Replies

I finally read the quote you gave us from Unam Sanctam. The correct understanding of this rests on the Church's constant teaching that no one can be held guilty for an offense of which, through no fault of their own, they were ignorant. As Jesus said, even as he was being tortured to death, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

According to Catholic doctrine, a mortal sin requires three elements:

the act or omission is, objectively, gravely wrong
the person knows he is choosing to do something gravely wrong
he chooses it with sufficient deliberation to say that it was really intentional.

Keep this in mind for what follows:

[Vatican II Lumen Gentium, para 14]
"He [Jesus Christ] Himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it."

And...

[Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 847.]
"This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: "Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience -- those too may achieve eternal salvation." [Vatican II LG 16]

So it is TRUE what Pope Boniface VIII said in Unam Sanctam in 1302 (everyone must be a member of the Catholic Church), it is ALSO TRUE that being outside the Catholic Church cannot be imputed as sin to people who neither knew that this was God's will, nor intentionally disobeyed God in this matter. A mortal sin cannot exist without sufficient knowledge and free deliberate consent.

This applies to those whom the Church terms "invincibly ignorant," namely, those who are quite blamelessly ignorant, through no fault of their own. It does not apply to those who were ignorant through sloth, pride, obstinacy, malice, etc.

These aren't just my opinions, they are the doctrines of the Church. Do you have any questions? -- I'm sure there must be areas I haven't covered sufficiently.

I finally read the quote you gave us from Unam Sanctam. The correct understanding of this rests on the Church's constant teaching that no one can be held guilty for an offense of which, through no fault of their own, they were ignorant. As Jesus said, even as he was being tortured to death, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Actually, we are held accountable for those things we are "ignorant" of.

The words bolded are pulled from the same greek word παράπτωμα.

3900 paráptōma (from 3895 /parapíptō, see there) – properly, fall away after being close-beside, i.e. a lapse (deviation) from the truth; an error, "slip up"; wrong doing that can be (relatively) unconscious, "non-deliberate." HELPS Word-studies

Ephesians 2 clarifies we are responsible for ALL transgressions, known or not, against God. It teaches the fact that all sin makes us dead before God....not just the mortal sins. It's all sins.

Ephesians 2: 1-10

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

As Jesus said, even as he was being tortured to death, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

This is a little out of context. The Jews knew who He was but the Roman soldiers did not understand the full ramifications of their actions. That Jesus forgave them for their actions indicates their guilt.