Friday, March 2, 2012

The Vatican Councils of the Catholic Church have clearly taught that formal membership in the Catholic Church IS absolutely necessary for salvation.

Objection 3
John Pacecho
The Vatican Councils of the Catholic Church have clearly taught that formal membership in the Catholic Church is not absolutely necessary for salvation.-John Pacecho, The Catholic Legate.
Lionel: The Vatican Councils of the Catholic Church have clearly taught that formal membership in the Catholic Church IS absolutely necessary for salvation.

John Pacecho
 The framers of Vatican I, for instance, rejected the Rigorist view outright. Those who are inculpably ignorant and at the same time respond to the grace that God gives them are not consigned to hell, but can, even in that condition, obtain justification.
Lionel: 'Those who are inculpably ignorant and at the same time respond to the grace that God gives them are not consigned to Hell'. These cases are known only to God so they are not explicit exceptions to the dogma outside the church no salvation.
Vatican Council I affirmed the rigorist interpretation of the dogma according to text quoted here.

'Moreover it is a dogma of faith, that no one can be saved outside the church.'-Vatican Council I. The text of the 'dogma of faith', Cantate Domino, Council of Florence is that of the rigorist interpretation.

John Pacecho
 Vatican II, of course, was quite explicit in accepting the broad view of this question. Those who are not at fault by remaining outside the visible boundaries of the Church can still be saved. See Appendix 3 for the clear evidence of this belief as well as the authority of the Magisterium to authoritatively interpret all doctrines of the Church.-John Pacecho
                                                                    APPENDIX 3
Vatican Councils
VATICAN I
7. No one can be saved outside the church.
Moreover it is a dogma of faith, that no one can be saved outside the church. On the other hand, those who labor under invincible ignorance concerning Christ and his church are not to be damned to eternal punishment on account of such ignorance, since they incur no guilt for this in the eyes of the Lord, who wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, and who does not deny grace to a person who is doing what lies in his power, so that such a one can obtain justification and eternal life. But no one obtains this who dies in a culpable state of separation from the unity of the faith or the communion of the church. Anyone who is not in the ark of salvation will perish in the prevailing flood." (Sacrorum conciliorum nova collectio, 541-542.)

Lionel: Vatican Council I clearly teaches that formal membership in the Catholic Church is absoluteley necessary for salvation.'Moreover it is a dogma of faith, that no one can be saved outside the church.'
'Anyone who is not in the ark of salvation will perish in the prevailing flood.' (Sacrorum conciliorum nova collectio, 541-542.)

In Session 4, chapter 3, Vatican I says:
Wherefore we teach and declare that, by divine ordinance, the Roman Church possesses a pre-eminence of ordinary power over every other Church, and that this jurisdictional power of the Roman Pontiff is both Episcopal and immediate. Both clergy and faithful, of whatever rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of hierarchical subordination and true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world.
Lionel: We have above the rigorist interpretation of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

John Pacecho.
 Further down this same session says:
Since the Roman Pontiff, by the divine right of the apostolic primacy, governs the whole Church, we likewise teach and declare that he is the supreme judge of the faithful, and that in all cases which fall under ecclesiastical jurisdiction recourse may be had to his judgment. The sentence of the Apostolic See (than which there is no higher authority) is not subject to revision by anyone, nor may anyone lawfully pass judgment thereupon. And so they stray from the genuine path of truth who maintain that it is lawful to appeal from the judgments of the Roman pontiffs to an ecumenical council as if this were an authority superior to the Roman Pontiff.
So, then, if anyone says that the Roman Pontiff has merely an office of supervision and guidance, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church, and this not only in matters of faith and morals, but also in those which concern the discipline and government of the Church dispersed throughout the whole world; or that he has only the principal part, but not the absolute fullness, of this supreme power; or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate both over all and each of the Churches and over all and each of the pastors and faithful: let him be anathema.

Lionel: The Magisterium of the Church is accepted. The Magisterium has alwys affirmed the dogma of the faith on extra ecclesiam nulla salus. The text of the dogma is that of the rigorist interpretation. It does not mention any defacto exceptions.
VATICAN II

CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION (Dei Verbum): "10. Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church. Holding fast to this deposit the entire holy people united with their shepherds remain always steadfast in the teaching of the Apostles, in the common life, in the breaking of the bread and in prayers (see Acts 2, 42, Greek text), so that holding to, practicing and professing the heritage of the faith, it becomes on the part of the bishops and faithful a single common effort. But THE TASK OF AUTHENTICALLY INTERPRETING THE WORD OF GOD, WHETHER WRITTEN OR HANDED ON, HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE LIVING TEACHING OFFICE OF THE CHURCH whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed."

Lionel: The Magisetrium mention in Vatican Council II (Dei Verbum) is accepted. Vatican Council II also like the popes and Councils of the past affirm the rigorist interpretation of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. It says all need to enter the Church with Catholic Faith and the baptism of water for salvation (to avoid Hell)-Ad Gentes 7, Lumen Gentium 14.

Therefore, all must be converted to Him, made known by the Church's preaching, and all must be incorporated into Him by baptism and into the Church which is His body. For Christ Himself "by stressing in express language the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5), at the same time confirmed the necessity of the Church, into which men enter by baptism, as by a door.-Ad Gentes 7

Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism(124) and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church.-Lumen Gentium 14

Other Magisterial documents after Vatican Council II have the same message.

