The Declaration Dominus Iesus

Abstract

The proclamation of the Gospel to the world (Matthew 28:19) was the missionary mandate given by Christ to the Church as He ascended to Heaven. While significant strides had been made in the past, the Church humbly admits that her universal mission is still far from completion. In the twentieth century, in her continuing effort to evangelize, the Church saw the need to address her relation to the world, particularly to other Christian denominations and the various non-Christian faiths. Through the Second Vatican Council, the Church's dialogue with them resulted in a more open environment. Conversely though, some theologians like Jacques Dupuis construed this openness in a relativist pluralism approach to accommodate the need for a “balanced” view of dialogue between faiths. The Declaration Dominus Iesus, written in the Jubilee Year 2000, was intended to address Christians regarding this increasing tendency of moving away from their central and fundamental faith in Jesus Christ, with whom they are celebrating the year for. This article presents a descriptive and historical overview of the Declaration and its contents, particularly mentioning those theories or positions, which were held erroneous and subsequently countered by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.