The Second Vatican Council

Before the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church was regarded as having a relatively negative view towards other religions in the world. This idea came from a teaching by Saint Cyprian of Carthage in the third century and was widely followed since then until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. He used the Latin phrase, “Extra ecclesiam nulla salus,” which translates to, “Outside the Church there is no salvation.” He wrote this in a letter that was sent during a time of question about whether or not it was just to baptize those seeking baptism in the Catholic Church who had been formerly baptized by heretics. In his letter, Cyprian said that he “believed that those who were baptized outside the communion of the Church had no true baptism” (Sanidopoulos). As time went on, people began to take offense to this idea. The Catholic Church preached
The Catholic Church has learned that they must not and will not reject anything that is viewed to be sacred or holy in other religions. Catholics must learn to honor each of these special practices with as much respect and reverence as they would hope other religions would have for them. As the Catholic Church has come to realize all of this, it encourages all of its followers to collaborate with as many people of other religions, and by doing this, it may grow their own faith (Nos Aet 5,6) . In an article in The Catholic Culture, they make the point that the Nostra Aetate states that Catholics must learn to regard all of the good things in each religion as holy. They also state that in no way, can we show any disrespect or complacency to the people that are professing their religion. In their words, “Both will rob our brothers and sisters of opportunities to come to know Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”