"No Salvation Outside the Church…" What it Means

A new form of "Cafeteria Catholicism" is rising out of the teeth-grinding fustration faithful Catholics have with the endless and relentless assaults upon the Faith, from within as well as from without the Church. Focusing on paradoxes, things that seem contradictory, they follow a path similar to those who eventually ended up outside the Church. Along this path many adherents see at least the last ten popes as having erred in regard to the topic of "No Salvation Outside the Church".

How can this be said? Because they reject the ordinary infallibility of the popes and Magisterium on the full teaching of the Church regarding this. They cite portions of teachings and disregard those that which enunciate a deeper understanding of revealed truth. This fixation has led them to the verge of schism, as they question the validity and authenticity of popes.

From the earliest days of the Church the doctrine of "No Salvation Outside the Church…" has been preached. Among the most notable and quotable are:

St. Augustine: Whoever is separated from this Catholic Church, no matter how much he believes he is living praiseworthily, will not have life, but the anger of God rests upon him. The reason for this offense alone: that he is sundered from the unity of Christ."

Cyprian of Carthage: "Whoever is separated from the Church and is joined to an adulteress [a schismatic church] is separated from the promises of the Church, nor will he that forsakes the Church of Christ attain to the rewards of Christ. He is an alien, a worldling, and an enemy. He cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his mother" (The Unity of the Catholic Church 6, 1st ed. [A.D. 251]).

"Indeed, there is but one universal Church of the faithful outside which no one at all is saved and in which the priest himself, Jesus Christ, is the victim … "

Boniface VIII (1294-1308) issued THE BULL UNAM SANCTAM, 1302, in which he professed:

"We are compelled in virtue of our faith to believe and maintain that there is only one Catholic Church, and that one apostolic. This we firmly believe and profess without qualification. Outside this Church there is no salvation and no remission of sins."

The Council of Florence, 1438-45, Eugene IV presiding, issued a decree for the Jacobites that seems to make the most clear and final statement on the matter:

"The holy Roman Church believes, professes, and preaches that "no one remaining outside the Catholic Church, not just pagans, but also Jews or heretics or schismatics, can become partakers of eternal life; but they will go to the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matt. 25:41), unless before the end of life they are joined to the Church. For union with the body of the Church is of such importance that the sacraments of the Church are helpful to salvation only for those remaining in it; and fasts, almsgiving, other works of piety, and the exercise of Christian warfare bear eternal rewards for them alone. And no one can be saved, no matter how much alms he has given, even if he sheds his blood for the name of Christ, unless he remains in the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church."

Ven. Pius IX: "It is a sin to believe there is salvation outside the Catholic Church,."

We might stop here, assuming that the above is all that has been said; that after 1800 years, the doctrine regarding salvation outside the Church is fully expressed in the above.

You would be wrong. Yes, there is no salvation outside the Church! No, this doesn't mean that every Protestant or un-baptized savage in the middle of the un-explored jungle is going to hell!

To understand this one has to grasp that while truth is eternal, our understanding of it can be limited by our time and culture[Mark 10, 2:12]. Thus, we have the development of dogma.

What are we to make of Pius IX's allocution Sigulari quadam, December 9, 1854, wherein he repudiates the erroneous opinion that all religions were of equal value but at the same time makes it clear that though the Church is necessary for salvation, it is not for us to judge about the state of those who are invincibly ignorant of the true religion.:

(Danzinger,1646) Another error, equally destructive, has taken hold of some parts of the Catholic world, as we see to our sorrow. It has sunk deep into the minds of those Catholics principally who think there is good hope for the eternal salvation of all those who in no wise live in the true Church of Christ. Therefore, they are in the habit of frequently asking what will be the future lot and condition after death of those who in no way have given adherence to the Catholic faith. Advancing the flimsiest of arguments, they expect a reply that will support this erroneous opinion. Far be it from Us, Venerable Brethren, to dare set limits to the divine mercy, which is infinite. Far be it from Us to want to penetrate the secret plans and judgments of God, which are a great abyss (see Ps. 35:7), impenetrable to human thought. But according to Our apostolic office, We want your episcopal care and vigilance to be on the alert to keep away from men's minds, with all possible effort, that opinion which is as unholy as it is deadly. We mean the opinion that a way of eternal salvation can be found in any religion whatever. With all the learning and ingenuity that is yours, teach the people entrusted to your care that the dogmas of the Catholic faith are not in the slightest opposed to the mercy and justice of God.

