Pope Benedict XVI as Cardinal Ratzinger had often expressed his serious concern over the problem of what he called "relativism" in theological thinking and in interreligious relations. The Declaration "Dominus Iesus on the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church", issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) on August 6th, 2000, signed by him and ratified and confirmed by Pope John Paul II, states:

"The Church's constant missionary proclamation is endangered today by rela­tivistic theories which seek to justify religious pluralism, not only de factobut also de jure (or in principle) … The roots of these problems are to be found in certain presuppositions of both a theological and philosophical nature, which hinder the understanding and acceptance of the revealed truth … On the basis of such presuppositions, which may evince different nuances, certain theological proposals are developed – at times presented as assertions, and at times as hypotheses – in which Christian revelation and the mystery of Jesus Christ and the Church lose their character of absolute truth and salvific universality, or at least shadows of doubt and uncertainty are cast upon them".

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