Pope Piux IX, Singulari Quadam (1854)CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. Salvation may be achieved outside of the Roman Catholic Church.
Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are related in various ways to the people of God. 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. 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. 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. Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things, and as Saviour wills that all men be saved. Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. 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. She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life. But often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator. Or some there are who, living and dying in this world without God, are exposed to final despair. Wherefore to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all of these, and mindful of the command of the Lord, "Preach the Gospel to every creature", the Church fosters the missions with care and attention.
~ Pope Paul VI, Lumen Gentium,16
-
Is ignorance of the Catholic Religion a cause for hope about non-Catholics?
CATHOLIC TEACHING
NO. Ignorance of the Catholic Religion is no cause for hope for non-Catholics.
In the Syllabus errorum, 17, Pope Pius IX, condemned the following statement:
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.Wherefore, by Divine and Catholic Faith all those things are to be believed which are contained in the word of God as found in scripture and tradition, and which are proposed by the Church as matters to be believed as Divinely revealed (...) 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.
~ Pope Pius IX, Vatican Council I, Session 3, Chap. 3, On Faith,8-9CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. Ignorance of the Catholic Religion is a cause for hope for non-Catholics.
Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.
~ Pope Paul VI, Lumen Gentium,16
-
Is every human being in communion with the Roman Catholic Church?
CATHOLIC TEACHING
NO. Only Catholics who profess the same faith, share in the same sacramental life, obey the same laws and who submit to the Roman Pontiff are in communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
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." [I Cor., XII, 13.] 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. [Cf. Eph., IV, 5.] And therefore if a man refuse to hear the Church let him be considered - so the Lord commands - as a heathen and a publican. [Cf. Matth., XVIII, 17.] 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.
~ Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi, 22 (1943)
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.
~ Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum,9 (29 June 1896)
CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. All human beings are in one way or another in communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
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.
~ Pope Paul VI, Lumen Gentium, 13
-
Does the Holy Spirit inspire martyrdom in non-Catholics?
CATHOLIC TEACHING
NO. The Holy Spirit does not inspire non-Catholics to martyrdom.
Nobody can be saved, no matter how much he has given away in alms and even if he has shed his blood in the name of Christ, unless he has persevered in the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.
~ Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, Session 11, 1442 A.D.
Those who go off to heretics, and all who leave the Church for heresy, abandon the name of Christ. Those who call these men "Christians" are in grievous error, since they neither understand Scripture at all nor the faith which it contains.
~ Saint Athanasius, Doctor of the Church (4th Century)
CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. The Holy Spirit strengthens non-Catholics and enables them to endure martyrdom.
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.
~ Pope Paul VI, Lumen Gentium, 15
Unitatis Redintegratio
Decree on Ecumenism
(21 November 1964)
Promulgated on 21 November 1964, Unitatis Redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism) said that ecumenism (that is, the restoration of the unity of the Church) should be the common concern of all Catholics and that continual personal and institutional renewal are necessary for genuine ecumenism. It made a distinction between spiritual ecumenism and practical ecumenism; the former consisting mainly of prayer and the practice of virtue, the latter, actively fostering Christian reunion.
THE AUTHORITY OF UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Each and all these matters which are set forth in this Decree have been favorably voted on by the Fathers of the Council. And We, by the apostolic authority given Us by Christ and in union with the Fathers, approve, decree and establish them in the Holy Spirit and command that they be promulgated for the glory of God.
Given in Rome at St. Peter's, November 21, 1964
-
Is the Catholic Church the only means of salvation?
CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
YES. The Catholic Church is the only means of salvation.
For, it must be held by faith that outside the Apostolic Roman Church, no one can be saved; that this is the only ark of salvation; that he who shall not have entered therein will perish in the flood; but, on the other hand, it is necessary to hold for certain that they who labor in ignorance of the true religion, if this ignorance is invincible, are not stained by any guilt in this matter in the eyes of God.
