Abstract

The context of religious pluralism in our society imposes upon theology the need not only to engage in dialogue with the various realities which exist, but also to undertake a serious reflection as to how these should be understood within God’s great plan of salvation. Are we to consider other religions as no more than ‘historical accidents’, brought into being by the incapacity of human beings to grasp the truth of the Gospel, or may we judge them to be part of a divine economy? We must allow ourselves to ask these questions, questions which these days provoke animated and widely differing responses, in order not to run the risk of offering answers that are hasty and out of place.