QUESTION: The Church esteems the ways in which God works in other religions, and “rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions.” This sentence beautifully joins the old teaching in Nostra Aetate which was declared in 1965. The Pope does a break through by adding “ways in which God works in other religions.” How does the change affect  the Church and in the world?  – Fr. Tom Jose

ANSWER: Jacob Parappally MSFS

The self-understanding of the Church is progressive. It is not given once and for all. The ever new dimensions of the mystery of the Church is revealed to it by the working of the Holy Spirit from within as well as from outside the visible boundaries of the Church. The exclusivist self-understanding of the Church has given the Church a distinct identity in opposition to other religions and socio-cultural organizations. However, this exclusive identity has also been its cross. It was identified as Christendom and with colonial powers that enslaved and oppressed peoples and nations. Its claim to possess the Absolute Truth blinded it in such a way that it could not see its Lord and God present and active in all authentic religious traditions through those adherents of these religions who sought God, “with a sincere heart.”

In the Second Vatican Council a new self-understanding of the Church emerged. In the document Nostra Aetate or Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, promulgated fifty-five years ago, on 28 October 1965, there was a new understanding about the reality of other religions and the emergence of a new approach to them. The document expresses this succinctly when it declares: “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all people” It says further, “The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these people.” (NA 2).

In continuation with the Second Vatican Council’s understanding of other religions and perhaps going a little beyond it Pope Francis in the encyclical Fratelli Tutti or On Fraternity and Social Friendship affirms that “The Church esteems the ways in which God works in other religions, and “rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions. She has a high regard for their manner of life and conduct, their precepts and doctrines which… often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men and women” (FT No 277). It is recognition of the works of God beyond the boundaries of the Church During his general audience on April 3, 2019 the first after his March 30-31 trip to Morocco Pope Francis said that people might wonder why God allows there to be so many different religions in the world. He observed that some theologians consider that as a part of God’s “permissive will,” God allows “the reality of many religions. Some emerge from the culture, but they always look toward heaven and God,” Further, he added that “What God wants is fraternity among us,” and therefore “we must not be frightened by difference. God has allowed this.” He reminded His listeners that one must worry when people are not working toward a more fraternal world.

God permits the Existence of Many Religions?

Does God permit the existence of many religions? Not only from the theological perspective but also from the philosophical perspective it needs to be admitted that humans are gifted with freedom to accept or deny God and choose the ways to relate with God as well as choose the ways to reject Him. When we consider the exercise of human freedom positively and responsibly we may find the way of that religion into which one is born or the religion one has freely chosen offers satisfactory means to relate to God and lead a life worthy of that relationship. Admitting that there are many religions and their God-concepts certainly differ and also recognizing that a religion like Buddhism does not speak at all about God, we can still say that humans’ quest for meaning in life make them get in touch with their innate sense of the Sacred. They may call this Ultimate Reality beyond name and form with different names and relate with this Reality in a personal way eventhough some may consider this Reality impersonal. From the Christian faith perspective “God who wills that all humans come to knowledge of Truth” permits various ways to come to the Truth. Can we not recognize that God permits all authentic religious traditions as God-willed means to come to the knowledge of that Truth which sets everyone free? It is to be noted that there are some so called religious movements and religious sects that go with the label of religion but promote inhuman practices, hatred among people and justify all types of violence and discrimination in the name of the god of their so called religion. Therefore, it is important that we recognize that all genuine or authentic, humanizing and liberating religions in the world exist because of the permissive will of God.

In February 2019 during the Pope’s visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, he and Sheikh Ahamad el-Tayeb, a leading authority of the Sunni Muslims signed a document affirming the importance of human fraternity. In this document it is stated that “The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom through which He created human beings” Such a statement may surprise and upset many Catholics who still hold the view of Fulginus of Ruspe which was the official position of the Church for many centuries that outside the Church there is no salvation, Extra ecclesiam nulla salus. For him the Church was exclusively identified with the Catholic Church, One of the strongest exclusivist position of the Church is that there is no salvation to anyone who is not a member of the Church even if he or she sheds his/her blood for Christ.

