The Vatican reminds Christians that Jesus is the only savior in light of concern over current tendencies that distort and reduce the meaning of Christian salvation.
The Holy See does so through this letter, “Placuit Deo,” in which it assures that “salvation does not consist in the self-realization of the isolated individual, nor in an interior fusion of the individual with the divine. Rather, salvation consists in being incorporated into a communion of persons that participates in the communion of the Trinity.”
The Vatican releases this clarification due to recent cultural transformations.
MSGR. LUIS LADARIA FERRER
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
“What are these cultural transformations that obfuscate the confession of Christian faith that proclaims Jesus as the only universal Savior? The Holy Father Francis, in his ordinary teaching, frequently speaks about two tendencies that resemble, in some aspects, two old heresies – pelagianism and gnosticism.”
The neopelagianism of today promotes an individualist vision of salvation, obtained only through one's own efforts, denying the existence of divine grace. Gnosticism promotes purely internal salvation without recognizing God's hand.
The Vatican also reminds that neither good works nor good feelings drive salvation.
MSGR. LUIS LADARIA FERRER
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
“Salvation cannot be simply reduced to a message, a practice, a gnosis or an internal feeling. As Benedict XVI wrote, 'One doesn't become Christian because of an ethical decision or grand idea, but rather because of the encounter with an occasion, with a Person, which gives a new meaning to life, and with it, a decisive direction.'”
Although this letter is directed at Christians, the Vatican hopes it will also be useful for everyone who wonders about the meaning of life and one's own happiness.
