SUPPORTERS OF FR.LEONARD FEENEY DO NOT DENY AS A CONCEPT THAT NON CATHOLICS CAN BE SAVED IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES AND KNOWN ONLY TO GOD

Salvation for Non-Catholics: Not a New Idea The website CatholicCulture.org says in the report Salvation for Non-Catholics : Not a New Idea :-

By Dr. Jeff Mirus
August 05, 2010

The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) cites St. Paul’s letter to the Romans when it asserts the possibility for salvation for non-Catholics and even for non-Christians...

Now, from the quoted passage in this Dogmatic Constitution, we see the Church asserting again that even non-Christians can be saved (as many Traditionalists and Feeneyites have flatly denied)

Feeneyites have flatly denied….?

They have not.

Here is a definition of the Baptism of Desire from the website of St. Benedict Centre, NH, USA (Catholicism.org) whose founder was Fr. Leonard Feeney.

5. Regarding baptism of desire:

No Pope, Council, or theologian says that baptism of desire is a sacrament.

Likewise no Pope, Council, or theologian says that baptism of desire incorporates one into the Catholic Church.

Question: Without contradicting the thrice defined Dogma, “No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church”, and the infallible teaching of the Council of Trent, how can one define the expression baptism of desire?

Answer: The following definition of baptism of desire can be made which will be totally consistent with the infallible teaching of the Council of Trent and with the thrice defined dogma of “No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church”. This definition of baptism of desire goes as follows:

In its proper meaning, this consists of an act of perfect contrition or perfect love [that is Charity, which necessarily implies that one has the True Faith], and the simultaneous desire for baptism. It does not imprint an indelible character on the soul and the obligation to receive Baptism by water remains. (From page 126 of The Catholic Concise Encyclopedia , by Robert Broderick, M.A., copyright 1957, Imprimatur by Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, August 31, 1956) - Desire, Justification, and Salvation at the Council of Trent, by Br. David Mary, M.I.C.M., Tert. May 02nd, 2005

So they accept the Baptism of Desire in principle. They accept it as a concept just like Fr. Leonard Feeney who described the case of the catechumen who dies before receiving the Baptism of water.

They reject Baptism as explicit since only God knows to whom the Baptism of Desire has been given. We do not know any particular case. None of us can see a Baptism of Desire externally.So they reject EXPLICIT, knowable, external Baptism of desire.

They reject implicit Baptism of desire in the sense that we do not know in principle any case of the Baptism of Desire. We are not likely to know any during our lifetime.

However as a general concept they accept that God can give someone the grace of the Baptism of Desire which will culminate with the Baptism of water for salvation.

So they are saying that a non Catholic known only to God, can be saved with the Baptism of desire as defined above. However everyone on earth we know according to the infallible teaching needs to be a visible member of the Catholic Church to avoid Hell and if there is someone who can be saved with the Baptism of desire it will be known only to God.

So I wish  Dr.Jeffrey Mirus would clarify what does he  mean by they have flatly denied that non Christians can be saved.

Secondly, supporters of Fr.Leonard Feeney  could also interpret the same Vatican Council text as Jeffrey Mirus. No Magisterial document says Mirus'  interpretation is the official one.

There are can be two intrerpretations of Vatican Council II

1. According to Jeffrey Mirus and the Jewish Left media.

The ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus says everybody needs to be an explicit member of the Church and there are no exceptions however according to Dei Verbum ,Lumen Gentium 16 etc a person can be saved who is not a member of the Catholic Church. So Vatican Council II refutes or contradicts the infallible teaching.

2. According to Lionel Andrades in accord with the dogma and Tradition.

The ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus says everybody needs to be an explicit member of the Church and there are no exceptions and if a person is saved who is not a member of the Catholic Church (LG 16,Vatican Council II etc) then this will be known only to God. So Vatican Council II does not contradict the infallible teaching.

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