(1647) It must, of course, be held as a matter of faith that outside the apostolic Roman Church no one can be saved, that the Church is the only ark of salvation, and that whoever does not enter it will perish in the flood. On the other hand, it pg. 80 must likewise be held as certain that those who are affected by ignorance of the true religion, if it is invincible ignorance, are not subject to any guilt in this matter before the eyes of the Lord. Know, then, who could presume in himself an ability to set the boundaries of such ignorance, taking into consideration the natural differences of peoples, lands, native talents, and so many other factors? Only when we have been released from the bonds of this body and see God just as He is (see I John 3:2) shall we really understand how close and beautiful a bond joins divine mercy with divine justice. But as long as we dwell on earth, encumbered with this soul-dulling, mortal body, let us tenaciously cling to the Catholic doctrine that there is one God, one faith, one baptism (see Eph. 4:5). To proceed with further investigation is wrong.

Nevertheless, as charity demands, let us pray continually for the conversion to Christ of all nations everywhere. Let us devote ourselves to the salvation of all men as far as we can, for the hand of the Lord is not shortened (see Isa. 59:1). The gifts of heavenly grace will assuredly not be denied to those who sincerely want and pray for refreshment by the divine light. These truths need to be fixed deeply in the minds of the faithful so that they cannot be infected with doctrines tending to foster the religious indifferentism which We see spreading widely, with growing strength, and with destructive effect upon souls.

Are we to say that the first section (1646) is without error and to be held true, but that he erred in the next part (1647)? Are we to assume that he has erred in an area of faith and morals when he definitively speaks that it "must likewise be held as certain " the teaching about invincible ignorance and God's Mercy and Unfathomable Mind?

Perhaps we can fall back on the argument that he didn't mean what we read. But in his Encyclical To The Bishops Of Italy, Quanto conficiamur moerore, August 10, 1863, once more Pope Pius IX gave both a warning that liberal indifferentism is a serious error opposed to Catholic truth and re-iterated the teaching on invincible ignorance:

(1677) And here, Beloved Sons and Venerable Brethren, it is necessary once to mention and censure serious error to which some Catholics have unfortunately fallen. For they are of the opinion that men who live in errors, estranged from the true faith and from Catholic unity, can attain eternal life. This is in direct opposition to Catholic teaching. We all know that those who are afflicted with invincible ignorance with regard to our holy religion, if they carefully keep the precepts of the natural law that has been written by God in the hearts of all men, if they are prepared to obey God, and if they lead a virtuous and dutiful life, can attain eternal life by the power of divine light and grace. For God, who reads comprehensively in every detail the minds and souls, the thoughts and habits of all men, will not permit, in accordance with his infinite goodness and mercy, anyone who is not guilty of a voluntary fault to suffer eternal punishment. However, well known is the Catholic dogma that no one can be saved outside the Catholic Church, and that those who obstinately oppose the authority and definitions of that Church, and who stubbornly remain separated from the successor of Peter, the Roman pontiff (to whom the Savior entrusted the care of his vineyard), cannot obtain salvation.

A more recent treatment of the subject, under Pius XII, comes to us in the form of a Letter Of The Holy Office To Archbishop Cushing Of Boston, 1949. The full text (Appendix B) is exerpted from The Church Teaches, Page 119-20. It addressed the Fr. Leonard Feeney, M.I.C.M. controversy . After re-affirming the Church's teaching on "Outside the Church there is no salvation" it stated that "But this dogma is to be understood as the Church itself understands it. For our Savior did not leave it to private judgment to explain what is contained in the deposit of faith, but to the doctrinal authority of the Church."

"… To gain eternal salvation it is not always required that a person be incorporated in fact as a member of the Church, but it is required that he belong to it at least indesire and longing.

It is not always necessary that this desire be explicit as it is with catechumens. When a man is invincibly ignorant, God also accepts an implicit desire, so called because it is contained in the good disposition of soul by which a man wants his will to be conformed to God's will.

This is clearly taught by the Sovereign Pontiff Pope Pius XII in his dogmatic letter on the mystical body of Christ, dated June 29, 1943 (see introd. to 239). In this letter the Sovereign Pontiff clearly distinguishes between those who are actually incorporated into the Church as members and those who belong to the Church only in desire.

…With these prudent words the pope censures those who exclude from eternal salvation all men who belong to the Church only with implicit desire; and he also censures those who falsely maintain that men can be saved equally as well in any religion (see 173 g.; 178).

