This article by Fr. Ray Ryland writing for "This Rock" magazine has been brought to my attention. Since Catholic Answers organization is held in high esteem by many Catholics , I will attempt a rebuttal.( His article will be in blue and my response in black)
No Salvation Outside the Church
By Fr. Ray Ryland
Why does the Catholic Church teach that there is "no salvation outside the Church"? Doesn’t this contradict Scripture? God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4).
No, it doesn't contradict scripture.
This quote in scripture is often used against those who hold the traditional understanding of "No Salvation outside the Church."
Bishop Hay [1729-1811]"To understand this we must observe that the Word of God declares that God wills, "all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." [1 Tim. 2: 4] In consequence of this sincere desire God never fails to give to all such outward helps and inward graces as He sees sufficient to bring them to the knowledge of the truth, if they co-operate with them; but if they shut their eyes against His light-----if, from the corruption of their heart, they pay no regard to His graces-----then they remain in their ignorance; but their ignorance is voluntary in its cause, and a just punishment of their own fault."(Excerpts From THE SINCERE CHRISTIAN) http://catholicvox.blogspot.com/2011/05/whether-salvation-can-be-had-without.html
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Peter proclaimed to the Sanhedrin, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Since God intends (plans, wills) that every human being should go to heaven, doesn’t the Church’s teaching greatly restrict the scope of God’s redemption?
Not at all. God in His providence can do all things. If there is a person of good will God will send an angel or a missionary (even a layperson) to them.
Bishop Hay :
" Q. 23. But suppose a person in the wilds of Tartary or America, where the name of Christ has never been heard: suppose also, that this person should attend to the dictates of conscience, enlightened by such graces as God is pleased to give him, and constantly comply with them;-----yet, how is it possible that he could be brought to the knowledge and Faith of Jesus Christ?"A. This case is certainly possible; and if it should happen it is not to be doubted but God Almighty would, from the treasures of His infinite wisdom, provide some means to bring such a person to the knowledge of the truth, even though he should send an Angel from Heaven to instruct him. "The hand of the Lord is not shortened, that He cannot save,"(Isaiah 59:1) in whatever difficulties a poor soul may be; He has, in former times, done wonderful things in cases of this kind, and He is no less able to do the same again: and since He has so clearly ordained, that out of the True Church, and without True Faith in Christ, there is no salvation, there can be no doubt but that, in the case proposed, He would take care effectually to bring such a person to that happiness."Q. 24. Is there any authority from Scripture to prove this?"A. There can be no stronger proof from Scripture than some facts there related. We have in Scripture two beautiful examples of God's acting in this manner in similar cases, which shows that He would do the same again, if any case should require it. The one is that of the eunuch of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia: he, following the lights that God gave him, though living at a great distance from Jerusalem became acquainted with the worship of the true God, and was accustomed to go from time to time to Jerusalem to adore Him. When, however, the gospel began to be published, the Jewish religion could no longer save him; but being well disposed, by fidelity to the graces he had hitherto received, he was not forsaken by Almighty God; for when he was returning to his own country from Jerusalem, the Lord sent a message by an Angel to St. Philip to meet and instruct him in the Faith of Christ, and Baptize him. [Acts 8: 26]"The other example is that of Cornelius, who was an officer of the Roman army of the Italic band, and brought up in idolatry. In the course of events, his regiment coming to Judea, he saw there a religion different from his own,-----the worship of one only God. Grace moving his heart, he believed in this God, and following the further motions of Divine grace, he gave much alms to the poor, and prayed earnestly to this God to direct him what to do. Did God abandon him? By no means; He sent an Angel from Heaven to tell him to whom to apply in order to be fully instructed in the knowledge and Faith of Jesus Christ, and to be received into His Church by Baptism. Now, what God did in these two cases He is no less able to do in all others, and has a thousand ways in His wisdom to conduct souls who are truly in earnest to the knowledge of the truth, and to salvation. And though such a soul were, in the remotest wilds of the world, God could send a Philip, or an Angel from Heaven, to instruct him, or by the superabundance of his internal grace, or by numberless other ways unknown to us, could infuse into his soul the knowledge of the truth. The great affair is, that we carefully do our part in complying with what He gives us; for of this we are certain, that if we be not wanting to him, he will never be wanting to us, but as he begins the good work in us, will also perfect it, if we be careful to correspond and to put not hindrance to His designs."
http://catholicvox.blogspot.com/2011/05/whether-salvation-can-be-had-without.html
Does the Church mean—as Protestants and (I suspect) many Catholics believe—that only members of the Catholic Church can be saved?