Council of Florence (AD 1438-1445) at the time declared “[The most Holy Roman Church] firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart `into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Mat. 25:41), unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock; and that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is so strong that only to those remaining in it are the sacraments of the Church of benefit for salvation, and do fastings, almsgiving, and other functions of piety and exercises of Christian service produce eternal reward, and that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.” Such an exclusive statement was in contrast to the inclusivism of some of the early Church fathers. Even an apologist like Justin Martyr would not have understood such an exclusive attitude of the Council of Florence. Justin affirms: “Each one, shall be saved by his own righteousness, those who regulated their lives by the law of Moses would in like manner be saved. …Since those who did that which is universally, naturally, and eternally good are pleasing to God, they shall be saved through this Christ in the resurrection equally with those righteous men who were before them, namely, Noah, and Enoch, and Jacob, and whoever else there be, along with those who have known this Christ.” (Dialogue with Tropho, XLV). Already in 1949 the Church condemned the erroneous position of Leonard Feeney who held the view that only those who are formally members of the Catholic Church would be saved. The openness of the Second Vatican Council expressed in the statement that the Church “rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions” is a re-affirmation of the readiness of some of the Fathers of the Church to recognize God’s action in other religions. If anything is true, good and holy however their reception may be restricted by the mode of the receiver, the source of it cannot be denied. As every truth, good and beauty comes from God, the Father of Jesus Christ mediated through Christ and is actualized by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in a broad sense, it can be affirmed that God is at work in all authentic religions. If God is at work in religions there needs to be a new self-understanding of the Church vis-à-vis other religions and a new understanding of the mission of the Church in the world.

Church grows as the Kingdom of God

When the Church recognizes that God willed the plurality of religions or that it is the permissive will of God that they are in the world for the people of various cultures, languages, ethnicities and nations, it is a sign that the Church is growing into the Kingdom of God. Church is the Kingdom of God but Kingdom of God is more than the Church. There are some who identify the Kingdom of God with the Church and argue that there is no Kingdom of God outside the Church. Those who hold this view must clearly state what they mean by their use of the term Church. If the Church is understood as exclusively as Cyprian of Carthage or Fulginus of Ruspe understood and articulated it and held for centuries as the right and only understanding of the Church, then it cannot be identified with the Kingdom of God. If the Church is understood as the Church of Abel as St Augustine understood it including all righteous or good people from the time of Abel till the end of time or if the Church is understood as the communion of all humans of good will, then it can be totally identified with the Kingdom of God. It is the Kingdom of God where God reigns and where there is self-emptying love for one another, communion of persons based on equality, respect for the otherness of the other, kenotic service, justice and reconciliation. God’s Kingdom can be present in all authentic religions where the values of the Kingdom of God are lived. Therefore, it can be theologically concluded that God who works in such religions has already permitted them to exist. It does not take away Church’s mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God to them to realize its fullness.

The Church must grow to become the Kingdom of God. In fact, according to the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, the Church is at the service of the Kingdom of God. When the Church becomes like the smallest seed that grows into a big tree on the branches of which all the birds can find shelter and security or like the yeast that leavens the entire dough of the world then the Church grows into the Kingdom of God.

Implications of God’s work in Other Religions

If God is at work in all authentic religions whatever is true and holy found in them has its source in God. Therefore, the Church needs to enter into dialogue with other religions to work together with the followers of other religions for the well-being of all humans. It needs to raise its prophetic voice when people are discriminated in the name of religion, culture, ethnicity, gender, language etc. It is imperative for the Church who proclaims the true God who wills that all humans be saved and come to the knowledge of truth work in solidarity with the people of all religions for securing human rights for those who are denied of them by tyrannical and autocratic governments and political structures.

Certainly, there are Catholics whose faith has not liberated them to recognize every human being as a brother and sister in Christ and who seek their identity in opposition to the faith and practices of the people of other religions. They would not hesitate to say that the statement of Pope Francis that God is at work in other religions is erroneous and perhaps, even heretical. They would like to put a limit to God’s generosity and love for all God’s children, both obedient and disobedient, both righteous and unrighteous, both Christians and people of other religions. They would like to have God exclusively for themselves. A God who is exclusively for a section of humanity is not the God revealed through Jesus Christ. There was a satirical attack on the views of Pope Francis on the value of other religions in God’s plan of salvation published by Diversity Chronicle. When they published it for the first time so many were shocked and wanted to know whether Pope Francis really made such a statement. Then the blog withdrew it saying that was a satire. The statement falsely attributed to Pope Francis runs like this: “Because Muslims, Hindus and African Animists are also made in the very likeness and image of God, to hate them is to hate God! To reject them to is to reject God and the Gospel of Christ. Whether we worship at a Church, a synagogue, a mosque or a mandir, it does not matter. Whether we call God, Jesus, Adonai, Allah or Krishna, we all worship the same God of love. This truth is self-evident to all who have love and humility in their hearts!” Some Christians still think that this statement is true even if it is not from Pope Francis. In fact, what Pope Francis said in his latest encyclical is: “The different religions, based on their respect for each human person as a creature called to be a child of God, contribute significantly to building fraternity and defending justice in society. Dialogue between the followers of different religions does not take place simply for the sake of diplomacy, consideration or tolerance. In the words of the Bishops of India, “the goal of dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and harmony, and to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love” (FT 271). Indeed the Church’s vocation is to build communion among people with its deep experience of Jesus Christ who is the light of the world!