When, on the other hand, some imaginary "invisible Church," some assembly of all the good people in the world, was designated as the "soul of the Church," these explanations lapsed into doctrinal inaccuracy. The great paramount mystery of the Church is to be found in the fact that the visible and organized religious society over which the Bishop of Rome presides as the Vicar of Christ and the Successor of St. Peter is the true and only ecclesia of the New Testament. This society, and this alone, is the true kingdom of God on earth, the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. It holds within its membership both good men and bad. It includes those who are truly appreciative of their membership and those who are not. Nevertheless, in the mysterious and merciful designs of God's providence, this community and no other is the social entity within which men are to find salvific contact with God in Christ. Fenton
Topic: POPE PIUS XII'S ENCYCLICAL HUMANI GENERIS (Read 4850 times)