Religious pluralism is thriving and vitally important. This is not only the case in Asia with its myriad religious beliefs and practices but also in Europe, which has seen the growth and development of many non-Christian religious traditions that compete with its Christian heritage. Joseph Ratzinger, former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, is commonly regarded as a conservative theologian who sees religious pluralism as a challenge to the Church’s ability to proclaim the gospel with greater fidelity. This means that in the face of multiple religious beliefs, Christians must be convinced of the truth of their faith.
The author examine Ratzinger’s thoughts on this issue of religious pluralism, in order to evaluate how the official Church has responded to the call of Vatican II to create a dialogue with non-Christian faiths. This book, thus, attempts to understand what the "guardian of the faith" says and why he says it. It does this by looking at Ratzinger’s educational, cultural, and religious background to reveal his Eurocentric bias, particularly in his ecclesiology, ecumenical theology, and attitude towards religious pluralism with its "evil twins" of relativism and secularism.
