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Dogmas of the Catholic Church
The following De Fide statements comprise "Our Catholic Faith without which it
is impossible toplease God" (The Council of Trent, Session V, explaining the
correctinterpretation of Hebrews 11: 6). These positive "articles of faith"
have the functionof fundamental principles which the faithful accepts without
discussion asbeing certain and sure by virtue of the authority of God, Who is
absolute truth(Council of the Vatican). They represent the mind of Christ as
St. Paul says:
1Cor. 2:16. But we have the mind of Christ.
Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ yesterday, and today: and the samefor ever.
Since OurCatholic Faith comes from God, they are not open for debate, and they
are notreversible.
The Christian is called to adhere to Christ and His teachingintegrally; the
unity of faith isthe dominant motif of divine revelation on which St. Paul
insistsenergetically, when he writes:
1 Cor. 1:10. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you allspeak the same thing, and that there be no schisms among you: but
that you beperfect in mind and in the same judgement.
There is, then, no place for "pick and choose" in the truthsproposed to the
Faith ofChristians by the Infallible Teaching Church for they are bound in
Heaven by GodHimself. If something is decreed on earth and is also bound in
Heaven, thatthing must be the truth. Otherwise, God is no longer the Truth,
which is contraryto the Gospel:
Matthew 16:19. And I will give to thee the keys of thekingdom of heaven. And
whatsoever thoushalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and
whatsoever thoushalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.
The Catholic Church is infallible because it is :
1 Tim 3:15. the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the
truth.
If a baptized person deliberately denies or doubts a dogma,he or she is guilty
of sin of heresyand automatically becomes subject to the punishment of
excommunication.
The following compilation of all the Dogmas of the CatholicChurch was obtained
from the work ofDr. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, published by
the Mercier PressLtd., Cork, Ireland, 1955. This book has the Imprimatur of
Cornelius,Bishop. Reprinted in U.S.A. by Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford,
Illinois, 1974.
God, our Creatorand Lord, can be known with certainty, by the natural light
of reason fromcreated things.
God's existenceis not merely an object of rational knowledge, but also an
object ofsupernatural faith.
God's Nature isincomprehensible to men.
The blessed inHeaven possess an immediate intuitive knowledge of the Divine
Essence.
The immediatevision of God transcends the natural power of cognition of the
human soul, andis therefore supernatural.
The soul, for theimmediate vision of God, requires the light of glory.
God's Essence isalso incomprehensible to the blessed in Heaven.
The divineattributes are really identical among themselves and with the
Divine Essence.
God is absolutelyperfect.
God is actuallyinfinite in every perfection.
God is absolutelysimple.
There is only oneGod.
The one God is,in the ontological sense, the true God.
God possesses aninfinite power of cognition.
God is absoluteveracity.
God is absolutelyfaithful.
God is absoluteontological goodness in Himself and in relation to others.
God is absolutemoral goodness or holiness.
God is absolutebenignity.
God is absolutelyimmutable.
God is eternal.
God is immense orabsolutely immeasurable.
God is everywherepresent in created space.
God's knowledgeis infinite.
God's knowledgeis purely and simply actual.
God's knowledgeis subsistent.
God knows allthat is merely possible by the knowledge of simple intelligence.
God knows allreal things in the past, the present and the future.
By the knowledgeof vision, God also foresees the future free acts of rational
creatures withinfallible certainty.
God's Divine Willis infinite.
God loves Himselfof necessity, but loves and wills the creation of
extra-divinethings, on the other hand, with freedom.
God is almighty.
God is the Lordof the heavens and of the earth.
God is infinitelyjust.
God is infinitelymerciful.
In God there arethree Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Each
of the threePersons possesses the one (numerical) Divine Essence.
In God there aretwo internal divine processions.
The DivinePersons, not the Divine Nature, are the subject of the internal
divineprocessions (in the active and in the passive sense).
The Second DivinePerson proceeds from the First Divine Person by generation,
and therefore isrelated to Him as Son to Father.
The Holy Ghostproceeds from the Father and from the Son as from a single
principle througha single spiration.
The Holy Ghostdoes not proceed through generation but through spiration.