~ Pope Piux IX, Singulari Quadam (1854) [italics added]-
Additional sources
At the instance of faith, we are bound to believe and hold the one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and her we do firmly believe and simply confess, outside of which there is neither salvation nor remission of sins .... Hence we declare, say, define and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature that he be subject to the Roman Pontiff.
~ Pope Boniface, Unam Sanctam, 1302 (Denzinger 468, 469)
The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those who are outside the Catholic Church – not only pagans, but also Jews or heretics and schismatics – can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with her; and that so important is the unity of the ecclesiastical body that only those remaining in her can profit unto salvation by the Sacraments of the Church, and that they alone will receive eternal rewards for their fasting and almsgiving, their works of piety and exercises of Christian soldiery ; and that no one, no matter how great his almsgiving, and even if he shed his blood for the name of Christ, can be saved unless he remain within the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.
~ Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, "Cantate Domino" (1439)
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, for all of whom there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism ...
~ Pope Clement V, Council of Vienne, Decree 30, 1311-1312.
Whoever wills 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 doubt he shall perish eternally.
~ Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, Session 8, 22 November 1439
But here ... it is necessary once more to mention and reprehend a most grave error by which some Catholics are wretchedly deluded – namely, those who think that men living in errors and as strangers to the true Faith and Catholic unity can arrive at eternal life. Nothing indeed could be more opposed to Catholic doctrine.
~ Pope Pius IX, Quanto Conficiamur (1863) (Denzinger 1677)
We are now proceeding against another exceedingly fertile cause of the evils by which we grieve to see the Church afflicted at present, namely indifferentism : i.e. that perverse opinion, which is everywhere gaining ground thanks to the wiles of evil men, according to which the eternal salvation of the soul can be obtained by the profession of any faith provided that the norm of upright and decent morals be observed ....
~ Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos (1832) (Denzinger 1613)
CONCILIAR TEACHING
NO. The Roman Catholic Church is not the only means of salvation.
The separated churches and communities as such, though we believe they suffer from the defects already mentioned, 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 fulness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church.
~ Unitatis Redintegratio, 3
-
Additional sources
-
Do non-Catholic worship services assist in the salvation of souls?
CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
NO. Non-Catholic worship services do not assist in the salvation of souls.
No man can find salvation except in the Catholic Church. Outside the Catholic Church one can have everything except salvation. One can have honor, one can have the sacraments, one can sing alleluia, one can answer amen ... but never can one find salvation except in the Catholic Church.
~ St. Augustine, Bishop, Doctor of the Church (4th & 5th Centuries)
-
Additional sources
There is no salvation outside the Church. Who denies this? And therefore whatever things of the Church are had outside the Church do not avail unto salvation.
~ St. Augustine, On Baptism, Against the Donatists, Lib IV:24
Now the Holy Church proclaims that God cannot be truly worshipped saving within herself, asserting that all they that are without her shall never be saved.
~ Pope Saint Gregory the Great, 590-604 A.D.
CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. Non-Catholic worship services do assist in the salvation of souls.
The brethren divided from us also carry out many liturgical actions of the Christian religion. In ways that vary according to the condition of each church or community, these liturgical actions most certainly can truly engender a life of grace, and, one must say, can aptly give access to the communion of salvation.
~ Unitatis Redintegratio, 3
-
Additional sources
-
May Catholics actively participate non-Catholic religious services?
CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
NO. Catholics may not actively participate in common worship with non-Catholics.
Can 1258 § 1. It is not licit for the faithful by any manner to assist actively or to have a part in the sacred [rites] of non-Catholics.
§ 2. Passive or merely material presence can be tolerated for the sake of honor or civil office, for grave reason approved by the Bishop in case of doubt, at the funerals, weddings, and similar solemnities of non-Catholics, provided danger of perversion and scandal is absent.~ 1917 Code of Canon Law
-
Latin original
Can 1258 §1. Haud licitum est fidelibus quovis modo active assistere seu partem habere in sacris acatholicorum.
