Monday, June 12, 2006

What's Missing Here?

The following is from the Roman Catholic Church. I am not reproducing the entire document here. Those wishing to view it will find it here. Can anyone identify a key phrase that one might expect to be in a Catholic Document that is missing here? For those not good at this sort of thing I gave a little hint in the document. The Vatican does not make typos. Not when they are dealing with urgent matters of Doctrine. And considering this was bottom lined by the then reigning Pope and his current successor I would think the implications are significant.

Hat tip to Mike from Metanoia.

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

DECLARATION
"DOMINUS IESUS"
ON THE UNICITY AND SALVIFIC UNIVERSALITY
OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE CHURCH


INTRODUCTION

1. The Lord Jesus, before ascending into heaven, commanded his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world and to baptize all nations: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:15-16); “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world” (Mt 28:18-20; cf. Lk 24:46-48; Jn 17:18,20,21; Acts 1:8).

The Church's universal mission is born from the command of Jesus Christ and is fulfilled in the course of the centuries in the proclamation of the mystery of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the mystery of the incarnation of the Son, as saving event for all humanity. The fundamental contents of the profession of the Christian faith are expressed thus: “I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come”.1

2 comments:

Ecgbert said...

Of course it's an ecumenical gesture to the Eastern churches but not surprising nor really any skin off Rome's nose: the Roman Catholic Church's official Greek version of the Creed doesn't have the filioque. I understand that's because idiomatically in Greek if you inserted that, it would mean all the terrible things the Orthodox say it does (Four Persons, etc.), which isn't what Rome really teaches.

Now if they get serious about bringing back something like the traditional Mass and cracking down on heresy and dissent among them then maybe such gestures could be taken seriously.

Anonymous said...

That's interesting. Byzantine Catholics do not say the filioque, you know. And didn't a conference a few years back agree that the filioque was not heresy, and not a bar to reunification?