The relations inGod are really identical with the Divine Nature.
The Three DivinePersons are in one another.
All the ad extraactivities of God are common to the three Persons.
All that existsoutside God was, in its whole substance, produced out of
nothing by God.
God was moved byHis goodness to create the world.
The world wascreated for the glorification of God.
The Three DivinePersons are one single, common principle of creation.
God created theworld free from exterior compulsion and inner necessity.
God has created agood world.
The world had abeginning in time.
God alone createdthe world.
God keeps allcreated things in existence.
God, through HisProvidence, protects and guides all that He has created.
The first man wascreated by God.
Man consists oftwo essential parts - a material body and a spiritual soul.
The rational soulper se is the essential form of the body.
Every human beingpossesses an individual soul.
God has conferredon man a supernatural destiny.
Our firstparents, before the fall, were endowed with sanctifying grace.
In addition tosanctifying grace, our first parents were endowed with the
preternaturalgift of bodily immortality.
Our first parentsin Paradise sinned grievously through transgression of the
Divineprobationary commandment.
Through sin ourfirst parents lost sanctifying grace and provoked the anger
and theindignation of God.
Our first parentsbecame subject to death and to the dominion of the devil.
Adam's sin istransmitted to his posterity, not by imitation but by descent.
Original sin istransmitted by natural generation.
In the state oforiginal sin man is deprived of sanctifying grace and all that
this implies, aswell as of the preternatural gifts of integrity.
Souls who departthis life in the state of original sin are excluded from the
Beatific Visionof God.
In the beginningof time God created spiritual essences (angels) out of
nothing.
The nature ofangels is spiritual.
The evil spirits(demons) were created good by God; they became evil through
their own fault.
The secondarytask of the good angels is the protection of men and care for
their salvation.
The devilpossesses a certain dominion over mankind by reason of Adam's sin.
Jesus Christ istrue God and true Son of God.
Christ assumed areal body, not an apparent body.
Christ assumednot only a body but also a rational soul.
Christ was trulygenerated and born of a daughter of Adam, the Virgin Mary.
The Divine andhuman natures are united hypostatically in Christ, that is,
joined to eachother in one Person.
In the hypostaticunion each of the two natures of Christ continues
unimpaired,untransformed, and unmixed with each other.
Each of the twonatures in Christ possesses its own natural will and its own
natural mode ofoperation.
The hypostaticunion of Christ's human nature with the Divine Logos took place
at the moment ofconception.
The hypostaticunion was effected by the three Divine Persons acting in
common.
Only the secondDivine Person became Man.
Not only as Godbut also as man Jesus Christ is the natural Son of God.
The God-Man JesusChrist is to be venerated with one single mode of worship,
the absoluteworship of latria which is due to God alone.
Christ's Divineand human characteristics and activities are to be predicated
of the one WordIncarnate.
Christ was freefrom all sin, from original sin as well as from all personal
sin.
Christ's humannature was passable.
The Son of Godbecame man in order to redeem men.
Fallen man cannotredeem himself.
The God-man JesusChrist is a high priest.
Christ offeredHimself on the Cross as a true and proper sacrifice.
Christ by Hissacrifice on the Cross has ransomed us and reconciled us with
God.
Christ, throughHis passion and death, merited award from God.
After His death,Christ's Soul, which was separated from His Body, descended
into theunderworld.
On the third dayafter His death, Christ rose gloriously from the dead.
Christ ascendedbody and soul into Heaven and sits at the right hand of the
Father.
Mary is truly theMother of God.
Mary wasconceived without the stain of original sin.
Mary conceived bythe Holy Ghost without the cooperation of man.
Mary bore her Sonwithout any violation of her virginal integrity.
After the birthof Jesus, Mary remained a Virgin.
Mary was assumedbody and soul into Heaven.
There is asupernatural intervention of God in the faculties of the soul,
which precedesthe free act of the will.
There is asupernatural influence of God in the faculties of the soul which
coincides in timewith man's free act of will.
For everysalutary act, internal supernatural grace of God (gratia elevans) is
absolutelynecessary.
