Christ and the Church

There is an interesting story featured on Catholic World News (CWN) about Pope Benedict’s reflection on the Epistles of St. Paul. Here is the quote [Emphasis supplied]:

The Church recognizes Christ as "greater than herself, because his lordship extends beyond her confines," the Pope said. Yet it is the Church, not the universe, that is recognized as the Body of Christ. "This means we must give positive consideration to worldly things," Pope Benedict said, "because Christ recapitulates them in Himself, and at the same time we must fully live our specific ecclesial identity, which is the closest to the identity of Christ Himself."

The Holy Father has touched on one of the most important aspect of the Church today. With the proliferation of ecumenism and including the proliferation of distorted views on ecumenism, here the Pope has emphasized the central teaching of the Church regarding its relationship to Christ and to the world. Here Christ is recognized as the Lord, that his lordship covers not only the church but also those of the world. Second the Holy Father has emphasized the unique role of the Catholic Church as the Body of Christ. Christ is the savior of the Church and as such it stands opposite those who are not saved because of unbelief. Indeed the church is exclusive not inclusive. The Church is a community, a community of the Baptized and believers.