The Catholic doctrine of "Baptism of desire" covers this. It holds that if someone wants to lead a good life and would have received Baptism had they known about it, they can be saved.
The saying "Outside the Church there is no salvation" has to be interpreted as the Church interprets it. Father Feeney was excommunicated for teaching that non-Catholics couldn't be saved. What the saying means is that the only route to salvation is that preached by the Church: repentance for sin and reform of your life. The reason for being in the Church is that the Sacraments help you to repent and reform.
No, Fr. Feeney was actually excommunicated for disobedience. He was summoned to Rome to meet with Pope Pius XII, and he continually refused, so he was excommunicated for disobedience, not the things he taught.
Excellent point. I forgot that! Thanks.
False statement. Father Feeney was not excommunicated for this. Furthermore, he died in full Communion with the Catholic Church.
The Catholic doctrine of "Baptism of desire" covers this. It holds that if someone wants to lead a good life and would have received Baptism had they known about it, they can be saved.
This has got to be the worst butchering of the a "Baptism of desire" I've ever seen.
It is infallible dogma that there is absolutely, positively no salvation outside the Church, and that baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation as dogmatically restated again very clearly at the Council of Trent.