(This is the second in a three part series on the Legacy of Pope John Paul II. Read part one here.)
One of the disturbing developments of the latter part of the 20th century is relativism, which suggests that "one religion is as good as another." Pope John Paul II confronted, as does Pope Benedict XVI, the misconceptions of relativism. In Redemptoris Missio, Pope John Paul II listed some questions posed by people experiencing the confusion of relativism: "Is missionary activity among non-Christians still relevant? Has it not been replaced by inter-religious dialogue? Is not human development an adequate goal of the Church's mission? Does not respect for conscience and for freedom exclude all efforts at conversion? Is it not possible to attain salvation in any religion? Why then should there be missionary activity?" (no. 4).
In response, Pope John Paul II recalled the beginnings of the Church, as reflected in the New Testament, which offer "a clear affirmation that Christ is the one Savior of all, the only one able to reveal God and lead to God" (no. 5). The convincing preaching of Peter, the valiant missionary endeavors of Paul, and the Gospels themselves which all lead us to understand that "Christ is the one mediator between God and humankind… No one, therefore, can enter into communion with God except through Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit. Christ's one, universal mediation, far from being an obstacle on the journey toward God, is the way established by God himself" (no. 5). Appropriately, Pope John Paul II added the simple yet poignant proclamation of Saint Paul: "God's plan is to 'unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth' (Eph 1:10)" (no. 6).
The Pontiff continued, "The urgency of missionary activity derives from the radical newness of life brought by Christ and lived by his followers" (no. 7). Pope John Paul II, who recognized the ailments of contemporary humanity, knew that the Church offers to humanity the remedy by directing man from a merely "horizontal dimension," which attempts to eliminate the spiritual dimension in the name of freedom of conscience. Acknowledging the teachings of Vatican II on religious freedom, Pope John Paul II noted: "Proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to him, when done in a way that respects consciences, does not violate freedom. Faith demands a free adherence on the part of man, but at the same time faith must also be offered to him, because the 'multitudes have the right to know the riches of the mystery of Christ " riches in which we believe that the whole of humanity can find, in unsuspected fullness, everything that it is gropingly searching for concerning God, man and his destiny, life and death, and truth … This is why the Church keeps her missionary spirit alive, and even wishes to intensify it in the moment of history in which we are living'" (no. 8).
