TheDecree on Ecumenismemploysagnoscoseven times, often in
important passages. Regarding non-Catholics, it states that‘all who
have been justified by faith in baptism are members of Christ’s body,
and have a right to be called Christians, and so are deservedly
recognized (agnoscuntur) as sisters and brothers in the Lord’.Concerning
such people and their communities,‘Catholics must gladly acknow-
ledge (agnosco) and esteem the truly Christian endowments which
derive from our common heritage...It is right and salutary to
recognize (agnosco) the riches of Christ and the virtuous deeds in
the lives of others.’^262 In this manner, theDecree on Ecumenism
recognizes non-Catholic Christians and their practices (e.g. baptism)
even when other churches are not recognized as such. TheDecree
employs the verbcognoscowhen it describes the mutual learning
processes among Christian communities.^263
The Catholic recognition goes even further with regard to the
Eastern churches. In the liturgy and doctrine of the Eastern churches,
Christ can be‘acknowledged (agnosceretur) as being truly and prop-
erly Son of God and son of man, according to the Scriptures’.
Catholics‘must recognize (agnoscendum est) the admirable way in
which they [the theological traditions of the Eastern church] have
their roots in holy scripture’. The eastern theological expressions are
often to be considered ‘as mutually complementary rather than
conflicting’with Catholic expressions.^264
In sum, the Second Vatican Council takes over the classical theo-
logical terminology ofagnoscoandagnitio veritatis, extending it to
new areas. Among such areas, the relationship with other religions
and other Christian communities is particularly obvious. Remark-
ably, the Council operates with‘imperfect’modes of acknowledging
the truth: some people know God as Creator, while others know
about the suffering and inadequacy of the world. Christian persons,
doctrines, and liturgical expression can also be recognized in cases in
which a full agreement is lacking. While Christians recognize each
other as fellow Christians, they should also recognize a theological
dimension in other religions and the whole of humanity. Such acts of
recognition are not entirely horizontal, as the Catholic church
remains the point of comparison and no full recognition of other
(^262) Unitatis redintegratio,3,4. (^263) E.g.Unitatis redintegratio, 9, 10.
(^264) Unitatis redintegratio, 16, 17.
170 Recognition and Religion