Internalsupernatural grace is absolutely necessary for the beginning of faith
and salvation.
Without thespecial help of God, the justified cannot persevere to the end in
justification.
The justifiedperson is not able for his whole life long to avoid sins, even
venial sins,without the special privilege of the grace of God.
Even in thefallen state, man can, by his natural intellectual power, know
religious andmoral truths.
For theperformance of a morally good action, sanctifying grace is not
required.
In the state offallen nature, it is morally impossible for man without
supernaturalRevelation, to know easily, with absolute certainty, and without
admixture oferror, all religious and moral truths of the natural order.
Grace cannot bemerited by natural works either de condigno or de congruo.
God gives all thejust sufficient grace for the observation of the divine
commandments.
God, by Hiseternal resolve of Will, has predetermined certain men to eternal
blessedness.
God, by aneternal resolve of His Will, predestines certain men, on account of
their foreseensins, to eternal rejection.
The human willremains free under the influence of efficacious grace, which is
not irresistible.
There is gracewhich is truly sufficient and yet remains inefficacious.
The causes ofJustification. (Defined by the Council of Trent) :
The final causeis the honour of God and of Christ and the eternal life of
men.
The efficientcause is the mercy of God.
The meritoriouscause is Jesus Christ, who as mediator between God and men,
has madeatonement for us and merited the grace by which we are justified.
The instrumentalcause of the first justification is the Sacrament of
Baptism. Thus itdefines that Faith is a necessary precondition for
justification (ofadults).
The formal causeis God's Justice, not by which He Himself is just, but
which He makes usjust, that is, Sanctifying Grace.
The sinner canand must prepare himself by the help of actual grace for the
reception of thegrace by which he is justified.
The justificationof an adult is not possible without faith.
Besides faith,further acts of disposition must be present.
Sanctifying gracesanctifies the soul.
Sanctifying gracemakes the just man a friend of God.
Sanctifying gracemakes the just man a child of God and gives him a claim to
the inheritanceof heaven.
The three Divineor theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are infused
with sanctifyinggrace.
Without specialDivine Revelation no one can know with the certainty of faith,
if he be in thestate of grace.
The degree ofjustifying grace is not identical in all the just.
Grace can beincreased by good works.
The grace bywhich we are justified may be lost, and is lost by every grievous
sin.
By his goodworks, the justified man really acquires a claim to supernatural
reward from God.
A just man meritsfor himself through each good work an increase of
sanctifyinggrace, eternal life (if death finds him in the state of grace) and
an increase inheavenly glory.
The CatholicChurch was founded by the God-Man Jesus Christ.
Christ foundedthe Catholic Church in order to continue His work of redemption
for all time.
Christ gave HisChurch a hierarchical constitution.
The powersbestowed on the Apostles have descended to the Bishops.
Christ appointedthe Apostle Peter to be the first of all the Apostles and to
be the visibleHead of the whole Catholic Church, by appointing him
immediately andpersonally to the primacy of jurisdiction.
According toChrist's ordinance, Peter is to have successors in his Primacy
over the wholeCatholic Church and for all time.
The successors ofPeter in the Primacy are the Bishops of Rome.
The Popepossesses full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole
Catholic Church,not merely in matters of faith and morals, but also in Church
discipline and inthe government of the Church.
The Pope isinfallible when he speaks ex cathedra.
By virtue ofDivine right, the bishops possess an ordinary power of government
over theirdioceses.
Christ foundedthe Catholic Church.
Christ is theHead of the Catholic Church.
In the finaldecision on doctrines concerning faith and morals, the Catholic
Church isinfallible.
The primaryobject of the Infallibility is the formally revealed truths of
ChristianDoctrine concerning faith and morals.
The totality ofthe Bishops is infallible, when they, either assembled in
general councilor scattered over the earth propose a teaching of faith or
morals as one tohe held by all the faithful.
The Churchfounded by Christ is unique and one.
The Churchfounded by Christ is holy.
The Churchfounded by Christ is catholic.
The Churchfounded by Christ is apostolic.
Membership of theCatholic Church is necessary for all men for salvation.
