A front page article (April 10, 2008) in the L’Osservatore Romano written by Cardinal Walter Kaspar was presented to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. It was presented by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State. The article was approved by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.
The article said that Vatican Council II indicated that non Catholics can be saved. So Cardinal Kaspar concluded that Jews do not have to convert in the present times.
Pope Benedict XVI in Light to the World-Conversations with Peter Seewald also repeats that Jews do not have to convert in the present times.
Apply the Three Common Sense Points.
1. There is no way that we can know of a particular person saved in invincible ignorance or the baptism of desire because of its very nature. It is known only to God.
2. There is no text in Vatican Council II or the Catechism which claims we know of any such case. (Lumen Gentium 16 mentions the possibility of such people being saved, which we accept conceptually. De facto we do not know if there is even one single case in the present times, or the last 100 years)
3. So Vatican Council II and the Catechism do not contradict the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus(1).-The Three Common Sense Points
So there is no text in Vatican Council II which says Jews do not have to convert in the present times. Neither is there any text in the Council which says Jews in general do not have to convert and they are saved in general.
The baptism of desire is a gift of God. We cannot claim that someone has received the Baptism of Desire this month. We cannot claim to know the Mind of God. We cannot claim that someone or many people have been saved in invincibile ignorance this month.
Observe the common error. They postulate that since it is possible to be saved in invincible ignorance we know of such cases in real life. Then they assume this contradicts the dogma which says everyone needs to enter the Church for salvation.
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1.
1. “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215). Ex cathedra.
2.“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.” (Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302.).Ex cathedra.
3.“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.” (Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441.) Ex cathedra – from the website Catholicism.org and “No Salvation outside the Church”: Link List, the Three Dogmatic Statements Regarding EENS http://nosalvationoutsideofthecatholicchurch.blogspot.com/
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Letter of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on the Revised Good Friday Prayer for the Conversion of the Jews.
Bertone, TarcisioCittà del Vaticano, 2008/05/14Mr Oded WienerDirector-General of the Chief Rabbinate of IsraelBeit Yahav80 Yirmiyahu StreetP.O. Box 36016Jerusalem
Dear Sir,
I write with reference to the Statement issued by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel in response to the publication of the Note of 4 February 2008, altering the Oremus et pro Iudaeis prayer in the 1962 edition of the Missale Romanum.
In this regard, I would point out that – by means of the "Communiqué of the Secretariat of State" which appeared in the daily edition of L'Osservatore Romano on 5 April 2008, and subsequently in the weekly language editions of the same publication – the Holy See has clearly emphasized the Catholic Church's firm commitment, especially in the wake of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, to promote and develop relations with the Jews through dialogue marked by profound respect, sincere esteem and cordial friendship. This commitment remains unchanged, especially in view of the spiritual links that exist between Jews and Christians.
As you have observed, particular prominence has also been given to a substantial and detailed article on the subject by Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism. This article appeared on the front page of L'Osservatore Romano on 10 April 2008, as a sign of the importance attributed to the text and the fact that what it says about the new version of the Prayer for the Jews in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal is commonly held. Among other things, the Cardinal emphasized that a sincere dialogue between Jews and Christians is possible, on the one hand, on the basis of our common faith in the one God, Creator of heaven and earth, and in the promises made to Abraham, but on the other hand, through respectfully acknowledging the fundamental difference over faith in Jesus as Christ and Redeemer of all mankind. As Cardinal Kasper clearly explains, the new Oremus et pro Iudaeis is not intended to promote proselytism towards the Jews and it opens up an eschatological perspective. Christians, however, cannot but bear witness to their faith, in full and total respect for the freedom of others, and this leads them also to pray that all will come to recognize Christ.
Likewise, on his recent visit to the United States of America, the Holy Father gave a number of indications of his sentiments towards the Jews. Indeed, after meeting the representatives of various religions, the Pope particularly wanted to receive a group of Jewish religious leaders in order to hand over to them a special Message on the occasion of the great feast of Pesah, devoted to celebrating the great marvels that Almighty God has worked for his people.
In New York, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI visited a synagogue in order to meet personally a Jewish community whose Rabbi was a survivor from the Nazi extermination camps. He wanted to manifest his sympathy, affection and closeness to the Jewish people, and to demonstrate, through a tangible and special gesture, the Holy See's commitment to respectful and loving dialogue, which leads to ever deeper relations of friendship and understanding.
In the hope that this letter may serve to dispel any remaining doubt on the part of the Chief Rabbinate over the Catholic Church's stance towards the Jewish people and over the intentions behind the alteration of the Oremus et pro Iudaeis of the 1962 Missale Romanum, I remain
Yours sincerely,
Tarcisio Card. Bertone
Secretary of State
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