…It must not be imagined that any desire whatsoever of entering the Church is sufficient for a man to be saved. It is necessary that the desire by which a man is related to the Church be informed with perfect charity . And an implicit desire cannot have its effect unless a man has supernatural faith: "For he who comes to God must believe that God exists and is a rewarder to those who seek him" (Heb. 11:6). The Council of Trent says: "Faith is the beginning of man's salvation, the foundation and source of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God and to be counted as his sons" (see 565).

Pope Paul VI, in his Decree On Ecumenism - Unitatis Redintegratio, November 21, 1964, (Appendix B) continued to elaborate on the doctrine regarding invincible ignorance and the status of our separated brethren, when he proclaimed:

The children who are born into these Communities and who grow up believing in Christ cannot be accused of the sin involved in the separation, and the Catholic Church embraces upon them as brothers, with respect and affection. For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect. The differences that exist in varying degrees between them and the Catholic Church- whether in doctrine and sometimes in discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church--do indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones, to full ecclesiastical communion. The ecumenical movement is striving to overcome these obstacles. But even in spite of them it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body,[21] and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.[22]

Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church: the written word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, and visible elements too. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ.

21. Cf. CONC. FLORENTINUM, Sess. VIII (1439), Decretum Exultate Deo: Mansi 31, 1055 A. 22. Cf. S. AUGUSTINUS, In Ps. 32, Enarr. II, 29: PL 36, 299.

Note that St. Augustine, who's citation leads this monograph, is cited as an early Church source by Pius VI. To say it more directly, when we look at the full teaching, in the context of the ordinary infallibility of the pope and Magisterium, and in the context of time spanning from the earliest days, God's Mercy is extendible to all men, and not to be presumed as limited by the simple mind of created man.

If the above is not ‘official' enough, we can look to the contents of the DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH - LUMEN GENTIUM, (Appendix C) promulgated By His Holiness, Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964:

Catechumens who, moved by the Holy Spirit, desire with an explicit intention to be incorporated into the Church, are by that very intention joined to her. With love and solicitude mother Church already embraces them as her own.

15. The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honoured by the name of Christian, but who do not however profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.[14] ... But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Moslems: these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day. Nor is God remote from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, since he gives to all men life and breath and all things (cf. Acts 17:25-28), and since the Saviour wills all men to be saved (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4). 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.[19] Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those who, without any fault of theirs, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, and who, not without grace, strive to lead a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is considered by the Church to be a preparation for the Gospel[20] and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.

Keep in mind that either the Holy Spirit guides the Church or He doesn't. Either Jesus spoke the truth or He did not. If Pius IX and the new Catechism of the Catholic Church are teaching falsehoods then the very doctrine of infallibility that is relied upon by those who narrow God's Mercy to the visible Church and literal baptism with water, is disproved.

If Pius IX is covered with the ordinary infallibility of his Holy Office in his 1854 statement on religious indifferentism (Danzinger,1646), he is equally covered in the next paragraph (1647).when he speaks of invincible ignorance.

The issue of infallibility is often invoked by those denying God's Mercy to those capable of implicit desire for baptism. They use the term ex cathedra as if it meant that the pope literaly had to declare that he was speaking ex cathedra for infallibility to be invoked (Appendix D). This is confusion on their part, for it is only when the pope exercises his singular duty as Vicar of Christ and invokes his supreme apostolic authority, independent of the counsel of other bishops, that this literalism is required. In lieu of these special circumstances, he posesses the ordinary infallibility of a bishop in communion with the Holy Father and Magisterium.

Pope Eugene IV's Letter to the Jacobites, a virulent heretical sect, is often the major reference of those who would wish to limit God's Mercy and judge popes. Their argument is that infallibility is limited to times when the pope speaks to the "universal" Church. They claim that Eugene IV's decree to the Jacobites, a decree to a specific group in active heresy, is to the "universal" Church, while Pius IX's allocution Sigulari quadam and Encyclical To The Bishops Of Italy, Quanto conficiamur moerore, are for local guidance only. They utterly fail to read and understand the history of the Church, wherein papal letters, such as those of Pope Innocent I to Theophilus, the bishop of Alexandria, are the very basis for establishing the primacy of the See of Peter and the infallibility of papal teaching. They make an argument restricting infallibility to the Extraordinary Infallibility of a pope, and then apply those criteria to Eugene IV's Letter to the Jacobites, in total contradiction to the nature of the decree. This is not to say that Eugene IV was not protected by the ordinary infallibility , but that the Extraordinary Infallibility of a pope, speaking ex cathedra and independent of the bishops, has been applied 3, and arguably, 4, times.