§2. Tolerari potest praesentia passiva seu mere materialis, civilis officii vel honoris causa, ob gravem rationem ab Episcopo in casu dubii probandam, in acatholicorum funeribus, nuptiis similibusque sollemniis, dummodo perversionis et scandali periculum absit.~ 1917 Code of Canon Law (Latin)
CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. In certain limited circumstances, Catholics may actively participate in common worship with non-Catholics.
This change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name, "spiritual ecumenism."
It is a recognized custom for Catholics to have frequent recourse to that prayer for the unity of the Church which the Saviour Himself on the eve of His death so fervently appealed to His Father: "That they may all be one".
In certain special circumstances, such as the prescribed prayers "for unity," and during ecumenical gatherings, it is allowable, indeed desirable that Catholics should join in prayer with their separated brethren. Such prayers in common are certainly an effective means of obtaining the grace of unity, and they are a true expression of the ties which still bind Catholics to their separated brethren. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them".
Yet worship in common (communicatio in sacris) is not to be considered as a means to be used indiscriminately for the restoration of Christian unity. There are two main principles governing the practice of such common worship: first, the bearing witness to the unity of the Church, and second, the sharing in the means of grace. Witness to the unity of the Church very generally forbids common worship to Christians, but the grace to be had from it sometimes commends this practice. The course to be adopted, with due regard to all the circumstances of time, place, and persons, is to be decided by local episcopal authority, unless otherwise provided for by the Bishops' Conference according to its statutes, or by the Holy See.~ Unitatis Redintegratio, 8
-
Latin original
-
Are joint religious services with non-catholics ever praiseworthy?
CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
NO. Catholics are forbidden to participate in joint religious services with non-Catholics.No man can find salvation except in the Catholic Church. Outside the Catholic Church one can have everything except salvation. One can have honor, one can have the sacraments, one can sing alleluia, one can answer amen ... but never can one find salvation except in the Catholic Church.
~ St. Augustine, Bishop, Doctor of the Church (4th & 5th Centuries)
CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. It is sometimes permissible and even desirable for Catholics to participate in joint religious services with non-Catholics.In certain circumstances, such as in prayer services 'for unity' and during oecumenical gatherings, it is allowable, indeed desirable, that Catholics should join in prayer with their separated brethren. Such prayers in common are certainly a very effective means of petitioning for the grace of unity, and they are a genuine expression of the ties which still bind Catholics to their separated brethren.
~ Unitatis Redintegratio, 8 -
Are Catholic doctrinal formulations are subject to change?
CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
NO. Catholic doctrinal formulations are not subject to change.
Nothing of the things appointed [definita] ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning.
~ Epistle to the Emperor, Pope St. Agatho (678-681), quoted by Pope Gregory XVI in his encyclical Mirari Vos (15 August 1832).CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. Catholic doctrinal formulations are subject to change.
Consequently, if, in various times and circumstances, there have been deficiencies in moral conduct or in Church discipline, or even in the way that Church teaching has been formulated - to be carefully distinguished from the deposit of faith itself - these should be set right at the opportune moment and in the proper way.
~ Unitatis Redintegratio, 6
Orientalium Ecclesiarum
Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches
(21 November 1964)
Promulgated on 21 November 1964, Orientalium Ecclesiarum (Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches) affirmed that the Eastern Catholic churches should retain their own traditions and taught that diversity of cult within the church does not harm its unity. It promoted closer ties with the separated Eastern churches, with a view to fostering Christian unity.
THE AUTHORITY OF ORIENTALIUM ECCLESIARUM
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Each and all these matters which are set forth in this decree have been favorably voted on by the Fathers of the Council. And we, by the apostolic authority given us by Christ and in union with the Fathers, approve, decree and establish them in the Holy Spirit and command that they be promulgated for the glory of God.