Yes. It was defined infallibly at least 3X:
Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215. ex cathedra:
* “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” [link here]
Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302. ex cathedra:
* “Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins... ...We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
[link here]
Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441. ex cathedra:
* “The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.” [link here]
Also taught by these Popes--
Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos (par. 11), Jan. 6, 1928:
“The Catholic Church is alone in keeping the true worship. This is the fount of truth, this is the house of faith, this is the temple of God: if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation.” [link here]
Pope Leo XIII, Tametsi futura prospicientibus (par. 7), Nov. 1, 1900:
“Christ is man’s ‘Way’; the Church also is his ‘Way’… Hence all who would find salvation apart from the Church, are led astray and strive in vain.” [link here]
Pope Pius IX, Nostis et Nobiscum (par. 10), Dec. 8, 1849:
“In particular, ensure that the faithful are deeply and thoroughly convinced of the truth of the doctrine that the Catholic faith is necessary for attaining salvation. (This doctrine, received from Christ and emphasized by the Fathers and Councils, is also contained in the formulae of the profession of faith used by Latin, Greek and Oriental Catholics).” [link here]
Pope Gregory XVI, Summo Iugiter Studio ( par.2), May 27, 1832:
“Finally some of these misguided people attempt to persuade themselves and others that men are not saved only in the Catholic religion, but that even heretics may attain eternal life.” [link here]
Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos (par. 13), Aug. 15, 1832:
“With the admonition of the apostle, that ‘there is one God, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. 4:5), may those fear who contrive the notion that the safe harbor of salvation is open to persons of any religion whatever. They should consider the testimony of Christ Himself that ‘those who are not with Christ are against Him,’ (Lk. 11:23) and that they disperse unhappily who do not gather with Him. Therefore, ‘without a doubt, they will perish forever, unless they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate (cf.Athanasian Creed).” [link here]
Pope Leo XII, Quod hoc ineunte (par.8), May 24, 1824:
“We address all of you who are still removed from the true Church and the road to salvation. In this universal rejoicing, one thing is lacking: that having been called by the inspiration of the Heavenly Spirit and having broken every decisive snare, you might sincerely agree with the mother Church, outside of whose teachings there is no salvation.” [link here]
Pope Pius IV--Tridentine Creed --1563 (Again reaffirmed and expanded by Pius IX &Vatican I) "This true Catholic faith, outside of which no one can be saved,.."
[link here]
Pope Clement VI, Super quibusdam, Sept. 20, 1351:
“In the second place, we ask whether you and the Armenians obedient to you believe that no man of the wayfarers outside the faith of this Church, and outside the obedience to the
Pope of Rome, can finally be saved.” [link here--Dz. 570b]
Pope of Rome, can finally be saved.” [link here--Dz. 570b]
Pope Innocent III, Eius exemplo, Dec. 18, 1208:
“By the heart we believe and by the mouth we confess the one Church, not of heretics, but the Holy Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Church outside of which we believe that no one is saved.”[link here--Dz.420]
Pope St. Gregory the Great, quoted in Summo Iugiter Studio, #5, 590-604:
“The holy universal Church teaches that it is not possible to worship God truly except in her and asserts that all who are outside of her will not be saved.” [link here]
That is what a priest in Boston, Fr. Leonard Feeney, S.J., began teaching in the 1940s. His bishop and the Vatican tried to convince him that his interpretation of the Church’s teaching was wrong.
Sorry Father, but defined dogmas are not interpreted. Feeney was echoing what the Church has always taught as seen above. You are the one interpreting. Proclaimed dogmas are definitions which means there is no room for interpretation. The words and meaning must be the same as when the Church first proclaimed them.
Pope Pius IX, First Vatican Council, Sess. 3, Chap. 4 on Faith and Reason, #14, 1870, ex cathedra:
"Hence, too,that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by holy mother church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding.
May understanding, knowledge and wisdom increase as ages and centuries roll along, and greatly and vigorously flourish, in each and all, in the individual and the whole church: but this only in its own proper kind, that is to say, in the same doctrine, the same sense, and the same understanding.” [link here]
He so persisted in his error that he was finally excommunicated, but by God’s mercy, he was reconciled to the Church before he died in 1978.