It is permissibleand profitable to venerate the Saints in Heaven, and to
invoke theirintercession.
It is permissibleand profitable to venerate the relics of the Saints.
It is permissibleand profitable to venerate images of the Saints.
The livingfaithful can come to the assistance of the souls in Purgatory by
theirintercessions.
The Sacraments ofthe New Covenant contain the grace which they signify, and
bestow it onthose who do not hinder it.
The Sacramentswork ex opere operato, that is, the sacraments operate by the
power of thecompleted sacramental rite.
All theSacraments of the New Covenant confer sanctifying grace on the
receivers.
Three Sacraments,Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, imprint a character,
that is anindelible spiritual mark, and, for this reason, cannot be repeated.
The sacramentalcharacter is a spiritual mark imprinted on the soul.
The sacramentalcharacter continues at least until the death of the bearer.
All Sacraments ofthe New Covenant were instituted by Jesus Christ.
There are sevenSacraments of the New Law.
The Sacraments ofthe New Covenant are necessary for the salvation of mankind.
The validity andefficacy of the Sacrament is independent of the minister's
orthodoxy andstate of grace.
For the validdispensing of the Sacraments it is necessary that the minister
accomplish theSacramental sign in the proper manner.
The minister musthave the intention of at least doing what the Church does.
In the case ofadult recipients moral worthiness is necessary for the worthy
or fruitfulreception of the Sacraments.
Baptism is a trueSacrament instituted by Jesus Christ.
The materiaremota of the Sacrament of Baptism is true and natural water.
Baptism confersthe grace of justification.
Baptism effectsthe remission of all punishments of sin, both eternal and
temporal.
Even if it beunworthily received, valid Baptism imprints on the soul of the
recipient anindelible spiritual mark, the Baptismal Character, and for this
reason, theSacrament cannot be repeated.
Baptism by water(Baptismus fluminis) is, since the promulgation of the
Gospel, necessaryfor all men without exception for salvation.
Baptism can bevalidly administered by anyone.
Baptism can bereceived by any person in the wayfaring state who is not
already baptised.
The Baptism ofyoung children is valid and licit.
Confirmation is atrue Sacrament properly so-called.
Confirmationimprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, and for this
reason, cannot berepeated.
The ordinaryminister of Confirmation is the Bishop alone.
The Body andBlood of Jesus Christ are truly, really, and substantially
present in theEucharist.
Christ becomespresent in the Sacrament of the Altar by the transformation of
the wholesubstance of the bread into His Body and of the whole substance of
the wine into HisBlood.
The accidents ofbread and wine continue after the change of the substance.
The Body andBlood of Christ together with His Soul and Divinity and
therefore, thewhole Christ, are truly present in the Eucharist.
The Whole Christis present under each of the two Species.
When eitherconsecrated Species is divided, the Whole Christ is present in
each part of theSpecies.
After theConsecration has been completed the Body and Blood are permanently
present in theEucharist.
The Worship ofAdoration (latria) must be given to Christ present in the
Eucharist.
The Eucharist isa true Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ.
The matter forthe consummation of the Eucharist is bread and wine.
For childrenbefore the age of reason, the reception of the Eucharist is not
necessary forsalvation.
Communion undertwo forms is not necessary for any individual members of the
Faithful, eitherby reason of Divine precept or as a means of salvation.
The power ofconsecration resides in a validly consecrated priest only .
The Sacrament ofthe Eucharist can be validly received by every baptised
person in thewayfaring state, including young children.
For the worthyreception of the Eucharist, the state of grace as well as the
proper and piousdisposition are necessary.
The Holy Mass isa true and proper Sacrifice.
In the Sacrificeof the Mass, Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross is made present,
its memorycelebrated, and its saving power applied.
In the Sacrificeof the Mass and in the Sacrifice of the Cross the Sacrificial
Gift and thePrimary Sacrificing Priest are identical; only the nature and the
mode of theoffering are different.
The Sacrifice ofthe Mass is not merely a sacrifice of praise and
thanks-giving,but also a sacrifice of expiation and impetration.
The Church hasreceived from Christ the power of remitting sins committed
after Baptism.