Given in Rome at St. Peter's, November 21, 1964
Christus Dominus
Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the Church
(28 October 1965)
THE AUTHORITY OF CHRISTUS DOMINUS
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hoc Decreto edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die XXVIII mensis octobris anno MCMLXV.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Optatum Totius
Decree on Priestly Formation
(28 October 1965)
Promulgated on 28 October 1965, Optatam Totius (Decree on Priestly Formation) centered on fostering vocations, recommended that seminaries pay attention to the spiritual, intellectual and disciplinary formation necessary to prepare priesthood students to become good pastors, with a filial attachment to the Vicar of Christ, and loyal cooperation with their bishops and fellow priests.
THE AUTHORITY OF OPTATUM TOTIUS
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hoc Decreto edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die XXVIII mensis octobris anno MCMLXV.
Ego PAULUS Ecclesiae Catholicae Episcopus
Perfectæ Caritatis
Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of the Religious Life
(28 October 1965)
Promulgated on 28 October 1965, Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of the Religious Life) established new norms for the spiritual renewal and prudent adaptation of religious life. These norms provided guidelines for the personal and institutional renewal of the lives of nuns, brothers and priests belonging to religious orders. They touched upon every important aspect of the life of religious and their communities including the laws governing community life under superiors, the practice of corporate prayer, poverty of sharing, distinctive religious habit, and continued spiritual and doctrinal education.
THE AUTHORITY OF PERFECTÆ CARITATIS
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hoc Decreto edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die XXVIII mensis octobris anno MCMLXV.
Nostra Ætate
Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions
(28 October 1965)
Promulgated on 28 October 1965, Nostra Aetate (Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions) urged Catholics to enter, with prudence and charity, into discussion and collaboration with members of other religions. It affirmed that Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in non-Christian religions. It specifically called for an end to anti-Semitism and taught that any discrimination based on race, color, religion or condition of life is foreign to the mind of Christ.
THE AUTHORITY OF NOSTRA ÆTATE
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hac Declaratione edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die XXVIII mensis octobris anno MCMLXV.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Gravissimum Educationis
Declaration on Christian Education
(28 October 1965)
Promulgated on 28 October 1965, Gravissimum Educationis (Declaration on Christian Education) declared that all Christians have a right to a Christian education, affirmed the right of parents to choose the type of education they want for their children, reminded parents they have the primary right and duty to teach their children, and warned believers of the dangers of state monopoly in education. It upheld the importance of Catholic schools and defended freedom of inquiry in Catholic colleges and universities.
THE AUTHORITY OF GRAVISSIMUM EDUCATIONIS
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hac Declaratione edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum
die XXVIII mensis octobris anno MCMLXV.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Dei Verbum
Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
(18 November 1965)
Promulgated on 18 November 1965, Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation) established a distinction between Sacred Scripture from Sacred Tradition, reaffirmed that the Bible must be interpreted under the Church’s guidance, and explained how development of doctrine is the Church’s ever-deeper understanding of what God has once and for all revealed to the human race. It also commended the use of modern scientific scholarship in studying Scripture.
THE AUTHORITY OF DEI VERBUM
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hac Constitutione dogmatica edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrostancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum
die XVIII mensis novembris anno MCMLXV.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Apostolicam Actuositatem
Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity
(18 November 1965)
Promulgated on 18 November 1965, Apostolicam Actuositatem (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity) describes the practical expression of the Church’s mission, to which the laity are specially called in virtue of their Baptism and incorporation into Christ. It affirms the obligation of the laity to influence their surroundings with Christ’s teachings. It recognizes that the laity have the right to establish and direct their own associations, on the condition that they preserve the necessary link with ecclesiastical authority.
