Discipleship and Mission

The Church is confessed as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. These marks describe Christ’s gifts and the Church’s continuing vocation: communion, sanctification, the fullness and universality of faith, and fidelity to apostolic witness. Christian divisions are real wounds. Ecumenism seeks unity with truth and charity, while dialogue with other religions requires respect without pretending all beliefs are identical.

All the baptized share a call to holiness and mission, while serving in different ways. Bishops, priests, and deacons exercise ordained ministry; lay people witness especially within ordinary social life; consecrated people offer distinctive forms of dedication. These are complementary vocations rather than a scale of human worth. The pope’s ministry and episcopal communion must be understood within this whole ecclesial life.

Faith is lived through relationships, paid and unpaid work, caregiving, friendship, and service. These are places of holiness rather than distractions from a supposedly more religious life. Responsibilities must be held together: generosity outside the home should not excuse neglect within it, and family loyalty should not excuse injustice toward others. Charity and justice belong in ordinary decisions about time, money, and attention.