This statement is misleading. Did you even study his case? First, his "excommunication" was dubious since the correct procedure was not followed and his rights ignored under Canon Law (1917):
#1715 - requires a formal statement of charges against a defendant.
#1723 - states that a non-canonical summons is void.
#1959 - forbids penalties without a trial. #1842/1843 - require the defendant be informed both of the charges against him and the nature of the proceedings…
Even if one accepts his "excommunication" as binding it was not for error (i.e. false teaching/heresy), as you imply above, but for not following a directive to come to Rome. You are right he was officially reconciled from the supposed excommunication. He had to make a profession of Faith. He choose the Athanasian Creed: "...Therefore, without a doubt, they will perish forever, unless they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate."
He still held his position during his "reconciliation"and he was never asked to renounce it. There are 3 approved religious orders that hold his understanding in Still River Massachusetts, in the Diocese of Worcester (Update: the community in Richmond New Hampshire just, Oct. 2010, approved to have a chapel and priest--Rule of St. Augustine).
OSB – Order of St. Benedict -- approved 1974 (Benedictines of Still River--Benedictine rule) (BTW they celebrate the Novus Ordo)
MICM - Sisters of St. Benedict Center, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary-- approved 1988 (Saint Anne's House--Rule of St. Francis)
MICM – Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary -- approved 2003 (Immaculate Heart of Mary School--men--Rule of St. Francis)
In correcting Fr. Feeney in 1949, the Supreme Congregation of the Holy Office (now the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) issued a document entitled Suprema Haec Sacra, which stated that " extra ecclesiam, nulla salus" (outside the Church, no salvation) is "an infallible statement." But, it added, "this dogma must be understood in that sense in which the Church itself understands it."
This document is faulty. The Holy Office's Letter #122/49 (Letter to the Bishop of Boston) was not published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, and, therefore, forfeits any binding effect as an act of the Holy See.
If this document was as important as many think, then how could these three above orders be approved? This would be a contradiction.
All three hold the position of Fr. Feeney.
All three hold the position of Fr. Feeney.
Although the Letter #122/49 (Letter to the Bishop of Boston) is not authoritative, the encyclical Humani Generis by Pius XII below is an authoritative document--
POPE PIUS XII, HUMANI GENERIS, AUGUST 12, 1950 (Par. 27):
"Some reduce to a meaningless formula the necessity of belonging to the true Church in order to gain eternal salvation."[link here]
This is what your line of thinking is doing to the dogma. It means little, if one can be saved outside of Her, which is what you are asserting, although in a modernistic way--
St. Pius X,THE OATH AGAINST MODERNISM, September 1, 1910:
"...[Modernists] establish premises which, provided there be no direct denial of dogmas, would lead to the conclusion that dogmas are either false or doubtful." [link here]
Note that word dogma. This teaching has been proclaimed by, among others, Pope Pelagius in 585, the Fourth Lateran Council in 1214, Pope Innocent III in 1214, Pope Boniface VIII in 1302, Pope Pius XII, Pope Paul VI, the Second Vatican Council, Pope John Paul II, and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Dominus Iesus.
(see above for quotes)
Our point is this: When the Church infallibly teaches extra ecclesiam, nulla salus, it does not say that non-Catholics cannot be saved. In fact, it affirms the contrary. The purpose of the teaching is to tell us how Jesus Christ makes salvation available to all human beings.
You are saying 'there is no salvation outside the Church' but 'those who are not members of the Church can be saved.' That doesn't make any sense.
You are saying 'there is no salvation outside the Church' but 'those who are not members of the Church can be saved.' That doesn't make any sense.
No. The dogma says non-Catholics are lost. Popes have often repeated --
Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441. ex cathedra:
“The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal..."
Pope Gregory XVI, Summo Iugiter Studio ( par.2), May 27, 1832:
“Finally some of these misguided people attempt to persuade themselves and others that men are not saved only in the Catholic religion, but that even heretics may attain eternal life.” [link here]
Here pope Gregory XVI is making clear that those who do not hold the orthodox Faith of Catholics are not saved.
Bull of Pope Boniface VIII, UNAM SANCTAM, November 18, 1302:
"Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins...There had been at the time of the deluge only one ark of Noah, prefiguring the one Church, which ark, having been finished to a single cubit, had only one pilot and guide, i.e., Noah, and we read that, outside of this ark, all that subsisted on the earth was destroyed."[link here]
Work Out Your Salvation
There are two distinct dimensions of Jesus Christ’s redemption. Objective redemption is what Jesus Christ has accomplished once for all in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension: the redemption of the whole universe. Yet the benefits of that redemption have to be applied unceasingly to Christ’s members throughout their lives.
