Proclaiming Christ in a pluralistic context

Abstract

Christians live in a pluralistic world, which has an effect on their thoughts and lives. This dissertation focuses on the understanding of religious pluralism from the perspective of Catholic theology starting from the positions taken at the Second Vatican Council and how they were received and developed in post-Conciliar theology. The dissertation seeks to understand the uniqueness and universality of Christ as the sacrament of salvation, which impels the Church to proclaim Christ, and how this is or can be reconciled with the Church's commitment to inter-religious dialogue in today's situation. Specifically, Jacques Dupuis' contribution to the developing Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism will be closely examined in the light of the developing official position, particularly in Redemptoris Missio and Dominus Jesus. This dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation and the motivations for exploring issues related to religious pluralism. Chapter 2 outlines the Second Vatican Council's position and post-conciliar Magisterium contributions on non-Christian religious traditions. Chapter 3 presents an overview of the different perspectives that have marked the Christian theological evaluation of other religious traditions. In particular, Jacques Dupuis' Christological model, as it is expounded in his book, Towards a Christian theology of religious pluralism (1997), is examined in detail. Chapter 4 inquires into the objections posed by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to Dupuis' model, which led to a subsequent censure of his book. Chapter 5 concludes the dissertation with some considerations for a Christian approach to other religious traditions in the present context that could make good sense at a practical level.