Vicky, Batlyol

3. The Nature of the Church

In this topic, we will discuss the characteristics of the Church, which of course have to do with the
meaning and nature of the Church itself. The creed of the Catholic Church is formulated in the prayer of
the creed (credere = believe). There are two formulations of the creed, namely the short formulation and
the long formulation. The short formulaic creed is called the Apostles' Creed because according to tradition
it was composed by the apostles. The long one is called the Nikea Creed which was ratified at the Council
of Nikea (325) emphasizing the divinity of Jesus. In later times it was commonly referred to as the Nikea-
Constantinople Creed because it was associated with the Council of Constantinople I (381). This Council
emphasized the divinity of the Holy Spirit who is to be worshipped and glorified alongside the Father and
the Son. It is this creed that is more widely used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. In the formulation
of the long creed at the end, the four characteristics or characteristics of the Catholic Church are stated:
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
1. The church is "one" because of the Holy Spirit who unites the members of the church with each
other and with the heads or leaders of the church (bishops) both particular and universal (the Pope) who
resides in the Vatican.
2. The Church is "holy" because thanks to the Holy Spirit who animates her, the Church is united
with God, the only One who is holy in Himself.
3. The Church is "catholic", "comprehensive", "am" or "general" because it is spread throughout
the world so that it includes all.
4. The Church is "apostolic" because its citizens are said to be "members of the people of God" if
they are united with the centers of the Church that recognize themselves as the throne of the Apostles
(apostoloi).
The four attributes of the Church are interrelated, but they are not a ready-made formula. The
Church understands them by reflecting on herself with the work of the Holy Spirit within her. The Church is
both divine and human, originating from Jesus and developing in history. The Church is dynamic, not one-
off and static, therefore these attributes of the Church must always be fought for.

A. The One Church

Tens of thousands of young Catholics worldwide gathered at Campo San Juan Pablo II - Metro Park
(Panama City, Panama) for the 34th World Youth Day 2019. The week-long gathering of young Catholics
concluded on Sunday, January 27, 2019 with Holy Mass presided over by Pope Francis and attended by
hundreds of thousands of people. During the World Youth Day (WYD), young people united in prayer,
recollection, catechesis and conferences and performed various cultural arts from their respective
countries.
What exactly is the meaning and significance of the one Church? According to the Encyclopedia of
the Church, "The Church is one because it is united in faith, baptism, the celebration of the Eucharist and
worldwide leadership. This unity must be fostered, guarded, nurtured in a spirit of mutual forgiveness and
respect. This unity is not an imposed uniformity or a disregard for the reasonable freedom of the particular
Churches. Therefore the character of the one Church demands a communion with the Roman Church or
at least not a separation from it (ex-communicatio)."

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The one Church is the Church that believes in the will of God, as written in the Holy Scriptures,
that believers in Christ should gather as the people of God (1Pet 2:5-10) and become one body (1Cor
12:12). The Catholic Church believes that this unity is so solid and strong because it historically stems from
Peter's appointment as the recipient of the keys to the kingdom of heaven. After Peter confessed that
Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus declared that He would build His church on the
rock from which the gates of hell would not prevail (Mt 16:16-19). Thus, Peter was commissioned to
shepherd the sheep with love. Historically, it is also part of the belief that the Popes are successors of Peter
(the first Pope) who leads the Church together with all the Bishops around the world in a collegial manner
called successio apostolica. The Second Vatican Council emphasized the collegial nature of this pastoral
task which is responsible for the performance of the Church's tasks: leading/serving, teaching, and
sanctifying.

Reinforcement Activity 1

World Youth Day (WYD) is the brainchild of Pope John Paul II since 1985. Every two or three years,
WYD is celebrated internationally in a place chosen by the Pope. OMKs from all over the world
gather with the Holy Father there.
During WYD participants visit the host country, do community service, visit dioceses, and take part
in various celebrations. There are seminars, catechetical meetings, ending with a papal mass
presided over by the Holy Father or Pope.
Pope Francis' message to young Catholics at WYD Panama was that we are all "on a journey . . .
keep walking, keep living the faith and sharing it".
The unitary nature of the Church is reflected in the communion of young people and Catholics
gathered in Panama in the name of one faith, hope and love.

Reinforcement Activity 2

The unity of faith is nothing but the belief of God's people in the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Such faith certainly points to what the Church has believed from then until now: that Christ
himself wanted the unity of the Church and made it one body (cf. 1Pet 2:5-10).

The Church Teaching (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

"This is the one and only Church

Lumen Gentium, or the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of
the major documents of the Second Vatican Council. It was promulgated
of Christ, which in the creed of
by Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964. THE LIGHT OF THE PEOPLE is
Christ. So, this holy Council, gathered in the Holy Spirit, is eager to
faith we confess to be one, holy,
enlighten everyone in the light of Christ, which shines on the face of the
catholic, and apostolic" (LG 8).
Church, by proclaiming the Gospel to all creatures (cf. Mk 16:15).

