Catechism of the Catholic Church — paragraphs 801

801 It is in this sense that discernment of charisms is always necessary. No charism is exempt from being referred and submitted to the…
802 Christ Jesus "gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own" ( Titus 2:14).
803 "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people" ( 1 Pet 2:9).
804 One enters into the People of God by faith and Baptism. "All men are called to belong to the new People of God" ( LG 13), so that, in…
805 The Church is the Body of Christ. Through the Spirit and his action in the sacraments, above all the Eucharist, Christ, who once was dead…
806 In the unity of this Body, there is a diversity of members and functions. All members are linked to one another, especially to those who…
807 The Church is this Body of which Christ is the head: she lives from him, in him, and for him; he lives with her and in her.
808 The Church is the Bride of Christ: he loved her and handed himself over for her. He has purified her by his blood and made her the fruitful…
809 The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the soul, as it were, of the Mystical Body, the source of its life, of its unity…
810 "Hence the universal Church is seen to be 'a people brought into unity from the unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit'" ( LG 4…
811 "This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic." These four characteristics,…
812 Only faith can recognize that the Church possesses these properties from her divine source. But their historical manifestations are signs…
813 The Church is one because of her source : "the highest exemplar and source of this mystery is the unity, in the Trinity of Persons, of one…
814 From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity…
815 What are these bonds of unity? Above all, charity "binds everything together in perfect harmony." But the unity of the pilgrim Church is…
816 "The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and…
817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as…
818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such…
819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written…
820 "Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never…
821 Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call: - a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her…
822 Concern for achieving unity "involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike." But we must realize "that this holy objective - the…
823 "The Church . . . is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and…
824 United with Christ, the Church is sanctified by him; through him and with him she becomes sanctifying. "All the activities of the Church…
825 "The Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real though imperfect." In her members perfect holiness is something yet to…
826 Charity is the soul of the holiness to which all are called: it "governs, shapes, and perfects all the means of sanctification." If the…
827 "Christ, 'holy, innocent, and undefiled,' knew nothing of sin, but came only to expiate the sins of the people. The Church, however,…
828 By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God's grace,…
829 "But while in the most Blessed Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle, the…
830 The word "catholic" means "universal," in the sense of "according to the totality" or "in keeping with the whole." The Church is catholic…
831 Secondly, the Church is catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race: All men are called to…
832 "The Church of Christ is really present in all legitimately organized local groups of the faithful, which, in so far as they are united to…
833 The phrase "particular Church," which is first of all the diocese (or eparchy), refers to a community of the Christian faithful in…
834 Particular Churches are fully catholic through their communion with one of them, the Church of Rome "which presides in charity." "For with…
835 "Let us be very careful not to conceive of the universal Church as the simple sum, or . . . the more or less anomalous federation of…
836 "All men are called to this catholic unity of the People of God. . . . And to it, in different ways, belong or are ordered: the Catholic…
837 "Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given…
838 "The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic…
839 "Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways." The relationship of the Church with the…
840 And when one considers the future, God's People of the Old Covenant and the new People of God tend towards similar goals: expectation of…
841 The Church's relationship with the Muslims . "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place…
842 The Church's bond with non-Christian religions is in the first place the common origin and end of the human race: All nations form but one…
843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives…
844 In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them: Very often, deceived…
845 To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's…
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation…
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: Those who, through no fault…
848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without…
849 The missionary mandate . "Having been divinely sent to the nations that she might be 'the universal sacrament of salvation,' the Church, in…
850 The origin and purpose of mission . The Lord's missionary mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity: "The…
851 Missionary motivation . It is from God's love for all men that the Church in every age receives both the obligation and the vigor of her…
852 Missionary paths. The Holy Spirit is the protagonist, "the principal agent of the whole of the Church's mission." It is he who leads the…
853 On her pilgrimage, the Church has also experienced the "discrepancy existing between the message she proclaims and the human weakness of…
