Just as in other parts of the Christian...

Just as in other parts of the Christian credo, the assertion of the church as one holy catholic and apostolic is meant to be understood eschatologically. By that is meant that these characteristics are associated with the church not to describe purely what visibly exists to the beholder; rather they are part of a prayer of longing and hope that the church may in fact become what it is called to be by reason of its lofty vocation.