When we see Pius IX declaring a teaching on invincible ignorance in 1854, and again in 1863, we must follow the succeeding NINE POPES who accepted, developed and promulgated this teaching without denigrating it in any way. Who are we to say that the last ten popes have been in error? Who are we to judge a pope on faith and morals? The Church has had little difficulty discerning between popes and anti-popes. The very idea that as long ago as 1854 a pope promulgated an error as gross as that fixated upon by the "No-Salvation" people is the kind of idea that can only be entertained by those in the process of loosing their faith…by those foolish enough to assume the authority given to Peter.

The issue of infallibility was recently addressed by Archbishop Bertone, the deputy to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the Vatican's chief doctrinal agency, in a December, 1996, L'Osservatore article [Appendix E]:

As a practical matter, then, what is the level of authority of such documents as Veritatis Splendor, Evangelium Vitae, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, or the other recent documents which Archbishop Bertone mentions? He points out that in each of those documents the Pope (or his representatives) was "confirming" or "reaffirming" a doctrine which forms a part of "the teaching of the ordinary and universal magisterium." The teaching is therefore definitive and irrevocable. Such teaching demands the assent of faithful Catholics; it is not necessary for the Pope to issue a formal declaration that such teachings are infallible.

If the Magisterium is protected by ordinary infallibility, then the Catechism of the Catholic Church is so protected.

And what does the new Catechism of the Catholic Church say about the forms of baptism, the forms rejected by the "No-Salvation" people?

1249 Catechumens "are already joined to the Church, they are already of the household of Christ, and are quite frequently already living a life of faith, hope, and charity."[48] "With love and solicitude mother Church already embraces them as her own."[49]

1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation.[59] He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them.[60] Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament.[61] The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water and the Spirit." God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.

1258 The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received Baptism are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood, like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament.

1259 For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.

1260 "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery."[62] Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,"[63] allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.

Taking an excursion to the side for a moment, we can think what it takes to commit a mortal sin and be condemned to hell, and the teaching of the Catechism on imputability:

1735 Imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors.

It should be noted that those who insist that a "good Protestant" or "ignorant savage" cannot be saved are the first to belly up to the cafeteria line and chose only what doctrines they want. They ignore the teachings of the Church that disagree with their position.

They are patently dishonest when they fail to adequately cite such teachings as those by Pius IX regarding invincible ignorance. I use the word ‘dishonest' because ,when amateurs such as this author readily find them, they cannot possibly have been missed by those with doctorates in Thomistic theology and Canon law. Their searches are selective. They are deceitful because they knowingly mislead those without easy access to Church material.

One may even ask whether they are in schism, for many seem to hold the expressed opinion that we have not had a valid pope since at least the time of Pius XII, and by implicite rejection of specific teaching on this matter at least as far back as Pius IX, 143 years ago. As if God had lied and deserted His Bride.

Yet, for all their commonalties with liberal "Cafeteria Catholics", this group is in love with the Church. They are desperately trying to withstand waves of apostasy that pound shattering debris against their ship. Waves that threaten their children, whom they try to enshroud in authentic Catholic formation…only to see even more threatening waves not far off.

They blame the Captain, on the bridge, directing salvage from a viewpoint they cannot appreciate, responding to dangers they only sense, warding off terrors unimagined but by Daniel and St. John, while constantly engaged in a battle to the death with mutineers seeking control of the Ship.

They are part of the Remnant, in steerage, and sick of it all. This pre-occupation with "No Salvation" allows no charity, and suggests the bitterness that we hear expressed by the vine-dressers who have worked the whole day, sweltering, only to be told to stand behind those receiving the same full days pay for an hours worth of work.

This pre-occupation with "No Salvation" fails to recognize the infinite worth of the being created in the Image and Likeness of God, for whom Jesus died. It is a bitterness at the idea, however improbable, that Adolph Hitler, as the bullet sped down the tube, may have truly, remorsefully, wonderfully, cried out, "My God, I am sorry!", achieved salvation…and caused angels to rejoice.

It is a sickness that tends to tear at the very fabric of the Remnant. It undermines their Faith at a time when they most need to be in communion with the Vicar of Christ, supporting him with their prayers. It revolts those who see this Holy Father as the "Pope of the End Times", a special gift to the Church, commanding the Bark through the final, terrifying battles fought on a raging sea that would strike mindless the most experienced mariners.

It is a sickness of heart, but it's origin is diabolical. It is one of Satan's effort to deceive even the elect. To turn them from the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, by means of a subtle snare. It's a smudge of sea-sickness on the cloth of the Remnant, and it prevokes more vomit from those who are assaulted by it.

