To participants in the Plenary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

4Connected with the uniqueness of Christ's salvific mediation is the uniqueness of the Church he founded. The Lord Jesus, in fact, established his Church as a saving reality: as his Body, through which he himself accomplishes salvation in history. Just as there is only one Christ, so his Body is one alone: "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" (cf. Symbolum fidei, DS 48) The Second Vatican Council says in this regard: "Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, this holy Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim on earth, is necessary for salvation" (Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, n. 14) It is a mistake, then, to regard the Church as a way of salvation along with those constituted by other religions, which would be complementary to the Church, even if converging with her on the eschatological kingdom of God. Therefore we must reject a certain indifferentist mentality "characterized by a religious relativism which leads to the belief that one religion is as good as another" (cf. Encyc. Let. Redemptoris missio, n. 36) It is true that non-Christians - as the Second Vatican Council recalled - can "gain" eternal life "under the influence of grace", if "they seek God with a sincere heart" (Lumen gentium, n. 16) But in their sincere search for the truth of God, they are in fact "related" to Christ and to his Body, the Church (cf. ibid.) They nevertheless find themselves in an unsatisfactory situation compared to that of those in the Church who have the fullness of the means of salvation. Understandably, then, in accordance with the Lord's command (cf. Mt 28: 19-20) and as a requirement of her love for all people, the Church "proclaims, and is in duty bound to proclaim without fail, Christ who is "the Way, the Truth and the Life' (Jn 14: 6) In him, in whom God reconciled all things to himself, men find the fullness of their religious life" (Decl. Nostra aetate, n. 2).