Introduction: The essence of human relationships and their purpose in Christian morality
From the very beginning of creation, the purpose of human relationships has been inscribed in the very nature of man and woman. Relationships, whether friendships, courtships, or marriages, are not an end in themselves but are oriented toward something greater: the moral and spiritual growth of the people involved and, by extension, of society. As Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches, “the common good is the measure of all human actions,” and this includes relationships. Without a clear orientation toward the common good, relationships become empty, centered on selfishness, and lose their true meaning.
The common good is not a theoretical or abstract notion. In the context of human relationships, it means that each bond must be a space for mutual edification, growth in virtue, and the pursuit of holiness. If a relationship does not contribute to the common good, it becomes a place of disorder, where passions, selfishness, and personal interest destroy the true purpose of the union between people.
Saint Thomas Aquinas defines the common good as “that which is shared and, in its fullness, not only benefits each individual but elevates the entire community” (Summa Theologica II-II, q.58). In human relationships, this implies that each interaction must be directed toward the pursuit of spiritual, moral, and human good, both for individuals and for society as a whole. Any relationship not founded on this principle is destined to fail.
The Common Good: The Unshakeable Foundation of Human Relationships
The common good is a guiding principle in Catholic morality that, at its core, expresses the need for each human action, including relationships between people, to contribute not only to individual well-being but also to the good of the entire community. In the context of human relationships, this means that every interaction should seek mutual edification and growth in virtue. As Pius XI states in his encyclical Divini Illius Magistri, “The common good is the ultimate principle that must govern social and family life, and only through it can true happiness be achieved.”
In the realm of friendship and courtship, the common good implies that it is not enough to seek emotional or physical satisfaction. These relationships must be ordered toward the integral good of both people. This means that uncontrolled passions, selfishness, or momentary pleasure cannot be allowed to undermine the dignity of the other or destroy the natural order that God has established. Relationships between men and women, when not guided by the common good, end up destroying both individuals and the community.
Saint Francis de Sales is clear on this when he says: “Any friendship not founded in God and the pursuit of virtue is nothing more than a disguised enmity.” True friendship, according to the Church’s teaching, does not seek personal gain or selfish satisfaction but is oriented toward the good of the other and, ultimately, toward God.
“The common good is not the result of the sum of individual goods, but it is that which, in its totality, elevates the entire community, including human relationships.” — Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, q.58.
True Friendship: A Path to Virtue or an Instrument of Perdition
True friendships, according to Catholic morality, must be a means of growth in virtue and mutual edification. Saint Francis de Sales, in his work Introduction to the Devout Life, emphasizes that “a friendship that is not directed toward God is dangerous and, sooner or later, will become an instrument of perdition.” This is because a relationship that does not seek the common good—that is, growth in virtue and respect for the dignity of the other—will inevitably turn into a relationship centered on selfishness and personal pleasure.
In the context of relationships between men and women, this teaching is even more pertinent. A friendship based solely on physical or emotional attraction, without a true orientation toward the common good, is doomed to corruption. Purity and chastity are essential for these relationships to truly flourish. Without them, mutual respect and the common good are compromised, and the relationship falls apart.
“A friendship that does not seek the good of the other is nothing more than a disguised enmity. Only when friendship is oriented toward virtue can it be considered true.” — Saint Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life.
Purity as the Foundation of the Common Good in Relationships
Purity is not merely a moral rule; it is a fundamental principle that guarantees respect for the dignity of the person in any relationship. Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that purity is a virtue that correctly orders affections and desires, allowing relationships between men and women to be oriented toward the common good rather than disorder or selfishness.
In his work Summa Theologica, Aquinas reminds us that “purity is the light of the soul that allows the passions to be ordered toward the good.” In other words, purity is not a denial of emotions or desire, but their proper orientation toward mutual respect and the edification of the other. Without purity, human relationships become deformed, turning into spaces of disorder and selfishness.
The common good, in this context, demands that relationships between men and women always respect the dignity of the other, avoiding any type of familiarity or intimacy that undermines this principle. Physical and emotional contact must always be guided by respect, not by the desire for immediate or personal satisfaction. Otherwise, the relationship becomes an instrument of sin and destruction.
