Is the Catholic Church Necessary?

Is the Church Necessary?

1. Introduction

Philosophers say that this is the age of postmodernism, and that one of the features of this dispensation is that people tend to have a "do-it-yourself" attitude to many, if not most, areas of their lives. This has become particularly evident in the realm of religion, where people feel that they do not need any institution or authority; instead they say that personal reading of sacred texts and private prayer is all that they need to be in a good relationship with God.

This notion clearly goes against traditional Christianity, in particular, that taught by the Catholic Church, and as such the question then logically must be asked, "Is the Church necessary?" This paper will be devoted to examining and responding to this subject, showing that the Church is indeed necessary, and that furthermore, that the Church's raison d'être lies not in any spiritual or psychological need of humanity, but solely in the plan of God.

2. Examination of the Question

Before this question can be answered, one needs to clearly define what is meant by the word "Church." This paper, drawing from the riches of Dominus Iesus, employs the term "Church" to describe the "single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him." This is taken from the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church which states that the Church is

"This is the single Church of Christ... which our Saviour, after his resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care (cf. Jn. 21:17), commissioning him and the other Apostles to extend and rule her (cf. Matthew 28:18ff.), erected for all ages as ‘the pillar and mainstay of the truth' (1 Tim. 3:15). This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in [subsistit in] the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him." (LG 8)

The words subsistit in used by the Council Fathers are of tremendous importance. As Dominus Iesus explains, in this definition of "Church" the Council had the difficult task of reconciling two statements of faith. On the one hand, it must be believed that the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist in its entirety only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that "outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth," that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church. But with respect to these, it needs to be stated that "they derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church."