While this is true, it is not clear. Redemption is available to all, to receive the benefits one needs only to "knock and it will be open to you." One is redeemed personally-- justified personally at Baptism and we need to preserve the Sanctifying Grace given by this sacrament. We can regain Sanctifying Grace with imperfect contrition by a good confession, or reception of the Sacrament of the Sick, when necessary . We can also regain Sanctifying Grace given at Baptism with perfect contrition but with the obligation of making a good confession as soon as possible, if one is able.
Why is Baptism so important? Because Jesus taught it, and two other reasons. First, the Council of Trent [link here] in the canons on Baptism has told us that it is necessary, Seventh Session -Decree on the Sacraments:
CANON V.-If any one saith, that baptism is free, that is, not necessary unto salvation; let him be anathema. [link here]
CANON II.-If any one saith, that true and natural water is not of necessity for baptism, and, on that account, wrests, to some sort of metaphor, those words of our Lord Jesus Christ; Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost; let him be anathema. [link here]
(For those of you interested in the controversy of Trent possibly teaching Baptism of Desire click here and a 2nd article here)
"Baptism" of Desire and "Baptism" of Blood are like the Sacrament of Baptism but they are NOT Baptism!
It is a metaphor for Baptism (metaphor -a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity: link- Princeton edu.). There are NOT 3 Baptisms but only ONE! (cf. Eph. 4:5)
There is One Lord One Faith and One Baptism:
The Dogmatic Letter of Pope Leo to Flavian:
"For there are three who give testimony—Spirit and water and blood. And the three are one. In other words, the Spirit of sanctification and the blood of redemption and the water of baptism. These three are one and remain indivisible. None of them is separable from its link with the others."
[link--http://www.ewtn.com/library/councils/chalcedo.htm]
Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos (par. 13), Aug. 15, 1832:
“With the admonition of the apostle that ‘there is one God, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. 4:5) may those fear who contrive the notion that the safe harbor of salvation is open to persons of any religion whatever. They should consider the testimony of Christ Himself that ‘those who are not with Christ are against Him,’ (Lk. 11:23) and that they disperse unhappily who do not gather with Him. Therefore, 'without a doubt, they will perish forever, unless they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate' (Athanasian Creed)."[link here]
But can't a person receive Sanctifying grace without Baptism? Didn't Abraham and Moses receive it?
Yes, Abraham and Moses did receive Sanctifying Grace but they could not enter heaven (they entered the Limbo of the Fathers) until Christ rose from the dead and opened the Gates of Heaven and lead them in.
See there were other conditions for them to enter heaven, other than just Sanctifying Grace. Namely, waiting for Jesus to fulfill his mission on earth and open the Gates of Heaven.
See there were other conditions for them to enter heaven, other than just Sanctifying Grace. Namely, waiting for Jesus to fulfill his mission on earth and open the Gates of Heaven.
This brings us to our Second Point. The condition, in addition to Sanctifying Grace in the New Testament, is Water Baptism, which makes you a Member of His Church:
Pope Eugene IV, The Council of Florence, “Exultate Deo,” Nov. 22, 1439, ex cathedra:
“Holy baptism, which is the gateway to the spiritual life, holds the first place among all the sacraments; through it we are made members of Christ and of the body of the Church. And since death entered the universe through the first man, ‘unless we are born again of water and the Spirit, we cannot,’ as the Truth says, ‘enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:5]. The matter of this sacrament is real and natural water.” [link here]
How is Baptism of Desire and Blood different from the Sacrament?
The Sacramental Seal.
Jesus gives Christians a mark or seal, on their souls by the Sacrament of Baptism, so they can be members of his Mystical Body, the Church. Without this mark, one is not a member of the Church and membership in the Church is necessary for salvation--
St. Gregory Nyssa, c. 380 A.D.:
“Make haste, O sheep, towards the sign of the cross and the Seal [Baptism] which will save you from your misery!”