By the Church'sAbsolution sins are truly and immediately remitted.
The Church'spower to forgive sins extends to all sin without exception.
The exercise ofthe Church's power to forgive sins is a judicial act.
The forgivenessof sins which takes place in the Tribunal of Penance is a true
and properSacrament, which is distinct from the Sacrament of Baptism.
Extra-sacramentaljustification is effected by perfect sorrow only when it is
associated withthe desire for the Sacrament (votum sacramenti).
Contritionspringing from the motive of fear is a morally good and
supernatural act.
The Sacramentalconfession of sins is ordained by God and is necessary for
salvation.
By virtue ofDivine ordinance, all grievous sins according to kind and number,
as well as thosecircumstances which alter their nature, are subject to the
obligation ofconfession.
The confession ofvenial sins is not necessary but is permitted and is useful.
All temporalpunishments for sin are not always remitted by God with the guilt
of sin and theeternal punishment.
The priest hasthe right and duty, according to the nature of the sins and the
ability of thepenitent, to impose salutary and appropriate works for
satisfaction.
Extra-sacramentalpenitential works, such as the performance of voluntary
penitentialpractices and the patient bearing of trials sent by God, possess
satisfactoryvalue.
The form of theSacrament of Penance consists in the words of Absolution.
Absolution, inassociation with the acts of the penitent, effects the
forgiveness ofsins.
The principaleffect of the Sacrament of Penance is the reconciliation of the
sinner with God.
The Sacrament ofPenance is necessary for salvation to those who, after
Baptism, fallinto grievous sin.
The solepossessors of the Church's Power of Absolution are the bishops and
priests.
Absolution givenby deacons, clerics or lower rank, and laymen is not
SacramentalAbsolution.
The Sacrament ofPenance can be received by any baptised person who, after
Baptism, hascommitted a grievous or a venial sin.
The Churchpossesses the power to grant Indulgences.
The use ofIndulgences is useful and salutary to the Faithful.
Holy Order is atrue and proper Sacrament which was instituted by Jesus
Christ.
The consecrationof priests is a Sacrament.
Bishops aresuperior to priests.
The Sacrament ofOrder confers sanctifying grace on the recipient.
The Sacrament ofOrder imprints a character on the recipient.
The Sacrament ofOrder confers a permanent spiritual power on the recipient.
The ordinarydispenser of all grades of Order, both the sacramental and the
non-sacramental,is the validly consecrated Bishop alone.
Marriage is atrue and proper Sacrament instituted by God.
From thesacramental contract of marriage emerges the Bond of Marriage, which
binds bothmarriage partners to a lifelong indivisible community of life.
The Sacrament ofMatrimony bestows sanctifying grace on the contracting
parties.
Extreme Unctionis a true and proper Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ.
The remote matterof Extreme Unction is oil.
The form consistsin the prayer of the priest for the sick person which
accomplishes theanointing.
Extreme Unctiongives the sick person sanctifying grace in order to arouse and
strengthen him.
Extreme Unctioneffects the remission of grievous sins still remaining and of
venial sins.
Extreme Unctionsometimes effects the restoration of bodily health, if this be
of spiritualadvantage.
Only Bishops andpriests can validly administer Extreme Unction.
Extreme Unctioncan be received only by the Faithful who are seriously ill.
In the presentorder of salvation, death is a punishment for sin.
All human beingssubject to original sin are subject to the law of death.
The souls of thejust which in the moment of death are free from all guilt of
sin andpunishment for sin, enter into Heaven.
The bliss ofHeaven lasts for all eternity.
The degree ofperfection of the Beatific Vision granted to the just is
proportioned toeach one's merit.
The souls ofthose who die in the condition of personal grievous sin enter
Hell.
The punishment ofHell lasts for all eternity.
The souls of thejust which, in the moment of death, are burdened with venial
sins or temporalpunishment due to sins, enter purgatory.
At the end of theworld Christ will come again in glory to pronounce
judgement.
All the dead willrise again on the last day with their bodies.
The dead willrise again with the same bodies as they had on earth.
Christ, on Hissecond coming, will judge all men.
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