Since you've reposted this, I will again point out that this post is false. By restating it, you bear false witness against us.
The Catechism does not confirm this falsehood.
This appears to virtually mandate that the Holy Spirit must go through the men of the Church in order to reach the believer.
This appears to virtually mandate that the Holy Spirit must go through the men of the Church in order to reach the believer.
You misunderstand or misstate the paragraph you quoted. There's no such mandate in that quote. Point out the words that you think state it.
Since you've reposted this, I will again point out that this post is false. By restating it, you bear false witness against us.
I bore true witness when I quoted from CCC #79:
... And the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church - and through her in the world - leads believers to the full truth, and makes the Word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness."
It appears to say what it says, and you did not argue against it. This is a full filtering middleman. And besides, no FR Catholic has ever told me that I don't need your Church to be saved. While there is the general principle of invincible ignorance, no one has ever told me to rely on it. To my understanding it is a wild card, solely at God's discretion with the idea of one here, maybe one over there. It has never been described to me as some kind of far reaching practice. To the Catholic we are not saved through a personal relationship with God, we are saved by or through the men of the Church, and the physical rituals they perform.
I see what you are probably saying as something similar. CAN the Holy Spirit EVER speak directly to a person? I would expect the Catholic to say "yes", maybe once in a while, but the normal practice is for Him to go through the men of the Church in order to reach the laity. As Dr. E. said, this does not describe a personal relationship with God.