''De fide'' (of the faith) is a "

theological note The theological notes designate a classification of certainty of Roman Catholic beliefs in Catholic theology. While theological notes qualify positively beliefs and doctrines, said beliefs and doctrines are qualified negatively by theological ce ...

", a "theological qualification" that indicates that some religious doctrine is an essential part of

Catholic faith The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and that denial of it is

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important relig ...

.Karl Rahner, ''Theological Notes'', in ''Encyclopedia of Theology''
/ref> The doctrine is ''de fide divina et ecclesiastica'' (of divine and ecclesiastical faith), if contained in the sources of revelation and therefore believed to have been revealed by God (''de fide divina'') and if taught by the Church (''de fide ecclesiastica''). If a doctrine has been solemnly defined by a

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

or an

ecumenical council An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote ar ...

as a

dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...

, the doctrine is ''de fide definita''. What is believed to be a truth contained in the sources of revelation thus becomes a "

", in the present ecclesiastical sense of this word, only when enunciated by the Church: "According to a long-standing usage a dogma is now understood to be a truth appertaining to faith or morals, revealed by God, transmitted from the Apostles in the Scriptures or by tradition, and proposed by the Church for the acceptance of the faithful."

Ludwig Ott Ludwig Ott (24 October 1906 in Neumarkt-St. Helena – 25 October 1985 in Eichstätt) was a Roman Catholic theologian and medievalist from Bavaria, Germany. After training at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt The Katholisch ...

's work 'Fundamentals of Catholic dogma' characterizes statements of catholic faith including ''de fide'' dogma. Some examples, from a total of around 238 dogmatic statements, are given below with their respective page numbers: * God, our Creator and Lord, can be known with certainty, by the natural light of reason from created things. (pg 13) * God’s existence is not merely an object of natural rational knowledge, but also an object of supernatural faith. (pg 17) * God’s Nature is incomprehensible to men. (pg 20) * The blessed in Heaven possess an immediate intuitive knowledge of the Divine Essence. (pg 20) * The

Divine Attributes The attributes of God are specific characteristics of God discussed in Christian theology. Christians are not monolithic in their understanding of God's attributes. Classification Many Reformed theologians distinguish between the ''communica ...

are really identical among themselves and with the Divine Essence. (pg 28) * God is absolutely perfect. (pg 30) * God is absolutely immutable. (pg 35) * Christ’s Divine and Human characteristics possess its own Will and its own Natural Mode of Operation. (pg 160) * Baptism can be validly administered by anyone. (pg 356) * The Baptism of young children is valid and licit. (pg 359) * The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are truly, really and substantially present in the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

. (pg 373) * For children before the age of reason the reception of the Eucharist is not necessary for salvation. (pg 396) * The power of

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

resides in a validly consecrated priest only. (pg 397) * All temporal punishments for sin are not always remitted by God with the guilt of sin and the eternal punishment. (pg 434) * The Sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation to those who, after Baptism, fall into grievous sin. (pg 438)

References

Sources

* Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia
''A Concise Dictionary of Theology'', s.v. ''Qualification, Theological''
*

Karl Rahner Karl Rahner (5 March 1904 – 30 March 1984) was a German Jesuit priest and theologian who, alongside Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Yves Congar, is considered to be one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of ...

''Theological Notes'', in ''Encyclopedia of Theology'' 1975
* Avery Dulles, ''The Survival of Dogma, Faith, authority and dogma in a changing world,'' Image Books, New York, 1970 {{DEFAULTSORT:De Fide Latin words and phrases Latin religious words and phrases Dogma Heresy in the Catholic Church Theological grades of certainty