(Homily on Baptism, PG 46:417b)
(Homily on Baptism, PG 46:417b)
Pope Pius XII,MYSTICI CORPORIS CHRISTI, June 29, 1943:
"Through the waters of Baptism those who are born into this world dead in sin are not only born again and made members of the Church, but being stamped with a spiritual seal they become able and fit to receive the other Sacraments." [link here]
Why can't a person receive the sacraments without this seal?
It is because they are not yet members of the Church.
The so called "Baptism" of Blood and "Baptism" of Desire theoretically can give Sanctifying Grace, BUT they don't give this seal--Sacramental Character.
Thus, even if theoretically one could receive the Grace, they would not be members of the Church and out of the way of salvation, because they don't have the mark.
True faith is also necessary to be a true member of the Church. Those not holding the Faith whole will be outside the Church membership:
Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis (par. 22), June 29, 1943:
“Actually only those are to be numbered among the members of the Church who have received the laver of regeneration and profess the true faith.” [link here]
This is subjective redemption. If the benefits of Christ’s redemption are not applied to individuals,
--by the Sacrament of Baptism
they have no share in his objective redemption.
Redemption in an individual is an ongoing process. "Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling; for God is at work in you" (Phil. 2:12–13).
How does Jesus Christ work out his redemption in individuals? Through his mystical body., which one enters by Baptism--
Paul VI Second Vatican Council, ( par. 14) Lumen Gentium:
"This holy Council first of all turns its attention to the Catholic faithful. Basing itself on scripture and tradition, it teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk. 16:16; John 3:5), 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." [link here]
Many will say " AHA!- If they KNOW that being a member is necessary and don't enter or leave --they are lost!" This is true but it is a half truth, as seen above if they don't enter even not knowing it to be necessary they are lost too -- remember:
Pope Gregory XVI, Summo Iugiter Studio ( par.2), May 27, 1832:
“Finally some of these misguided people attempt to persuade themselves and others that men are not saved only in the Catholic religion, but that even heretics may attain eternal life.” [link here]
Here pope Gregory XVI is making clear that those who do not hold the orthodox Faith of Catholics are not saved.
Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441. ex cathedra:
“The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal."
The part of the above quote is to clarify what the Church is teaching, "not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics," There must have been some confusion at that time, as today, that the dogma, no salvation outside the Church, was just for pagans, but it isn't just for pagans but for Jews, heretics and schismatics. The main clause reads:
"The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church can have a share in life eternal."
That would included Jews, heretics, schismatics, atheists, agnostics, etc... One problem is that the Church does not refer to Protestants and the "Orthodox" Church as heretics nor schismatics any longer, so there is a confusion today for many in the Church about who are members.
That would included Jews, heretics, schismatics, atheists, agnostics, etc... One problem is that the Church does not refer to Protestants and the "Orthodox" Church as heretics nor schismatics any longer, so there is a confusion today for many in the Church about who are members.
When I was a Protestant, I (like Protestants in general) believed that the phrase "mystical body of Christ" was essentially a metaphor. For Catholics, the phrase is literal truth.
Here’s why: To fulfill his Messianic mission, Jesus Christ took on a human body from his Mother. He lived a natural life in that body. He redeemed the world through that body and no other means. Since his Ascension and until the end of history, Jesus lives on earth in his supernatural body, the body of his members, his mystical body. Having used his physical body to redeem the world, Christ now uses his mystical body to dispense "the divine fruits of the Redemption" (Mystici Corporis 31).
Agreed :)
The Church: His Body
What is this mystical body? The true Church of Jesus Christ, not some invisible reality composed of true believers, as the Reformers insisted. In the first public proclamation of the gospel by Peter at Pentecost, he did not invite his listeners to simply align themselves spiritually with other true believers. He summoned them into a society, the Church, which Christ had established. Only by answering that call could they be rescued from the "crooked generation" (Acts 2:40) to which they belonged and be saved.
He summoned them into the society of the Church by Baptism;
And to suggest that back then it was any more crooked than today is complete novelty. Are you suggesting that our generation is any more noble?
Christ at least referred to them back then as green wood. I think today could be classified as dry since many in the Church think belief in Jesus Christ is not necessary for salvation.
Acts 2:37-38- “Now when they had heard these things they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles: What shall we do, men and brethren? But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Christ at least referred to them back then as green wood. I think today could be classified as dry since many in the Church think belief in Jesus Christ is not necessary for salvation.
Acts 2:37-38- “Now when they had heard these things they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles: What shall we do, men and brethren? But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 2:47: “And the Lord added daily to their society such as should be saved.” – Haydock Catholic Commentary on this verse: “More and more he added daily to the Church [such as should be saved], as is clearly expressed in the Greek.”
