Reactions to Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith
The Vatican's new doctrinal statement, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), which confirms the essential role of the Catholic Church in God's plan for salvation, has been released. The CDF affirms that while other Christian bodies can play a role in bringing people to salvation, it is in the Catholic Church that "the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth." The Vatican document makes a further distinction between Orthodox churches that have preserved valid sacraments, and should be recognized as "sister churches," and Protestant groups that have not preserved the Eucharistic presence. The document, entitled "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church," is approved by Pope Benedict XVI. The full text can be found at the Vatican Website here. Obviously, some non-Catholics aren't too happy with this document and of course mainstream media is blowing the whole thing out of proportio...