These four attributes, which cannot be separated from one another,

characterize the nature of the Church and her mission. The Church does not
have them of herself. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ made His Church one,
holy, catholic, and apostolic. He calls her to exercise each of these attributes
(CCC 811).
Only faith can recognize that the Church received these attributes from its divine origin. Yet
its effects in history are a sign that also clearly impresses human reason. As the First Vatican

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In the Apostolic Constitution "Fidei Depositum", Pope John Paul II

stated that the CCC, approved on June 25, 1992, is "a valid and
Council said, the Church "by her
legitimate instrument in the communion ministry of the Church, marvelous propagation, by her
henceforth as the definitive norm for the teaching of the faith.
extraordinary holiness, and by her
inexhaustible fecundity in all things good, by her catholic unity and by her
invincible stability, is a powerful and continuous reason worthy of belief and an
incontrovertible testimony to her divine mission" (CCC 812).
The church is one according to its origin. "The supreme pattern and
principle of the mystery is the unity of the one God in three persons: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit" (UR 2). The Church is one according to its Founder. "For the Son himself
incarnate has reconciled all men to God, and restored the unity of all men in one nation and one
body" (GS 78, 3). The church is one according to its soul. "The Holy Spirit, who dwells in the hearts
of the faithful, and fills and guides the whole Church, creates that marvelous
communion of the faithful, and so closely binds them together in Christ, that
it becomes the principle of the unity of the Church.
As such, unity is included in the nature of the Church: "What a secret
wonder! One is the Father of all things, also one is the Logos of all things, and
the Holy Spirit is one and the same everywhere, and also there is only one
Virgin Mother; I love her, and call her the Church" (Clement of Alexandria, CCC
813).
But from the very beginning, this Gaudium et Spes (the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)
one Church has had tremendous instructs the faithful on the importance of Christian engagement with the world and the
principles that should govern that engagement today. It is a document of particular
diversity. On the one hand, this diversity importance to the laity, whose responsibility it is to transform the society in which they
live.
is caused by the differences in God's grace, on the other hand, by the diversity of the people who
receive it. In the unity of God's people, different nations and cultures come together. Among the
members of the Church there is a diversity of gifts, duties, conditions of life and ways of life; "then
in the communion of the Church there should also be. In the communion of the Church there should
also be specialized Churches, which have their own traditions" (LG 13). The great wealth of
diversity does not hinder the unity of the Church, but sin and its consequences burden and threaten
this gift of unity constantly. This is why St. Paul had to give the exhortation, "to preserve the unity
of the Spirit by the bond of peace" (Eph 4:3; CCC 814).
Which are the bonds of unity? Primarily love, "the bond of perfection" (Col 3:14). But the unity
of the pilgrim Church is also secured by the following visible bonds of communion:
➢ The confession of one and the same faith, handed down by the apostles;
➢ The celebration of common worship, especially the sacrament of
confirmation; apostolic succession, which by the sacrament of ordination
establishes agreement as brothers and sisters in the family of God (cf. UR 2;
LG 14: CIC. Can. 205; CCC 815).
"This is the only Church of Christ." .... After His resurrection, our Redeemer
gave the Church to Peter to shepherd. He entrusted it to Peter and the other
The 1983 Code of Canon Law is the "fundamental body of apostles for expansion and guidance . . . That Church,
ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the second and
current comprehensive codification of canonical legislation for which in this world is organized and governed as a
the Latin Church of the Catholic Church. union, is in the Catholic Church, headed by Peter's
successor and the bishops in communion with him (LG 8). The Second Vatican Council's decree on
ecumenism states: "Only through the catholic Church of Christ, which is the common effort for

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salvation, can the fullness of the salvific effort be attained. For we believe that it is only to the
council of apostles, chaired by Peter, that the Lord has entrusted all the treasures of the New
Testament, in order to form the one body of Christ on earth. In that Body must be fully realized all
those who in some way belong to the people of God" (CCC 816).

The meaning of the unity of the Church according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
One according to its origin. "The supreme pattern and principle of the mystery is the unity of
the one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit".
One according to its Founder. "For the Son himself incarnate has reconciled all men to God,
and restored the unity of all men in one nation and one body" (GS 78, 3).
One according to his soul. "The Holy Spirit, who dwells in the hearts of the faithful, and fills
and guides the whole Church, creates that marvelous communion of the faithful, and so tightly
binds them together in Christ, that it becomes the principle of the unity of the Church."
The bond of communion that appears in the confession of one and the same faith, handed
down by the apostles; the celebration of common worship, especially the sacraments; the
apostolic succession, which by the sacrament of ordination establishes the agreement as
brothers and sisters in the family of God.

Religion Grade XI
The Church as an Open Communion