It reiterated long-held Catholic claims of being the only church through which believers can find true salvation. Moreover, those points create another wall - not only between people of different faiths, but also between the Catholic hierarchy and the laity. The ecumenical dialogue has been remarkable. Catholics and Lutherans, Anglicans and Orthodox, Muslims and Jews have opened new doors of understanding, as have John Paul's statements on and apologies for Roman Catholicism's past anti-Semitism and other wrongs. Few people look askance at interfaith marriages anymore or doubt whether a Catholic or a Jew or a Baptist would make a good president.
Churches work together through hunger walks, food pantries, homeless shelters and other activities.
Much of that grass-roots tolerance of and respect for other faiths has come about precisely because of the ecumenical dialogue that has taken place at higher levels. Given that, leaders of other churches could be forgiven if they ask themselves whether their Catholic colleagues are really interested in ecumenism or whether dialogue is a cover for missionary activity. Such statements will also sow doubt among interfaith families and may take us back to the days when a Catholic girl brought home a Protestant guy only with feelings of great trepidation. And they will drive away those who resent claims of exclusivity, who prefer instead to believe that there is room in the kingdom for all people. There is a widening gap between many laity and church leaders over such issues as abortion, birth control and the ordination of women.