“Purity is not merely abstention but the correct order of passions toward the common good.” — Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, q.151.
Avoiding Inappropriate Familiarities That Compromise the Common Good
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga is a model of prudence and purity. His life is a living testimony to the importance of avoiding occasions of sin and inappropriate familiarities that can lead to emotional or physical disorder. Gonzaga is clear in stating that “it is better to avoid any occasion that might compromise virtue, no matter how small it may seem.”
In the context of relationships between men and women, this means avoiding any type of familiarity that undermines the common good. Interactions must always be guided by prudence and respect, avoiding any gesture or word that might lead to temptation or the loss of mutual respect.
Conclusion
The common good is the moral compass that must guide all our relationships. From friendship to marriage, every interaction between men and women must be oriented toward growth in virtue and the pursuit of holiness. Any relationship that does not contribute to this goal is destined for moral and spiritual failure.
“The common good is the measure of every relationship. In it lies the fullness of moral and spiritual life.” — Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica.
OMO
Bibliography:
1. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, II-II.
2. Saint Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life.
3. Pius XI, Divini Illius Magistri.
4. Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Spiritual Writings.
In the stillness of the night, when darkness seems to reign endlessly, the crowing of the rooster rises with strength, breaking the silence like an unexpected light piercing through the shadows. Just as the rooster’s crowing awakened the conscience of Saint Peter in his denial, the true Christian is called to raise his voice, to proclaim truth and faithfulness to Christ in a world that denies Him. The saints of the Church have been like that rooster, watchful, tireless, warning and awakening the souls that, like Peter, sometimes stray.
Saint Augustine reminds us that the rooster’s crow announces the awakening, not only of the day, but of slumbering consciences: “The rooster crows, and the soul awakens from its slumber of error.” The soul, in its frailty, often resembles Peter, who promises to follow Jesus to the end, but in the moment of trial, collapses. “You will deny me,” Jesus says to him tenderly, knowing that the denial is not the end but the beginning of repentance. Saint John Chrysostom teaches us that Peter’s fragility is the fragility of all, but his tears, his bitter tears, are the path to redemption. “Peter wept, and in his tears he washed away his fault. The Lord looked at him, not to condemn him, but to remind him that His love is stronger than betrayal.”
That same rooster still crows today, not to shame us, but to awaken us. How many today, within the Church itself, deny Jesus? They deny Him whenever they reduce Him to just another leader among many, whenever they ignore the Most Holy Eucharist, forgetting that it is not a symbol, but the Body and Blood of Christ. As Saint Pius X says in his encyclical Pascendi, “the Church is not here to conform to the world, but to transform it through the truth of the Gospel.” Today, many men in the Church have succumbed to the desires of the world, lowering the faith to mere sociology, speaking of sins not as offenses against God, but as mere “frailties.” But the truth does not change: “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” says Christ, and Saint Athanasius teaches us that the Christian must proclaim this truth, even when the whole world denies it.
How brave Saint Athanasius was, who in the midst of the Arian crisis, when it seemed that the whole Church was leaning toward error, stood firm! “Athanasius contra mundum” —Athanasius against the world— he is known as such because he did not fear proclaiming the truth even when he seemed alone. And us? Are we willing to be that rooster crowing in the middle of the night, reminding the world that Christ is King? Saint Vincent of Lérins exhorts us: “Hold fast to the faith that has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.” We cannot change it to please the world, because it is not ours, it belongs to Christ, and to Him we must be faithful.
The rooster crowed, and Peter remembered. We also need that constant reminder. We need saints who awaken us with their example and their word. Saint Pius X, the defender of the purity of doctrine, warns us in his encyclical Pascendi about the dangers of modernism, which seeks a “new church,” a church without the cross, without sacrifice, without Christ. But such a thing does not exist. The Church of Christ is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, and nothing and no one can change it.
As Saint Gregory the Great tells us: “It is better to be persecuted for proclaiming the truth than to be applauded for hiding it.” Today, those who openly speak of Christ, who defend the faith of old, are ridiculed, slandered, set aside. But what does it matter? As Saint Ignatius of Antioch says, “I prefer to die for Christ than to reign over the ends of the earth.” This is the faith we must proclaim, this is the truth the rooster crows every time its voice is heard.