Acts confirms the necessity of entering the Church and true belief in Christ from the beginning.
--
no problem here
no problem here
The Second Vatican Council says that the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church and the mystical body of Christ "form one complex reality that comes together from a human and a divine element" (Lumen Gentium 8). The Church is "the fullness of him [Christ] who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:23). Now that Jesus has accomplished objective redemption, the "plan of mystery hidden for ages in God" is "that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places" (Eph. 3:9–10).
According to John Paul II, in order to properly understand the Church’s teaching about its role in Christ’s scheme of salvation, two truths must be held together: "the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all humanity" and "the necessity of the Church for salvation" (Redemptoris Missio 18). John Paul taught us that the Church is "the seed, sign, and instrument" of God’s kingdom and referred several times to Vatican II’s designation of the Catholic Church as the "universal sacrament of salvation":
* "The Church is the sacrament of salvation for all humankind, and her activity is not limited only to those who accept her message" (RM 20).
* "Christ won the Church for himself at the price of his own blood and made the Church his co-worker in the salvation of the world. . . . He carries out his mission through her" (RM 9).
* In an address to the plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (January 28, 2000), John Paul stated, "The Lord Jesus . . . established his Church as a saving reality: as his body, through which he himself accomplishes salvation in history." He then quoted Vatican II’s teaching that the Church is necessary for salvation.
In 2000 the CDF issued Dominus Iesus, a response to widespread attempts to dilute the Church’s teaching about our Lord and about itself. The English subtitle is itself significant: "On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church." It simply means that Jesus Christ and his Church are indivisible. He is universal Savior who always works through his Church:
The only Savior . . . constituted the Church as a salvific mystery: He himself is in the Church and the Church is in him. . . . Therefore, the fullness of Christ’s salvific mystery belongs also to the Church, inseparably united to her Lord (DI 18).
Indeed, Christ and the Church "constitute a single ‘whole Christ’" (DI 16). In Christ, God has made known his will that "the Church founded by him be the instrument for the salvation of all humanity" (DI 22). The Catholic Church, therefore, "has, in God’s plan, an indispensable relationship with the salvation of every human being" (DI 20).
The key elements of revelation that together undergird extra ecclesiam, nulla salus are these: (1) Jesus Christ is the universal Savior. (2) He has constituted his Church as his mystical body on earth through which he dispenses salvation to the world. (3) He always works through it—though in countless instances outside its visible boundaries. Recall John Paul’s words about the Church quoted above: "Her activity is not limited only to those who accept its message."
Your point (3) while true needs to be clarified.
--"(3) He always works through it—though in countless instances outside its visible boundaries."
One could think that one didn't need to be Sacramentally Baptized, hold the true Faith to be a member of the Catholic Church. Do we claim to know all who are Baptized and hold the True Faith? No, but those who are Baptized would have to accept the Church's authority, thus the rejection of their own religion, e.g.Protestantism, Orthodox, Hindu, Moslem...etc. Their names need not be in the parish register.
Not of this Fold
Extra ecclesiam, nulla salus does not mean that only faithful Roman Catholics can be saved. The Church has never taught that.
