1984 Articles

Roman Catholic Approaches to Other Religions: Developments and Tensions

Knitter, Paul

The article traces stages in the development of Roman Catholic attitudes towards other faiths, with special concern for the question of the uniqueness of Christ. Five stages are identified: 1) exclusive ecclesiocentrism -- "no salvation outside the church"; 2) inclusive ecclesiocentrism -- no salvation without the church; 3) constitutive christocentrism -- Christ working anonymously in the religions; 4) normative christocentrism -- Christ the final norm for all religions; and 5) dialogical theocentrism -- the many religions as many co-equal partners in God. The article urges greater inter-Christian dialogue in exploring the validity of this final stage.