The Gospel, the Catechism of Saint Pius X, the Sacraments of the Church, these are our lessons. How great it is to be that rooster crowing in the dark night of the modern world, reminding everyone that Christ is the only Savior! Crow not to receive applause, but to be faithful. Saint Peter, redeemed by his repentance, teaches us that even the weakest can come to love Christ above all.
Today, the rooster crows again, as on that first morning of repentance. May it not find us sleeping. Let us crow with it, with our eyes closed, because we know the lesson by heart: Christ is our Lord, and outside of Him, there is no salvation. We may not be many, but we will be faithful. As Saint Paul reminds us: “If God is with us, who can be against us?” Let the darkness come, let the trials come. We will be the rooster that crows in the heart of the night, proclaiming the light of Christ, the Son of God made man, the only Savior of the world.
Be encouraged to be that rooster that crows loudly when all others are silent, to be faithful when all others bow, to proclaim the truth when everything seems lost! Christ lives, His Truth remains, and His Church, our Church, the one from time immemorial, will continue to proclaim His name until the end of time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. SAINT AUGUSTINE. Confessions. Editorial Gredos, Madrid, 1996.
2. SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew. Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, Madrid, 1955.
3. SAINT PIUS X. Pascendi Dominici Gregis. 1907. Available online at: Vatican.va.
4. SAINT LEO THE GREAT. Sermons and Letters. Editorial Ciudad Nueva, Madrid, 2004.
5. SAINT VINCENT OF LÉRINS. Commonitorium. Biblioteca de Patrística, Madrid, 2000.
6. SAINT ATHANASIUS. Letters Against the Arians. Editorial BAC, Madrid, 1994.
7. SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT. Homilies on the Gospel. Editorial BAC, Madrid, 1996.
8. SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH. Letters. Editorial Ciudad Nueva, Madrid, 1999.
9. SAINT PAUL. Epistle to the Romans, in Holy Bible. Editorial Rialp, Madrid, 1996.
10. SÍ SÍ NO NO. Where the Rooster Crows. 16/09/2019. Available at: https://adelantelafe.com/donde-el-gallo-canta/.
In today’s world, we have perfected an extraordinary skill: renaming what used to be called sin, dressing it up with softer and more acceptable words. So, when someone says they are “rebuilding their life,” what they are really doing is finding an elegant way to say they have fallen into adultery. Because, of course, who would dare call things by their proper name when we can soften them with a bit of creative language?
“Rebuilding your life” sounds almost like a noble task, as if abandoning a marriage were some kind of personal improvement project. How useful the euphemism is! We no longer talk about breaking promises or betraying a sacred sacrament; instead, adultery is presented as an opportunity for “rediscovery.” But the reality, even if we dress it up, remains the same: the act of rebuilding one’s life is, at its core, undoing the life one vowed to share in fidelity.
We find ourselves in an era where words have the power to transform the perception of things, but not their essence. “Rebuilding your life” is nothing more than a modern formula to say that the marital bond has been broken and adultery has been embraced—with a marketing twist. It’s as if, by changing the words, we also change the meaning of the act. But no matter how much we soften it, adultery remains what it is: a grave sin.
The most ironic thing about all of this is that the process of “rebuilding” is portrayed as a heroic act. The adulterer presents themselves as someone who has overcome an obstacle, when in reality they have avoided the most fundamental commitment. It doesn’t take courage to “rebuild” your life; it takes a lack of courage to stay faithful to what was promised. In the end, the phrase is an excuse dressed in self-pity.
So, let’s return to the original point: “rebuilding your life” is nothing more than a clever way of renaming adultery, a way of disguising betrayal and presenting it as a fresh start. But the truth doesn’t change, no matter how many times we try to dress it up. In the end, rebuilding one’s life after having given a word in a sacrament is nothing other than undoing what God has united, and calling it by another name does not make it virtuous.
