In September of 2000, the ecumenical pendulum had been slowly swinging towards a vastly more inclusive ecumenism, pioneered largely by the Second Vatican Council. Dominus Iesus was a bucket of cold water on a fire that had been slowly growing in intensity. Declarations of the nature of those just cited were a clear effort to stop the swinging of the pendulum and encourage its reverse course. In other words, Dominus Iesus was an effort to preserve the sacramental system of the Catholic Church. Despite its best efforts, however, the declaration could not entirely avoid the swing of the pendulum that had become irreversible after the Second Vatican Council, and that would have enduring and significant implications on the sacramental nature of the Church, as we are soon to see.
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