Letter Placuit Deo to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on certain aspects of Christian salvation Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

The letter Placuit Deo, addressed to the bishops of the Catholic Church, and, more generally, to all the faithful, intends to “explain, in the spirit of Dominus Iesus, what Christian salvation means” with par ticular reference to the teachings of Pope Fran- cis.  It  is  intended  to “help  the  faithful  rediscover  the  beauty,  the  fascination,  of belonging to Christ and to the Church, which is the essence of the whole path of Evangelization”. The Holy Father often speaks about two tendencies which are similar to two ancient heresies – Pelagianism and Gnosticism –. The present letter is intended to deal with these reductionist tendencies that threaten today’s Christianity, pointing out that salvation consists in our union with Christ.