See:
http://www.catholicityblog.com/2015/12/rebuilding-your-life.html
INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
In recent years, interreligious dialogue has gained increasing prominence within certain sectors of the Church. Among the most notable statements is the emphasis on religious diversity as a positive aspect, and in some cases, even described as a “gift from God,” as promoted in various speeches by Pope Francis. This type of statement, while well-intentioned from the perspective of promoting peace, directly contradicts the traditional teachings of the Church regarding the uniqueness of salvation in Christ and His Church.
Pope Francis’ words raise concerns among those who defend traditional truth by proposing an idea that relativizes revealed truth, which is contrary to what has been taught for centuries through Catholic Tradition. This article seeks to offer a systematic and apologetic analysis, based on popes, saints, and pre-conciliar doctors, to reaffirm the teaching that outside the Church there is no salvation (extra Ecclesiam nulla salus) and to uncover the errors present in the relativistic approaches that have emerged in recent times.
I. CONTEXT OF RECENT STATEMENTS BY POPE FRANCIS
1. The Declaration on Fraternity in Abu Dhabi (2019)
In February 2019, Pope Francis signed the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi, along with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. In this document, it was stated:
“The pluralism and diversity of religions, color, sex, race, and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings.”
This statement sparked intense debate within the Church, as it seems to suggest that God, in His will, wants the existence of a plurality of religions, which contradicts the traditional teaching that God has revealed only one truth. This declaration raises the question: How can God desire the existence of erroneous beliefs that deny His revelation in Jesus Christ?
2. Statements of 2023: Proposing Religion, Not Imposing It
On September 13, 2023, during a meeting with a delegation from the mosque of Bologna, Pope Francis once again called for fraternity and interreligious dialogue, stating that each believer should feel free to propose their religion without imposing it, avoiding what he considers proselytism. In his words, Francis stated:
“Every believer must feel free to propose—but never impose—their own religion to others, believers or not. This excludes any form of proselytism, understood as exerting pressure or threats.”
While the freedom of conscience is a value recognized by the Church, the statement that one should propose religion without the explicit mandate to convert souls to the truth seems to dilute the Church’s evangelizing mission, which is to preach the truth of Christ with clarity and without ambiguity.
3. Statements of 2024: Religious Diversity as “A Gift from God”
In September 2024, during an ecumenical gathering in Albania, Pope Francis reiterated that the diversity of religious identities is a “gift from God.” In his speech, Francis said:
“Contemplate the differences of your traditions as a richness, a richness that God wills to be. Unity is not uniformity, and the diversity of your cultural and religious identities is a gift from God.”
This type of statement raises serious doctrinal concerns, as it implies that the plurality of religions—some of which deny fundamental truths of Christian revelation—is willed by God as such, rather than recognizing that these religions deviate from the truth revealed by Jesus Christ.
II. THE CATHOLIC TRADITION: THE UNIQUENESS OF SALVATION AND TRUTH
1. Christ’s Mandate: Preaching the Gospel to All Nations
The mission of the Church has always been to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation for all nations. This mandate lies at the heart of the evangelical message:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
This command was not merely an invitation to dialogue or propose the Gospel as one option among many. Christ Himself, the Son of God, did not present His message as one among a plurality of religions but as the only truth that saves.
Pope St. Pius X, in his encyclical E Supremi Apostolatus (1903), reaffirmed the importance of this mandate:
“The principal mission that has been entrusted to us by the Redeemer is to preach the Gospel and ensure that all humanity returns to submission to God through Christ. Outside of Christ, there is no salvation, nor hope of salvation.”
2. The Teaching of the Church Fathers: Salvation Only in the Church
From the early centuries, the Church has taught that outside the Church there is no salvation. This doctrine, known as extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, has been proclaimed clearly by the Fathers of the Church and reaffirmed by several councils. The Council of Florence (1442) expressed this truth unequivocally:
“The Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes, and preaches that no one who is outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews, heretics, and schismatics, can partake of eternal life; but will go into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are united with her” (Denzinger 1351).
The uniqueness of salvation in the Catholic Church is not a mere theological detail but a fundamental truth of the Christian faith. Denying this teaching, or softening it in the name of interreligious unity, implies a grave deviation from the truth revealed by God.