It is a diabolical effort to create a stumbling block to those who look to the Church, yet encounter noisy cymbals, lacking charity…exhibitors of a harshness that makes many potential converts turn away in confusion. They do not understand that, if our interpretation of the signs of the time are right, then the Church must seem to die. The Church must climb Calvary and be crucified. Nothing, but nothing will prevent the seeming destruction of the visible Church and rout of the faithful.

Instead of being joyful at the prospect of being an apostle of the last times, they are exhibit despair, not realizing that unless the prophecy of the Great Apostasy unfold, He will not come. And is there anything to be more ardently desired?

Blessed Faustina, while praying for Poland on May 28, 1938, heard the words: "I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My Will, I will exalt her in mightiness and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming" [1732, pg.612, Diary]. The Divine Mercy devotion was already underway. In the few months left in her life, Faustina was being given the prophecy of who would be pope in the end time. John Paul II is that spark. His installation was nothing short of miraculous. His devotion to Mary is his trustworthy credential.

He is a man in charge of a 950 million member organization, with many infiltrators working to seize control. We may grind our teeth in anger at the theological and liturgical atrocities committed within the walls, but must support the Vicar of Christ. He is like a field marshal in the midst of a raging battle, with many of the 3000 general officers (bishops) within the chain of command working to subvert his efforts. We, in the fox-holes have the tendency to blame him, when in fact his orders are purposely distorted as they wend their way to us. We whine about the chow, when he's concerned about our survival. We bitterly resent the obviously disobedient officers who wreak havoc and appear to be rewarded by further promotion, while blaming the Holy Father, though our reports from the field are hidden from him.

We give him no credit, when, in fact, he has been chosen, purified through helacious Nazi and Communist regimes, to withstand the final threat, the Anti-Christ. Have faith that he acts as the Lord and the Blessed Mother lead him.

Those opposing John Paul II, whether from left or right, oppose Jesus Christ. Knowingly, or not, they work for Satan, because there is no neutrality permitted. The answer for those consumed by this question is assent to the teachings of the Church, to pray for charity, to pray the Divine Mercy for reparation of sin and the salvation of souls, to pray for the Holy Father, and as the Apostle says "Avoid also foolish and ignorant controversies, knowing that they breed quarrels."[2Tim. 2:23]. Any decent priest can tell you that constant picking at doctrinal scabs will result in a loss of faith. To those in the Remnant that are fixated on this subject: let it go. If you don't you will certainly not be looking in the right place when the Anti-Christ appears, for he will have already misdirected you elsewhere, divided you from the flock, and separated you from the one source of sure direction that Jesus gave us.

Origen: "If someone from this people wants to be saved, let him come into to this house so that he may be able to attain his salvation . . . Let no one, then, be persuaded otherwise, nor let anyone deceive himself: Outside of this house, that is, outside of the Church, no one is saved; for, if anyone should go out of it, he is guilty of his own death" (Homilies on Joshua 3:5 [A.D. 250]).

"Indeed, there is but one universal Church of the faithful outside which no one at all is saved and in which the priest himself, Jesus Christ, is the victim … " Boniface VIII (1294-1308) issued THE BULL UNAM SANCTAM, 1302, in which he professed:

The Council of Florence, 1438-45, Eugene IV presiding, issued a decree for the Jacobites that seems to make the most clear and final statement on the matter:

Ven. Pius IX: "It is a sin to believe there is salvation outside the Catholic Church,."

An unfortunate controversy over the dictum: "Outside the Church there is no salvation"' was the occasion of the following letter. The letter, dated August 8, 1949, is important for the explanation it gives of the necessity of the Catholic Church. The Church is necessary for salvation because such is the command of Christ and because the Church is a necessary means for salvation. But since the Church is such a means only by divine institution, not by intrinsic necessity, membership itself in the Church is not required of all men under all circumstances. (The following translation is made from the Latin published in the American Ecclesiastical Review, CXXVII [October, 1952], 307-11.)

We are bound to believe by divine and Catholic faith what is contained in the written word of God or in tradition, and is proposed by the Church as a divinely revealed object of belief either in a solemn decree, or in her ordinary, universal teaching (see 66).

The infallible dictum which teaches us that outside the Church there is no salvation, is among the truths that the Church has always taught and will always teach.

But this dogma is to be understood as the Church itself understands it. For our Savior did not leave it to private judgment to explain what is contained in the deposit of faith, but to the doctrinal authority of the Church.