You say:
"Extra ecclesiam, nulla salus does not mean that only faithful Roman Catholics can be saved." This is completely wrong!--- this is what it exactly means. Those who are not subject to the Pope are not of the Faithful and cannot be saved:
Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215:
“There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” [link here]
Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215:
“There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” [link here]
Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302. ex cathedra:
* “We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
[link here]
[link here]
This was repeatedly taught by popes and councils for example:
Pope Leo X, Fifth Lateran Council 1512-17, session # 11:
“Moreover, since subjection to the Roman pontiff is necessary for salvation for all Christ's faithful, as we are taught by the testimony of both sacred scripture and the holy fathers, and as is declared by the constitution of pope Boniface VIII of happy memory, also our predecessor, which begins Unam sanctam, we therefore, with the approval of the present sacred council, for the salvation of the souls of the same faithful, for the supreme authority of the Roman pontiff and of this holy see, and for the unity and power of the church, his spouse, renew and give our approval to that constitution...” [link here]Pope Julius III, Council of Trent, On the Sacraments of
Baptism and Penance, Sess. 14, Chap. 2, ex cathedra:
“… the Church exercises judgment on no one who has not previously entered it by the gate of baptism. For what have I to do with those who are without (1 Cor. 5:12), says the Apostle. It is otherwise with those of the household of the faith, whom Christ the Lord by the laver of baptism has once made ‘members of his own body’ (1 Cor. 12:13).” [link here]
Only members of the Church can be saved. Fr. Ryland is going too far here. He has broken from the sacred tradition that true faith-- i.e. the Catholic Faith is necessary to be saved:
Council of Florence 1440- ex cathedra:
“It firmly believes, professes and preaches that never was anyone, conceived by a man and a woman, liberated from the devil's dominion except by faith in our lord Jesus Christ, the mediator between God and humanity, who was conceived without sin, was born and died.” http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/FLORENCE.HTM#4
POPE LEO XIII, ENCYCLICAL SATIS COGNITUM, JUNE 29, 1896, par. #9 :
“The practice of the Church has always been the same, as is shown by the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, who were wont to hold as outside Catholic communion, and alien to the Church, whoever would recede in the least degree from any point of doctrine proposed by her authoritative Magisterium." [link here]
"[T]he unanimous teaching of the Fathers" means that this is divine revelation. A Catholic must hold this. As a priest and an apologist he should know this.
So where does that leave non-Catholics and non-Christians?
Jesus told his followers, "I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd" (John 10:16). After his Resurrection, Jesus gave the threefold command to Peter: "Feed my lambs. . . . Tend my sheep. . . . Feed my sheep" (John 21:15–17). The word translated as "tend" (poimaine) means "to direct" or "to superintend"—in other words, "to govern." So although there are sheep that are not of Christ’s fold, it is through the Church that they are able to receive his salvation.
By the providence of God:
Acts 2:47: “And the Lord added daily to their society such as should be saved.”
Clearly in the Book of Acts God seeks out men of good will-- by miraculously transporting a missionary; direct illumination or sending an angel:
Missionary
Acts 8:38-39: “And Philip commanded the chariot to stand still; and they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch: and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing.”
Direct Illumination
Acts 9:3-7: “And as he [Saul] went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew near to Damascus: and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him…And he, trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said to him: Arise, and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou must do.” He was then sent to be Sacramentally Baptized.
Angelic Messanger
Acts 10:1-5: “Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, named Cornelius… A religious man, and one that feared God…He saw in a vision manifestly… an angel of God coming in to him, saying to him: Cornelius… send men to Joppe, and call hither one Simon, who is surnamed Peter.” He and his family were Sacramentally Baptized.
People who have never had an opportunity to hear of Christ and his Church—and those Christians whose minds have been closed to the truth of the Church by their conditioning—are not necessarily cut off from God’s mercy.
People are often confused that those holding the traditional understanding of the Dogma and they think that those outside the Church sin by ignorance for not entering the Church. This is not true.
The Church is a necessary means to salvation but if they where condemned it would not be for the sin of not joining the Church, since one cannot sin without knowing it was a sin, BUT they will be condemned for some other sin, and, don't forget, because they have no access to the graces of sacraments.
Since many saints hold that no one can live the Life of Grace without the Sacraments, especially regular Holy Communion and Confession. How are those without all these helps and abundant graces found only in the Church able to live a life of grace?
No one is cut off from God's Mercy unless they refuse His Mercy, which by their Free Will they have the power to do. And remember:
Mathew 7:13-14--
"Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many be they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few be they that find it."
God is constantly searching for those who want to be saved and all they need to do is ask and they will receive baptism and true Divine Faith.
That is why the nickname of Baptism is "the Sacrament of Faith".
As Fr. Ryland must know, the Catechumens were not considered part of the Faithful in the early Church, since they were asked to leave the church during mass, before the Creed was said.
God is constantly searching for those who want to be saved and all they need to do is ask and they will receive baptism and true Divine Faith.
That is why the nickname of Baptism is "the Sacrament of Faith".
As Fr. Ryland must know, the Catechumens were not considered part of the Faithful in the early Church, since they were asked to leave the church during mass, before the Creed was said.
Vatican II phrases the doctrine in these terms:
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 consciences—those too may achieve eternal salvation (LG 16).