THE AUTHORITY OF APOSTOLICAM ACTUOSITATEM
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hoc Decreto edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die XVIII mensis novembris anno MCMCLV.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Dignitatis Humanæ
Declaration on Religious Freedom
(7 December 1965)
Promulgated on 7 December 1965, Dignitatis Humanae (Declaration on Religious Freedom) teaches that religious liberty is a right found in the dignity of each person. According to the council, this right includes each person’s liberty to believe in God and worship Him according to one’s conscience. It affirmed that no one should be forced to act in a way contrary to his or her own beliefs. It affirmed the Catholic Church’s freedom to proclaim her doctrines (and the freedom of all religious sects to proclaim their doctrines) via all available means of communication without interference from the state - excepting when public order requires it.
THE AUTHORITY OF DIGNITATIS HUMANÆ
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hac Declaratione edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die VII mensis decembris anno MCMLXV.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
-
Is religious liberty a human right?
CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
NO. Religious liberty is not a human right.And, against the doctrine of Scripture, of the Church, and of the Holy Fathers, they do not hesitate to assert that “that is the best condition of civil society, in which no duty is recognized, as attached to the civil power, of restraining by enacted penalties, offenders against the Catholic religion, except so far as public peace may require.” 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,” viz., 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.”
~ Pope Pius IX, Quanta cura, 3 (1864)CONCILIAR TEACHING
YES. Religious liberty is a fundamental human right which arises from man's very nature and dignity.The Council further declares that the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person... This right to religious freedom is to be recognised in the constitutional law whereby society is governed. Thus it is to become a civil right… the right to religious liberty is not founded on any subjective disposition of the person but on his very nature, for which reason this right to immunity continues even in those who do not fulfill the duty of seeking and adhering to truth, and its exercise may not be impeded so long as just public order is observed.~ Dignitatis Humanae, 2 (1965)
Presbyterorum Ordinis
Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
(7 December 1965)
Promulgated on 7 December 1965, Presbyterorum Ordinis (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests) teaches that the primary duty of priests is to proclaim the Gospel to all. It defines priests as men who are ordained to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice, forgive sins in Christ’s name, and exercise the priestly office on behalf of others in the name of Christ. Priestly celibacy is reaffirmed, and priestly sanctity declared to be essential.
THE AUTHORITY OF PRESBYTERORUM ORDINIS
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hoc Decreto edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die VII mensis decembris anno MCMLXV.
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus.
Ad Gentes
Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity
(7 December 1965)
Promulgated on 7 December 1965, Ad Gentes (Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity) taught that the Church's missionary activity should help the social and economic welfare of people and not force anyone to accept the faith. It defines evangelization as the implanting of the Church among peoples in which she has not yet taken root. It urges even the young churches to engage in evangelization as soon as possible and stresses the importance of adequate training of missionaries and their sanctity of life.
THE AUTHORITY OF AD GENTES
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hoc Decreto edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum die VII mensis decembris anno MCMLXV..
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Gaudium et Spes
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
(7 December 1965)
Promulgated on 7 December 1965, Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) declared that the church must talk to atheists, and the the Church’s strong position on war and peace in the nuclear age. Spoke about the urgency of the need to aid to underdeveloped nations. It taught that marriage was not just for procreation and urged science to find an acceptable means of birth regulation.
THE AUTHORITY OF GAUDIUM ET SPES
According to the mind and expressed will of Pope Paul VI.
Haec omnia et singula quae in hac Constitutione pastorali edicta sunt, placuerunt Sacrosancti Concilii Patribus. Et Nos, Apostolica a Christo Nobis tradita potestate, illa, una cum Venerabilibus Patribus, in Spiritu Sancto approbamus, decernimus ac statuimus et quae ita synodaliter statuta sunt ad Dei gloriam promulgari iubemus.
Romae, apud S. Petrum
die VII mensis decembris anno MCMLXV..
Ego PAULUS Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopus
Support In The Same Sense
Inthesamesense.org was made possible by the generous donations of our friends. If you have benefited from this effort, please consider making a donation through our support page.
This "A Safe Way Forward" project is not intended to directly support public discussion of the data presented on this website. However, we are open to receiving input, additional data and other information relevant to the project's mission. If you would like to submit items that you think should be included, please send your submissions to ObscureMyEmail.