III. THE CONDEMNATION OF RELATIVISM AND RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENTISM
1. Religious Indifferentism: A Condemned Error
Religious indifferentism, which holds that all religions are equally valid, has been strongly condemned by the Church. This idea, which undermines revealed truth and relativizes the Catholic faith, was labeled a detestable heresy by Pope Gregory XVI in his encyclical Mirari Vos (1832):
“We condemn that detestable heresy of indifferentism, namely, that opinion which has spread everywhere, claiming that eternal salvation can be obtained by any profession of faith” (Mirari Vos, n. 13).
This teaching emphasizes that there can be no equivalence between the Christian faith and religions that deny fundamental truths of the Gospel. Revealed truth is not relative, and the existence of other beliefs does not mean that God wills them as such. God desires all men to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), not that they remain in error.
2. The Defense of Truth by the Popes
Pope Pius IX, in his encyclical Quanta Cura (1864), also condemned any form of relativism that would place all beliefs on the same level. In his firm defense of truth, Pius IX taught:
“It is a pernicious error to think that any religion can be the path to salvation. The only true religion is the one that Christ revealed and that the Catholic Church defends” (Quanta Cura, n. 9).
3. St. Thomas Aquinas: Truth Is Unique and Absolute
St. Thomas Aquinas, the greatest theologian of the Church, taught that truth is unique and objective. According to Thomas, God has revealed only one truth, and this truth is fully found in the Catholic Church. In his Summa Theologica, St. Thomas affirms:
“The ultimate end of the New Law (the law of the Gospel) is that men participate in divine life through the revealed truth. Outside this truth, there is no salvation, because the truth is unique and objective” (Summa Theologica, I-II, q.108, a.1).
For St. Thomas, the truth revealed by God cannot be shared with error. To claim that God “wills” the diversity of religions is essentially a grave theological error, as it implies that God desires confusion regarding His own revelation.
IV. PREACHING AS AN APOSTOLIC DUTY: TRUTH CANNOT BE SILENCED
Pope Pius XII, in his encyclical Mystici Corporis (1943), taught that preaching the Gospel is not optional but a sacred apostolic responsibility:
“Even though some souls may be saved by extraordinary means known only to God, they must always be united in some way to the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church” (Mystici Corporis, n. 103).
Pope Leo XIII, in Satis Cognitum (1896), reaffirmed the need to proclaim the truth of the Catholic faith without compromising it:
“The Church is indeed the work of Christ, founded for the eternal salvation of men. Those who depart from the Church or oppose her separate themselves from the path of salvation” (Satis Cognitum, 9).
St. Alphonsus Liguori, doctor of the Church, explained that preaching the Gospel is not imposition but the greatest act of charity. In his work The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, St. Alphonsus says:
“There is no greater work of mercy than to save a soul from error and lead it to the light of truth” (The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, Chapter 7).
True Christian charity does not consist of leaving people in error but in guiding them toward the truth revealed by God. This truth cannot be relativized or diluted in the name of a misunderstood respect for diversity.
CONCLUSION: TRUTH CANNOT BE RELATIVIZED
The traditional teaching of the Church, defended by pre-conciliar popes, saints, and theologians, proclaims without ambiguity that only in the Catholic Church can the fullness of revealed truth and the means of salvation be found. Any attempt to relativize this truth by equating other religions with the Catholic faith is an error that undermines the Church’s mission and betrays Christ’s mandate to preach the Gospel to all nations.
True charity requires the Church to proclaim the truth without compromise, offering all souls the opportunity to know Christ and attain eternal life. Religious diversity, far from being a “gift from God,” is a manifestation of the confusion that can only be overcome through unity in the truth that Christ established in His Church.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas
• Quanta Cura, Pope Pius IX
• Mirari Vos, Pope Gregory XVI
• Mortalium Animos, Pope Pius XI
• Immortale Dei, Pope Leo XIII
• Satis Cognitum, Pope Leo XIII
• Mystici Corporis, Pope Pius XII
• E Supremi Apostolatus, Pope St. Pius X
• Contra Epístulam Manichaei, St. Augustine
• De Ecclesiae Unitate, St. Cyprian
• The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, St. Alphonsus Liguori
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