854 By her very mission, "the Church . . . travels the same journey as all humanity and shares the same earthly lot with the world: she is to…
855 The Church's mission stimulates efforts towards Christian unity . Indeed, "divisions among Christians prevent the Church from realizing in…
856 The missionary task implies a respectful dialogue with those who do not yet accept the Gospel. Believers can profit from this dialogue by…
857 The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the apostles, in three ways: - she was and remains built on "the foundation of the…
858 Jesus is the Father's Emissary. From the beginning of his ministry, he "called to him those whom he desired; . . . . And he appointed…
859 Jesus unites them to the mission he received from the Father. As "the Son can do nothing of his own accord," but receives everything from…
860 In the office of the apostles there is one aspect that cannot be transmitted: to be the chosen witnesses of the Lord's Resurrection and so…
861 "In order that the mission entrusted to them might be continued after their death, [the apostles] consigned, by will and testament, as it…
862 "Just as the office which the Lord confided to Peter alone, as first of the apostles, destined to be transmitted to his successors, is a…
863 The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, in communion of faith and…
864 "Christ, sent by the Father, is the source of the Church's whole apostolate"; thus the fruitfulness of apostolate for ordained ministers as…
865 The Church is ultimately one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in her deepest and ultimate identity, because it is in her that "the Kingdom of…
866 The Church is one: she acknowledges one Lord, confesses one faith, is born of one Baptism, forms only one Body, is given life by the one…
867 The Church is holy: the Most Holy God is her author; Christ, her bridegroom, gave himself up to make her holy; the Spirit of holiness gives…
868 The Church is catholic: she proclaims the fullness of the faith. She bears in herself and administers the totality of the means of…
869 The Church is apostolic. She is built on a lasting foundation: "the twelve apostles of the Lamb" ( Rev 21:14). She is indestructible (cf.…
870 "The sole Church of Christ which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, . . . subsists in the Catholic Church,…
871 "The Christian faithful are those who, inasmuch as they have been incorporated in Christ through Baptism, have been constituted as the…
872 "In virtue of their rebirth in Christ there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity…
873 The very differences which the Lord has willed to put between the members of his body serve its unity and mission. For "in the Church there…
874 Christ is himself the source of ministry in the Church. He instituted the Church. He gave her authority and mission, orientation and goal:…
875 "How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless…
876 Intrinsically linked to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is its character as service . Entirely dependent on Christ who gives…
877 Likewise, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it have a collegial character . In fact, from the beginning of…
878 Finally, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it have a personal character . Although Christ's ministers act in…
879 Sacramental ministry in the Church, then, is a service exercised in the name of Christ. It has a personal character and a collegial form.…
880 When Christ instituted the Twelve, "he constituted [them] in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed…
881 The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of…
882 The Pope , Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and…
883 "The college or body of bishops has no authority unless united with the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, as its head." As such, this…
884 "The college of bishops exercises power over the universal Church in a solemn manner in an ecumenical council." But "there never is an…
885 "This college, in so far as it is composed of many members, is the expression of the variety and universality of the People of God; and of…
886 "The individual bishops are the visible source and foundation of unity in their own particular Churches." As such, they "exercise their…
887 Neighboring particular Churches who share the same culture form ecclesiastical provinces or larger groupings called patriarchates or…
888 Bishops, with priests as co-workers, have as their first task "to preach the Gospel of God to all men," in keeping with the Lord's command.…
889 In order to preserve the Church in the purity of the faith handed on by the apostles, Christ who is the Truth willed to confer on her a…
890 The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this…
891 "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher…
892 Divine assistance is also given to the successors of the apostles, teaching in communion with the successor of Peter, and, in a particular…
893 The bishop is "the steward of the grace of the supreme priesthood," especially in the Eucharist which he offers personally or whose…
894 "The bishops, as vicars and legates of Christ, govern the particular Churches assigned to them by their counsels, exhortations, and…
895 "The power which they exercise personally in the name of Christ, is proper, ordinary, and immediate, although its exercise is ultimately…
896 The Good Shepherd ought to be the model and "form" of the bishop's pastoral office. Conscious of his own weaknesses, "the bishop . . . can…
897 "The term 'laity' is here understood to mean all the faithful except those in Holy Orders and those who belong to a religious state…
898 "By reason of their special vocation it belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them…
899 The initiative of lay Christians is necessary especially when the matter involves discovering or inventing the means for permeating social,…
900 Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they…

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