"The traditional catholic teaching on the moral obligation of individuals and societies towards the true religion and the one Church of Christ"

On page 103, Professor Pink refers to Cardinal Journet, who was appointed by Pope Paul VI as a cardinal so that he, a simple professor of theology at the Grand Séminaire of Fribourg, could participate in the deliberations on the schema about religious freedom. Professor Pink quotes Journet in support of his and against my reading of Dignitatis Humanae §1 where it is declared that the doctrine contained in this text "leaves unchanged (integram) the traditional catholic teaching on the moral obligation of individuals and societies towards the true religion and the one Church of Christ" (104). As I wrote in my article, this statement already presupposes the claim, made in the previous sentence of Dignitatis Humanae, that in religious matters there must be "immunity from coercion in civil society."

Professor Pink asserts that "it is not at all clear what the basis might be for Rhonheimer's reading" (104). This is surprising, because the basis is extensively referred to. It is not only the very text of Dignitatis Humanae, but also No. 2105 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which not only literally quotes that passage of Dignitatis Humanae but provides an authoritative interpretation of it.

So, about "the traditional catholic teaching on the moral obligation of individuals and societies towards the true religion and the one Church of Christ," on page 1036 of my article I wrote the following:

What these duties consist in is specified in what can be considered an authentic interpretation of the debated passage. The passage is quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2105, which explains that it refers to the duty of individuals and of society of "offering God genuine worship." This is realized when, "constantly evangelizing men, the Church works toward enabling them 'to infuse the Christian spirit into the mentality and mores, laws and structures of the communities in which [they] live" In their personal involvements and activities in family and professional life, Christians are required "to make known the worship of the one true religion which subsists in

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Dignitatis Humanae—Not a Mere Question of Church Policy: A Response to Thomas Pink

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