Is truth knowable? And if we know the truth, must we hide it in the name of tolerance? In this newly translated work, Cardinal Ratzinger engages the crucial problem of the encounter between truth, tolerance, religion and culture in the modern world. "But what if it is true?" is the question that he poses to cultures that decry the Christian position on man's redemption. A work of extreme sensitivity, understanding, and spiritual maturity, this book is an invaluable asset to those who struggle to hear or make heard the voice of truth in the modern world. Describing the vast array of global religions, Ratzinger embraces the difficult challenge of meeting diverse understandings of spiritual truth while defending the Catholic teaching of salvation through Jesus Christ. In this way, he develops the themes which were set out in Dominus Jesus, the document addressing the question of salvation through other religions, issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in August 2000. "Beyond all particular questions, the real problem lies in the question about truth. Can truth be recognized? Or, is the question about truth simply inappropriate in the realm of religion and belief?
But what meaning does belief then have, what positive meaning does religion have, if it cannot be connected with truth?" - Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, from the Preface