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Doctrinal Note on some Aspects of Evangelization

Doctrinal Document

Doctrinal Note on some Aspects of Evangelization

  • Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
  • Libreria Editrice Vaticana
  • Vatican City
  • 2007-12-03 AD

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reaffirms evangelization as the Church’s permanent mission: Christ entrusts the Apostles, and through them the Church, with proclaiming the Gospel to all people. Because the Gospel is Jesus Christ himself and every person has a right to hear it, Christian charity requires more than social or material assistance. The Church must lead people to an encounter with Christ, faith, baptism, and continuing conversion. The Note addresses the claim that evangelization violates religious freedom, explaining that human freedom reaches its fulfilment in the truth and that sharing revealed truth is a service rather than coercion. Evangelization must respect conscience and dignity, rejecting force and manipulation, while joining holy witness to explicit proclamation. Engagement with cultures allows the Gospel to take diverse forms without losing its integrity, and the evangelizers and the whole Church are renewed through this exchange. The Church’s mission is inseparable from the Kingdom identified with Christ, not with a generic religious or political ideal. Ecumenical dialogue and cooperation should strengthen the credibility of the Gospel without compromising Catholic faith. Every baptized Christian therefore retains the duty to proclaim Christ, motivated by love and seeking the fullness of salvation for all.

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