Lumen Fidei - page 66

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of faith, then, is the unity of a living body; this
was clearly brought out by Blessed John Henry
Newman when he listed among the characteristic
notes for distinguishing the continuity of doc-
trine over time its power to assimilate everything
that it meets in the various settings in which it
becomes present and in the diverse cultures
which it encounters,
44
purifying all things and
bringing them to their finest expression. Faith is
thus shown to be universal, catholic, because its
light expands in order to illumine the entire cos-
mos and all of history.
49. As a service to the unity of faith and its
integral transmission, the Lord gave his Church
the gift of apostolic succession. Through this
means, the continuity of the Church’s memory
is ensured and certain access can be had to the
wellspring from which faith flows. The assurance
of continuity with the origins is thus given by
living persons, in a way consonant with the living
faith which the Church is called to transmit. She
depends on the fidelity of witnesses chosen by
the Lord for this task. For this reason, the mag-
isterium always speaks in obedience to the prior
word on which faith is based; it is reliable because
of its trust in the word which it hears, preserves
425:
“Servatur et in fide inviolata quaedam castitas virginalis, qua Eccle-
sia uni viro virgo casta coaptatur”.
44
 Cf.
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine
(Uni-
form Edition: Longmans, Green and Company, London, 1868-
1881), 185-189.
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