The Church teaches, first of all, that there is question here of a very strict command of Jesus Christ. In unmistakable words he gave his apostles the command to teach all nations to keep whatever he had commanded (see Matt. 28:19

Not least among Christs commands is the one which orders us to be incorporated by baptism into the mystical body of Christ, which is the Church, and to be united to Christ and to his vicar, through whom he himself governs the Church on earth in a visible way.

Therefore, no one who knows that the Church has been divinely established by Christ and, nevertheless, refuses to be a subject of the Church or refuses to obey the Roman Pontiff, the vicar of Christ on earth, will be saved.

The Savior did not make it necessary merely as by precept for all nations to enter the Church. He also established the Church as a means o f salvation without which no one can enter the kingdom of heavenly glory.

Of those helps to salvation that are ordered to the last end only by divine decree, not by intrinsic necessity, God, in his infinite mercy, willed that such effects of those helps as are necessary to salvation can, in certain circumstances, be obtained when the helps are used only in desire or longing. We see this clearly stated in the Council of Trent about the sacrament of regeneration and about the sacrament of penance (see 560, 571).

The same, in due proportion, should be said of the Church insofar as it is a general help to salvation. To gain eternal salvation it is not always required that a person be incorporated in fact as a member of the Church, but it is required that he belong to it at least m desire and longing.

In treating of the members who make up the mystical body here on earth, the Sovereign Pontiff says: "Only those are really to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not had the misfortune of withdrawing from the body or for grave faults been cut off by legitimate authority' (see 242).

Towards the end of the same encyclical, when with all his heart he invites to union those who do not pertain to the body of the Catholic Church, the pope mentions those "who unsuspectingly belong to the mystical body of the Redeemer by some kind of desire or longing." He by no means excludes these men from eternal salvation; but, on the other hand, he does point out that they are in a condition "in which they cannot be secure about their salvation . . . since they lack many great gifts and helps from God, gifts they can enjoy only in the Catholic Church."

With these prudent words the pope censures those who exclude from eternal salvation all men who belong to the Church only with implicit desire; and he also censures those who falsely maintain that men can be saved equally as well in any religion (see 173 g.; 178).

It must not be imagined that any desire whatsoever of entering the Church is sufficient for a man to be saved. It is necessary that the desire by which a man is related to the Church be informed with perfect charity . And an implicit desire cannot have its effect unless a man has supernatural faith: "For he who comes to God must believe that God exists and is a rewarder to those who seek him" (Heb. 11:6). The Council of Trent says: "Faith is the beginning of man's salvation, the foundation and source of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God and to be counted as his sons" (see 565).

Decree On Ecumenism - Unitatis Redintegratio, November 21, 1964, continued to elaborate on the doctrine regarding invincible ignorance and the status of our separated brethren, when he proclaimed:

…3. Even in the beginnings of this one and only Church of God there arose certain rifts,[19] which the Apostle strongly condemned.[20] But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions made their appearance and quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame.

…It follows that the separated Churches[23] and Communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church.…

…For it is only through Christ's Catholic Church, which is "the all-embracing means of salvation," that they can benefit fully from the means of salvation. We believe that Our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, in order to establish the one Body of Christ on earth to which all should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the people of God.

21. Cf. CONC. FLORENTINUM, Sess. VIII (1439), Decretum Exultate Deo: Mansi 31, 1055 A. 22. Cf. S. AUGUSTINUS, In Ps. 32, Enarr. II, 29: PL 36, 299. 23. Cf. CONC. LATERANENSE IV (1215) Constitutio IV: Mansi 22, 990; CONC. LUGDUNENSE II (1274), Professio fidei Michaelis Palaeologi: Mansi 24, 71 E; CONC. FLORENTINUM, Sess. VI (1439), Definitio Laetentur caeli: Mansi 31, 1026 E.

DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH - LUMEN GENTIUM, promulgated By His Holiness, Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964:

15. The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honoured by the name of Christian, but who do not however profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.[14] For there are many who hold sacred scripture in honour as a rule of faith and of life, who have a sincere religious zeal, who lovingly believe in God the Father Almighty and in Christ, the Son of God and the Saviour,[15] who are sealed by baptism which unites them to Christ, and who indeed recognize and receive other sacraments in their own Churches or ecclesiastical communities. Many of them possess the episcopate, celebrate the holy Eucharist and cultivate devotion of the Virgin Mother of God.[16]

There is furthermore a sharing in prayer and spiritual benefits; these Christians are indeed in some real way joined to us in the Holy Spirit for, by his gifts and graces, his sanctifying power is also active in them and he has strengthened some of them even to the shedding of their blood. And so the Spirit stirs up desires and actions in all of Christ's disciples in order that all may be peaceably united, as Christ ordained, in one flock under one shepherd.[17] Mother Church never ceases to pray, hope and work that this may be achieved, and she exhorts her children to purification and renewal so that the sign of Christ may shine more brightly over the face of the Church.

16. Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways.[18] There is, first, that people to which the covenants and promises were made, and from which Christ was born according to the flesh (cf. Rom. 9:4-5): in view of the divine choice, they are a people most dear for the sake of the fathers, for the gifts of God are without repentance (cf. Rom. 11:29-29). But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Moslems: these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day. Nor is God remote from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, since he gives to all men life and breath and all things (cf. Acts 17:25-28), and since the Saviour wills all men to be saved (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4). 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.[19] Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those who, without any fault of theirs, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, and who, not without grace, strive to lead a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is considered by the Church to be a preparation for the Gospel[20] and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life. But very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and served the world rather than the Creator (cf. Rom. 1:21 and 25). Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair. Hence to procure the glory of God and the salvation of all these, the Church, mindful of the Lord's command, "preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mk. 16:16) takes zealous care to foster the missions.

14. Cfr. Leo XIII, EPiSt. Apost. Praeclara gratulationis, 20 iun. 1894; ASS 26 (1893-94) P. 707. 15. Cfr. Leo XIII, Epist. Encycl. Satis cognitum, 29 iun. 1896: ASS 28 (1895-96) P. 738. Epist. Encycl. Caritatis studium, 25;iul. 1898: ASS 31 (1898-99) P. 11. Pius XII, Nuntius radioph. Nell'alba, 24 dec. 1941: ASS 34 (1942) P. 21. 16. Cfr. Pius XI, Litt. Encycl. Rerum Orientalium, 8 sept. 1 928: AAS 20 (1928) P. 287. PiUS XII, Litt. Encycl Orientalis Ecclesiae, 9 apr. 1944: AAS 36 (1944) P. 137. 17. Cfr. Inst. S.S.C.S. Officii, 20 dec. 1949: AAS 42 (1950) P. 142. 18. Cfr. S. Thomas, Summa Theol. III, q. 8, a. 3, ad 1. 19. Cfr. Epist. S.S.C.S. Officii ad Archiep. Boston.: Denz. 3 86972. 20. Cfr. Eusebius Caes., Praeparatio Evangelica, 1, 1: PG 21, 28 AB.

But since in this very age, in which the salutary efficacy of the apostolic duty is especially required, not a few are found who disparage its authority, We deem it most necessary to assert solemnly the prerogative which the Only- begotten Son of God deigned to enjoin with the highest pastoral office.

1839 And so We, adhering faithfully to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, to the glory of God, our Savior, the elevation of the Catholic religion and the salvation of Christian peoples, with the approbation of the sacred Council, teach and explain that the dogma has been divinely revealed: that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when carrying out the duty of the pastor and teacher of all Christians by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority he defines a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, through the divine assistance promised him in blessed Peter, possesses that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer wished that His church be endowed in defining doctrine on faith and morals; and so such definitions of the Roman Pontiff of themselves, but not from the consensus of the Church, are unalterable.

VATICAN (CWN) --- In a lengthy article which is prominently displayed in today's edition of L'Osservatore Romano, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, outlines several key ideas regarding "the reception of magisterial documents and public dissent." Archbishop Bertone is the deputy to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the Vatican's chief doctrinal agency.

In the L'Osservatore article, Archbishop Bertone acknowledges that some questions have been raised regarding the level of authority in certain recent Vatican documents. (He specifically mentions the papal encyclicals Veritatis Splendor and Evangelium Vitae, the apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, the Responsus ad Dubium promulgated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in answer to questions about that apostolic letter, and finally the same Congregation's letter to bishops on the question of whether Catholics who divorce and remarry should be allowed to receive the Blessed Sacrament.) Therefore, the archbishop sets out to clarify the understanding of the doctrine of infallibility, and to sort out the differences between fallible and infallible teaching.

Archbishop Bertone makes a clear distinction between two notions: infallibility and truth. People often confuse the two notions, he observes, so that they do not distinguish between "the infallibility of the magisterium" and "the truth of the doctrine." The truth of a doctrine does not depend on the invocation of infallibility, he cautioned. Rather, the best guarantee that a doctrine is true can be found in "the deposit of faith transmitted by Scripture and Tradition."

Infallibility, he continued, defines the certitude that a given teaching is true. Thus infallibility "refers only to the degree of certainty in the magisterial teaching."

