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the missionary activity of the Church. It is aimed at the relationship of the RCC with non-
Christian religions in light of Vatican II and is the result of concern that Catholic missionaries
and bishops in other countries may be losing their evangelistic focus.
In RM, John Paul attempts to hold on to ecumenical Catholic openness with one hand and
a traditional theology of exclusivity with the other. He is careful to insist that Christ is the only
way of salvation and the only mediator between God and humanity and, in spite of his positive
evaluations of non-Christian religions, he argues that, even if they are theistic, they are
inadequate because they lack an understanding of Christ. John Paul warns that missionaries and
theologians must not regard this lack of christological understanding as an unimportant issue.
The necessity of Christ and the Church for salvation must be explained, even if it is a difficult
concept culturally.
But along with these traditional affirmations, John Paul moves strongly in the direction of
openness. Commenting on the incarnation, he writes, "The redemption event brings salvation
to all, ,,for each one is included in the mystery of the redemption and with each one Christ has
united himself forever through this mystery."
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Beyond the idea that Christ makes salvation
simply available to all, John Paul develops in his theology a strong notion of God working in an
inner way in all persons. The incarnation unites Christ to all persons, not only ontologically, but
also redemptively. RM is also the first place that John Paul begins to discuss other religions
using the phrase "participated forms of mediation." This idea moves beyond the affirmations of
Vatican II, that Christ can save devotees of other religions, to suggest that other religions are, in
some sense, mediators of salvation. And while he is careful to note that this does not mean that
these forms of mediation are parallel to Christ and that they only derive their meaning and value
from him, this is nevertheless a stunning development. To illustrate from Scripture his positive