Freedom and authority in the church according to the constitution 'Lumen Gentium'

Abstract

Redemption is a divine action that liberates man. Already in the Old Testament salvation is often presented as a divine intervention in order to free man from all kind of slavery. The Church as the great sacrament of redemption is also a sacrament of freedom, namely of the liberty of the sons and daughters of God. It is true the liberty of the children of God can survive all forms of suppression and tyranny. But the Church cannot credibly proclaim the genuine nature of the liberty of the sons of God unless she is concerned to foster and to promote the freedom of all men on all levels, above all in the relationships which characterize her own life. The Church is the visible sign, the effective sacrament of salvation to the extent that she is also a sacrament of liberty that helps all men to distinguish genuine liberty from libertinism and to commit themselves to the cause of liberty for all mankind.