The Vatican released a document on Sept. 5 reiterating its belief that Catholicism should not be considered equal to other religions.

“We believe that this one true religion continues to exist in the Catholic and Apostolic Church, to which the Lord Jesus entrusted the task of spreading it among all people,” said the document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratinzger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B.

“This document is a disagreement to relativism, which says that one religion is just as good as any other,” said Richard Schebera, Ph.D., SM.M., an associate professor in the department of theological studies.

Schebera added, “They’re really not saying anything new. This just reaffirms what they’ve said before.”

In a letter to priests in the archdiocese of St. Louis, Archbishop Justin Rigali wrote, “[This] declaration, like the Second Vatican Council on which it is based, in no way excludes ecumenical or interreligious dialogue. In the spirit of Vatican II, we are invited to bear witness to our Catholic faith while respecting the conviction of all others of different or no religious conviction.”

While the document is believed to have come from high authority in the church, Campus Minister Michael Doody, S.J., believes that the statement is undiplomatic.

“John Paul II is a very unwell man,” said Doody. “He is sick and old and doesn’t have the time or energy to deal with the things the pope should deal with. Some forces in the Vatican are using this as an opportunity to beat their own drum and promote their own theological issues and position.”

Doody noted that other Christian denominations realize there’s something unique about the Catholic church which has to do with its long, rich tradition.

One main point in the document stated that “the lack of unity among Christians is certainly a wound for the Church.”

“I agree that a lack of unity is a wound, but I don’t think that proclaiming one religion is better than another will help to heal the wound,” said life-long Catholic Mike Rozier.

“Something I truly believe came from the Lumen Gentium, and it said that if you’re seeking God with a sincere heart, you can achieve eternal salvation,” added Rozier.

Lumen Gentium is a document that came out of the Vatican in 1964 when Pope Paul VI reigned.

Junior Amy Buckley, who was raised Baptist said, “There’s a lot of validity to Catholicism, but there’s a lot of validity in other Christian religions, too. I think it would be unfair to Christianity to proclaim one denomination as the true one.”

“A fundamental belief in God and in Jesus Christ and a personal relationship with Jesus are the keys to salvation, whatever denomination you can derive that from,” Buckley added.