Dominus Iesus

Dominus Iesus (English: The Lord Jesus) is a declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (previously known as the "Holy Office"), approved in a plenary meeting of the Congregation and signed by its then prefect, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), and its then-secretary, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone.

The document states that, "[w]ith the expression subsistit in, the Second Vatican Council sought to harmonize two doctrinal statements: on the one hand, that the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that 'outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth.

'"[3] The document reserves the word "Church" for bodies that have preserved a "valid episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery".

"[5] Thus, the document ultimately views such non-Catholic religions as non-salvific, since "all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church, His body", as the Second Vatican Council stated.

He added: "This confession does not deny salvation to non-Christians, but points to its ultimate source in Christ, in whom man and God are united.