They may reach it only by responding to Actual Graces sent them to enter the Church. Even Karl Rahner the Arch-liberal was honest enough to state this :
"...we have to admit...that the testimony of the Fathers, with regard to the possibility of salvation for someone outside the Church, is very weak. Certainly even the ancient Church knew that the grace of God can be found also outside the Church and even before Faith. But the view that such divine grace can lead man to his final salvation without leading him first into the visible Church, is something, at any rate, which met with very little approval in the ancient Church. For, with reference to the optimistic views on the salvation of catechumens as found in many of the Fathers, it must be noted that such a candidate for baptism was regarded in some sense or other as already 'Christianus', and also that certain Fathers, such as Gregory Nazianzen and Gregory of Nyssa deny altogether the justifying power of love or of the desire for baptism. Hence it will be impossible to speak of a consensus dogmaticus in the early Church regarding the possibility of salvation for the non-baptized, and especially for someone who is not even a catechumen. In fact, even St. Augustine, in his last (anti-pelagian) period, no longer maintained the possibility of a baptism by desire. 59 " [cf. Rahner, Karl, Theological Investigations, Volume II, Man in the Church, Translated by Karl H. Kruger, pp.40,41, 57 Or. 40, 23 (PG 36, 3890), 58 'Sermo contra dilationem Baptismi' (PG 46, 424), 59 Cf. Fr. Hoffmann, Der Kirchenbegriff des hl. Augustinus (Munich 1933), pp.221 sqq., 381 sqq., 464 sqq., New York, The Seabury Press, 1975.]
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 (Gaudium et Spes 22).
As seen above by His Providence He will do this, and does do this, but we must also say there is very little good will in the world. As Our Lord predicted--
Luke 23:31--
"For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
If it is common that a woman will legally kill her own child, this would show that the tree is indeed dry and there isn't too much good will in the world. Only 3 kings came with the great sign of the star of Bethlehem, almost all the world could see this sign, how many prayed to know what it meant?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
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 (CCC 1260).
Obviously, it is not their ignorance that enables them to be saved. Ignorance excuses only lack of knowledge. That which opens the salvation of Christ to them is their conscious effort, under grace, to serve God as well as they can on the basis of the best information they have about him.
As Karl Rahner pointed out above and also the Council of Florence, only by entering the Church before they die will they be saved.
Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino,Council of Florence, 1441. ex cathedra:
"[All outside the Church]...unless before death they are joined with Her...[will go to Hell]"[ for a in-depth explanation of the New Catechism link here]
The Church speaks of "implicit desire" or "longing" that can exist in the hearts of those who seek God but are ignorant of the means of his grace. If a person longs for salvation but does not know the divinely established means of salvation, he is said to have an implicit desire for membership in the Church. Non-Catholic Christians know Christ, but they do not know his Church. In their desire to serve him, they implicitly desire to be members of his Church. Non-Christians can be saved, said John Paul, if they seek God with "a sincere heart." In that seeking they are "related" to Christ and to his body the Church (address to the CDF).
But they are not members. Membership is necessary for salvation.
Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos (# 13), Aug. 15, 1832:
“Now we consider another abundant source of the evils with which the Church is afflicted at present: indifferentism. This perverse opinion is spread on all sides by the fraud of the wicked who claim that it is possible to obtain the eternal salvation of the soul by the profession of any kind of religion, as long as morality is maintained. Surely, in so clear a matter, you will drive this deadly error far from the people committed to your care. With the admonition of the apostle, that ‘there is one God, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. 4:5), may those fear who contrive the notion that the safe harbor of salvation is open to persons of any religion whatever. They should consider the testimony of Christ Himself that ‘those who are not with Christ are against Him,’ (Lk. 11:23) and that they disperse unhappily who do not gather with Him. Therefore, ‘without a doubt, they will perish forever, unless they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate (Athanasian Creed).” [link here]
On the other hand, the Church has long made it clear that if a person rejects the Church with full knowledge and consent, he puts his soul in danger:
They cannot be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or remain in it (cf. LG 14).
The Catholic Church is "the single and exclusive channel by which the truth and grace of Christ enter our world of space and time" (Karl Adam, The Spirit of Catholicism, 179). Those who do not know the Church, even those who fight against it, can receive these gifts if they honestly seek God and his truth. But, Adam says, "though it be not the Catholic Church itself that hands them the bread of truth and grace, yet it is Catholic bread that they eat." And when they eat of it, "without knowing it or willing it" they are "incorporated in the supernatural substance of the Church."
As seen above Fr. Ryland is mistaken and seems not to have studied this subject well. The abundance of Church testimony is clear.
