DOGMA EXTRA ECCLESIAM NULLA SALUS NOT CONTRADICTED BY VATICAN COUNCIL II- Legionaries of Christ priest-formator in Rome

Fr. James Brooks L.C a member of the Legionaries of Christ seminary faculty in Rome last Sunday morning (Aug.7, 2011) said the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus was not contradicted by Vatican Council II. It was the teaching of the Church  that implicit baptism of desire cannot be explicitly known in particular cases he said . Fr. James is one of many priests in Rome who say there is no explicitly known implicit salvation. So Vatican Council II is not in contradiction with Tradition, the popes, Councils and the saints on the centuries-old interpretation of the dogma.

Fr. James, an American, he  was speaking with me at the seminary Pontifical International Maria Mater Ecclesia (PIMME) off Via Aurelia, Rome.

The normal, ordinary way for all people to receive salvation he said was the baptism of water. It was possible for a non Catholic to be saved with the baptism of desire, he observed, and this would be known only to God. We would not know any such case.

This would mean, it may be mentioned, that if Fr. Leonard Feeney of Boston said there is no known de facto (explicitly known) or de jure (accepted in principle) baptism of desire he would be correct. We would not know any particular case in Boston so it would not contradict the dogma. Cantate Domino, Council of Florence indicates every non Catholic in Boston, and the rest of the USA, needs to convert into the Catholic Church for salvation.Fr.James is also saying that we personally do not know any such case.

Fr. James is one of the priests at PIMME in charge of the religious formation of diocesan seminarians from all over the world. The Legionaries of Christ have a separate seminary near their university (UPRA) for seminarians of their religious community.

The Legionaries of Christ seminarians and those at PIMME are exposed to a book in the library of UPRA titled, ‘No Salvation outside the Church’ by Francis Sullivan S.J which is critical of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. Sullivan considers the dogma only relevant for the time it was issued. He does not mention that the dogma was defined by three popes, along with bishops and cardinals, in three different Councils. Sullivan also misinterpreted Vatican Council II and his book was written before Redemptoris Missio and Dominus Iesus which contradicted him.

The seminarians at PIMME can also read at UPRA a book by Fr. Hans Kung which says Vatican Council II has contradicted the thrice-defined dogma. Kung assumes those in invincible ignorance (LG 16) are explicitly known to us. He then builds upon this error, of explicitly known implicit salvation and claims Vatican Council II has ended the infallibility of the popes ex cathedra i.e. Lumen Gentium 16 contradicts the ex cathedra dogma, which Pope Pius XII called an ‘infallible teaching’(Letter of the Holy Office 1949).

At PIMME it is still taught that Fr. Leonard Feeney was excommunicated for heresy and those saved with the baptism of desire or in invincible ignorance are known to us, in particular.

Yet Fr. James is saying that implicit cases (baptism of desire, a good conscience, in partial communion with the church, etc) are known only to God. So they would not contradict the dogma.

Defacto, for salvation, everyone needs the baptism of water, given to adults with Catholic Faith (Ad Gentes 7). So Protestants and Orthodox Christians would also need Catholic Faith- and there are no exceptions.

De jure (in principle) a non Catholic can be saved with the baptism of desire etc and we can only accept it as a possibility since it would only be known to God.

So this defacto-dejure analysis does not contradict the Principle of Non Contradiction taught to PIMME seminarians at the Regina Apostolorum University (UPRA).

When Fr. Hans Kung implies de facto we know particular cases of non Catholics saved in invincible ignorance it contradicts the dogma which says everyone with no exception needs to be a defacto, explicit member of the Church.

This de facto-defacto analysis is contrary to the Principle of Non Contradiction.

I was a seminarian at PIMME in August 2002 the first time I came to Rome, and there was no concept of Catholic Mission along with the dogma and Vatican Council II, at PIMME.

Fr. James Brooks a Legionaries of Christ priest was clearly affirming the dogma and Vatican Council II, denying explicitly known baptism of desire and affirming an implicit baptism of desire known only to God.
-Lionel Andrades
E-mail:lionelandrades10@gmail.com

Photos(top) formators at PIMME from Maria Mater Ecclesia 20^th Anniversary (below) view of the seminary.