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CQ O CL 00 O' 1 G' Sou ☆ ☆ *00* Diocese of Savannah i? it horn Ooss The Georgia Martyrs: THE CAUSE CONTINUES -—SEE PAGE 6 Diocese ol Savaanah Vol. 80, No. 31 Thursday, September 14, 2000 $.50 PER ISSUE Vatican document warns against concessions to religious pluralism By John Thavis Vatican City (CNS) A new Vatican document empha sizing the “exclusive, universal and absolute” value of Jesus Christ prompted mostly cautious approval from Catholic dialogue experts and disappointment among representa tives of other churches. Taking aim at the notion that “one religion is as good as another,” the document warned against conces sions to religious pluralism in the church. The 36-page declaration, titled “Dominus Iesus: On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church,” was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and was published September 5. While acknowledging that non- Christians can be saved through a special grace that comes from Christ, the document said the church can never be considered merely as “one way of salvation alongside those constituted by the other religions.” Regarding ecumenical dialogue, it said that despite a certain level of communion with other Christian churches, the “church of Christ... continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church.” In a letter to the world’s bishops, Cardinal Ratzinger said Pope John Paul II had approved the document and wanted its contents to be accept ed by the entire church. Cardinal Ratzinger said the document was drafted in response to “the growing presence of confused or erroneous ideas or opinions” that cast doubt upon Christianity’s universal mis sion. The text said there was a tendency among modem Christians to be silent about Christ, to consider him as just one historical manifestation of God, to elevate other religions as pathways to salvation, to downplay Scripture and to undervalue the church as an institution. It warned that these ideas are “contrary to Catholic faith” and listed a series of tmths it said must be “firmly held” by all Catholics. “The church’s constant missionary proclamation is endangered today by relativistic theories which seek to justify religious pluralism,” it said. The document said salvation is possible for those outside the church, but that it always takes place through a special grace from Christ and in an (Continued on page 3) A Vatican document released Sepember 5 emphasizes the “exclusive, universal and absolute” value of Jesus Christ and says the Catholic Church is necessary for salvation. The 36- page declaration signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, pre fect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is titled “Dominus Iesus: On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church.” Mission Cooperative Appeal: September 24 T he Diocese of Savannah will again hold a com bined “Mission Cooperative Appeal” for reli gious orders seeking support from the Catholics of south Georgia on the weekend of September 24. Last year’s appeal brought in a record $93,429.12. The following orders have been assigned to the parishes listed below: Albany Deanery St. Teresa, Albany. Misioneras Guadalupanas del Espiritu Santo St. Mary, Americus: Passionist Overseas Missions Augusta Deanery St. Joseph: Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus Medical Missionaries of Mary Sister Bernadette Gisenan holds an orphan in Tunkana Desert, Kenya, 1999. Her order is among those appealing for support in the Diocese of Savannah’s Mission Cooperative Appeal. St. Mary on the Hill: Diocese of Gonaives, Haiti St. Teresa of Avila: Diocese of Gonaives, Haiti Most Holy Trinity: Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus Columbus Deanery St. Anne: Passionist Overseas Missions Our Lady of Lourdes: Passionist Overseas Missions Macon Deanery St. Peter Clover. Latrobe Benedictines St. Joseph: Latrobe Benedictines Sacred Heart, Warner Robins: Maryknoll Missioners Savannah St. James-. Diocese of Tororo, Uganda Sacred Heart Society of St. James St. Peter the Apostle: St. Patrick Fathers St. Michael, Tybee: Franciscan Handmaids of Mary St. Anne, Richmond Hill: St. Patrick Fathers Blessed Sacrament: Diocese of Tororo, Uganda St. Benedict the Moor. Franciscan Handmaids of (Continued on page 11)