With that clarification, the archbishop rejected the popular notion that there can be a sharp distinction between the infallible doctrines defined by the Church, and the ordinary teachings of the magisterium, which some theologians prefer to regard as "fallible." These theologians suggest that unless a teaching is formally defined as an infallible truth, it should be open to dispute and disagreement..

In fact, Archbishop Bertone writes, infallibility is not solely defined by the proclamations of the Holy Father. "The infallible character of a teaching, and the definitive and irrevocable assent which it commands, is not a prerogative solely of that which has been solemnly defined by the Roman Pontiff or the ecumenical Council," he explains. As the Vatican II declaration Lumen Gentium proclaimed, the bishops who act in communion with Peter's successor enjoy the same infallibility.

Thus the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith draws this clear conclusion: "When the bishops are dispersed in their own dioceses, while still in communion with the Successor to Peter, and teaching a doctrine that must be held in a definitive manner, they enjoy the same infallibility as that of the Pope speaking ex cathedra, or of a Council."

As Archbishop Bertone recalls, both Vatican I and Vatican II taught that the "ordinary and universal magisterium" has an infallible character. Doctrines which are universally taught, and "constantly held" as part of the Church tradition, therefore, require the assent of the faithful.

The "ordinary and universal" magisterium, the archbishop writes, "consists in the unanimous teaching of the bishops jointly with the Pope." And in the normal life of the Church, he added, such teaching may be done in "facts" rather than "words."

Theologians who suggest that the Pope must pronounce a doctrine as infallible in order to command assent are devaluing the ordinary magisterium, Archbishop Bertone writes.

Furthermore, the Vatican official points out, the ordinary magisterium is "diachronic" in its authority. In other words, a teaching which is held by all of the Church over a period of centuries cannot be brought into question simple on the basis of opinions which become popular in a particular era. The apostolic tradition should not be questioned on the strength of today's intellectual fashions.

It is precisely this continuity in the Church tradition which now poses a problem for Anglicans, Archbishop Bertone writes. It has been the clear, consistent, and unanimous teaching of the Church since apostolic times, he noted, that women cannot be ordained as priests-- indeed that, any such ordination would be invalid. This is a teaching-- conveyed through the fact of universal Church history, as well as the actual words of Church documents-- of the ordinary and universal magisterium. And, the archbishop concludes without equivocation, the teaching is definitive.

Archbishop Bertone attributes many of the current questions about Church teaching to a "crisis of faith," which can only be remedied by proper spiritual and intellectual formation. Unless Catholics properly understand and accept the teachings of the ordinary and universal magisterium, he said, the identity of Catholicism itself is in jeopardy. Since the authority of the Church is intended to serve the cause of truth, the failure to recognize that authority imperils "the integrity and teaching of the divine truth."

Your lengthy line up of Roman Catholic scholars, clergy and Popes does not do much to advance the point of where salvation can be obtained. Everything posted depends on the papal infallibility doctrine for authority. What else would we expect from those whose "paycheck" was authorized by the Pope, if not the "subject" of their next barbeque.

If you want to prove anything to skeptics, it will have to be in the infallible Word of God. The only thing that I have heard on the authority of the successors of Peter is Matthew 16:18-19 And I say also unto you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The entire scriptural argument for infallibility through succession rides on these two verses being a literal handing over of Jesus' authority to Peter alone, even though four verses later He also calls Peter "Satan".

The question then arises: What did Jesus mean by the "Petros" "Petra" charge?

The "Petra" rock, througout the Bible, is a symbol of strength and foundation. What had Peter just done that warranted this response from Jesus? In an act of faith, Peter had recognized Jesus as the Son of the Living God. It was this act of faith, this recognition of Jesus as the Son of God, that was the "Rock" upon which Jesus would build His church,not the man,or his successors.

How can I be so sure of this? Because those who were there with Jesus and Peter actually recognized St James as the decision making head of the church. Acts 15:19 James,after hearing the witnesses on the circumcision question (including Peter)who testified before the assembled apostles and elders, renders the judgement: Therefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from the Gentiles are turned to God........."

This was not Peter making the determination it was James that the apostles and elders recognized as the leader of the Church. So did they just miss the jurisdictional transfer of power from Jesus to Peter or did they understand His true intent. It also seems that such an important transfer of power would have been a point recognized in the other three gospels, but it isn't.

Without such a transfer of power, Papal infallibility fails.

My second problem with the stand of the RC is that they are the Church. It is my understanding that the "Church" is the Body of Christ, not a building, denomination or religious entity. Whoever believes in Jesus as Saviour is a member of the Body and a member of the Church.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.