theology as a coherent, all-encompassing system. De Chirico identifies two axioms of the Catholic system: the nature-grace continuum (what I will call the nature-grace interdependence) and the Catholic Church as the ongoing incarnation of the ascended Christ (what I will call the Christ-Church interconnection).26 Each of these two pillars will be discussed and assessed in turn. De Chirico defines the two key concepts of nature and grace: “In Christian vocabulary,
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