Christian unity in faith and love is God’s will because Jesus prayed that all who believe in Him should be one, in order that the whole world would know that His Father sent Him. The night before He suffered His Passion and death, Jesus prayed for Christian unity. “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who …

In order to promote Christian unity, Catholics should take the first steps in seeking to overcome the unfortunate divisions existing between Christians. They should strive to make Christians more faithful to Christ and to be effective witnesses to the truths received from the Apostles. The Church is one because there is only one Jesus, Who communicates the same life of …

We should respect all men of good will because man was created for God in His image and likeness; as a human being he possesses a special dignity and value. Man, having a spiritual soul and being a more perfect image of God, has dominion over all other earthly creatures. He has a free will and is immortal. For these …

We firmly believe that Jesus Christ made His Catholic Church the ordinary means of Salvation. We should desire to share the Church’s fullness with all mankind. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ placed the work of Salvation in the care of His Church. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects …

As Christ sent His Apostles to teach and to be witnesses to Him in the world, so too, He wants the laity to share in this mission. The duty of proclaiming the Gospel and of making its power felt in the lives of men belongs not only to bishops, priests, deacons, and religious, but also to the laity in the …

The Catholic Church is an institution for Salvation since (1) it is a community of the faithful with our Savior Jesus Christ as its Head, and (2) it has been given the mission of communicating the Good News of Salvation to all mankind. 1. The Catholic Church is an institution of Salvation because it is a community of the faithful …

There are four marks which point out the true Church founded by Jesus. They are four adjectives: one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Having made His Church a means of our everlasting happiness, our Lord has stamped it plainly with the mark of its divine origin. In the Nicene Creed we say: “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic …

The Church is one because it is unified in belief. The truths which the members of the Catholic Church hold are the truths made known to us by Jesus Himself; they are truths which come to us directly from God. God is Truth. He knows all things and cannot be mistaken. He is infinitely truthful and cannot lie. Whatever God …

Jesus said, “And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16). Jesus prayed to His Father: “That they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may …

All Catholics are united under the same spiritual leadership because Jesus Christ made Peter the chief shepherd of His flock, and provided that Peter’s successors, the Bishops of Rome, would be the heads of His Church and guardians of His truths until the end of time. Loyalty to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, will ever be the binding center …