YOUCAT Question n. 130 - Part I. Are non-Catholic Christians our sisters and brothers also?
(Youcat
answer) All baptized persons belong to the Church of Jesus Christ. That is why
also those Christians who find themselves separated from the full communion of
the Catholic Church are rightly called Christians and are therefore our sisters
and brothers.
A deepening through CCC
(CCC 817 a) In fact, "in this one and only Church of God
from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly
censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions
appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the
Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to
blame" (UR 3 § 1).
Reflecting and meditating
(Youcat comment)
Instances of separation
from the one Church of Christ came about through falsifications of Christ’s
teaching, human failings, and a lack of willingness to be reconciled—usually on the part of
representatives on both sides. Christians today are in no way guilty for the
historical divisions of the Church. The Holy Spirit also works for the
salvation of mankind in the churches and ecclesial communities that are
separated from the Catholic Church. All of the gifts present there, for
example, Sacred Scripture, sacraments, faith, hope, love, and other charisms,
come originally from Christ. Where the Spirit of Christ lives, there is an
inner dynamic leading toward “reunion”, because what belongs together wants to
grow together.
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 817 b) The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body -
here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism (Cf. CIC, can. 751) - do
not occur without human sin: Where there are sins, there are also divisions,
schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are
harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers
(Origen, Hom. in Ezech. 9, 1: PG 13,
732).
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