Above all else, it must be firmly believed that “the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the 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; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door”. This doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); “it is necessary to keep these two truths together, namely, the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all mankind and the necessity of the Church for this salvation”.- Dominus Iesus 20

Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium 16 (invincible ignorance) is not an exception to Ad Gentes 7. Since we do not know any explicit case of a non Catholic saved in invincible ignorance or with a good conscience. In principle we accept this possibility. In reality we do not know any such case which would be an exception to the dogma outside the church no salvation.
Vatican II, LG #16: "For they who without their own fault do not know of the Gospel of Christ and His Church, but yet seek God with sincere heart, and try, under the influence of grace, to carry out His will in practice, known to them through the dictate of conscience, can attain eternal salvation." _

The Vatican Councils of the Catholic Church cited here clearly teach  that formal membership in the Catholic Church is necessary for salvation.-Lionel Andrades
http://catholic-legate.com/Apologetics/Ultra-Traditionalism/Articles/ObjectionsToRigorism.aspx

No pope has said that those saved in invincible ignorance are known to us and so are exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus


Objection 2

The Popes have taught that those who suffer from invincible ignorance can obtain eternal salvation. This includes at least two Popes, Pius IX and Pius XII, who reigned before the Second Vatican Council. A brief sample of some papal writings denying the Rigorist position is provided in Appendix 2.-John Pacecho

Lionel: Those who obtain salvation in invincible ignorance are known only to God and are unknown to us. So they do not contradict the centuries old rigorist interpretation of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

In the following quotes from the popes it is important to observe that none of them have said that those saved in invincible ignorance are known to us or that they contradict the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus or that they are exceptions to the rigorist interpretation of outside the church no salvation. One has to assume this error irrationally. Then assume wrongly that it is the teaching of the Catholic Church’s magisterium.

                                                          APPENDIX 2

Papal Decrees

Pope Innocent II (1130-1143)

"We affirm without hesitation that the old man who according to the information received from you, died without having received the baptism of water, has been relieved of original sin and granted the joy of the heavenly home, because he has persevered in the faith of holy Mother the Church and in the confession of Christ's name. Read on this the eighth book of Augustine's "The City of God" where among other things we read the following: "Baptism is invisibly administered which has been impeded, not by contempt for religion, but by unavoidable death. And read over again the book of St. Ambrose "On the Death of Valentianus" which affirms the same doctrine". (D741)

Pope Pius IX

"And here, beloved Sons and Venerable Brethren, it is necessary once more to mention and censure the serious error into 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 have 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 torments (suppliciis). However, also 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 the Church, and who stubbornly remain separated from the unity of the Church and from the successor of Peter, the Roman Pontiff (to whom the Saviour has entrusted the care of His vineyard), cannot attain salvation." (Quanto conficiamur ,1863 (Denz 1677)) (Emphasis added)

Lionel: Here the pope is saying that defacto every one needs to enter the Church for salvation. This is the traditional rigorist interpretation. The pope at the same time accepts that it is possible for someone to be saved in invincible ignorance. These cases obviously would be known only to God. They are defacto only for God. They can never be explicit for us.

"By Faith it is to be firmly held that outside the Apostolic Roman Church none can achieve salvation. This is the only ark of salvation. He who does not enter into, will perish in the flood. NEVERTHELESS equally certainly it is to be held that those who suffer from invincible ignorance of the true religion, are not for this reason guilty in the eyes of the Lord." (D1647)

"The Church clearly declares that the only hope of salvation for mankind is placed in the Christian faith, which teaches the truth, scatters the darkness of ignorance by the splendor of its light, and works through love. This hope of salvation is placed in the Catholic Church which, in preserving the true worship, is the solid home of this faith and the temple of God. OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH, NOBODY CAN HOPE FOR LIFE OR SALVATION UNLESS HE IS EXCUSED THROUGH IGNORANCE BEYOND HIS CONTROL. The Church teaches and proclaims that if sometimes we can use human wisdom to study the divine word, our wisdom should not for that reason proudly usurp to itself the right of master. Rather, it should act as an obedient and submissive servant, afraid of erring if it goes first and afraid of losing the light of interior virtue and the straight path of truth by following the consequences of exterior words." (Singulari, Quidem, 1856 A.D.)

Pope Pius XII

"They who do not belong to the visible bond of the Catholic Church... [we ask them to] strive to take themselves from that state in which they cannot be sure of their own eternal salvation; for even though THEY ARE ORDERED TO THE MYSTICAL BODY OF THE REDEEMER BY A CERTAIN DESIRE AND WISH of which they are not aware [implicit in the general wish to do what God wills], yet they lack so many and so great heavenly gifts and helps which can be enjoyed only in the Catholic Church." (D3821)

"It is not always required that one be actually incorporated as a member of the Church, but this at least is required: that one adhere to it in wish and desire. It is not always necessary that this be explicit... but when a man labors under invincible ignorance, God accepts even an implicit will, called by that name because it is contained in the good disposition of soul in which a man wills to conform his will to the will of God." (D3870) [Holy Office, Aug 9, 1949, condemning doctrine of L. Feeney]

Lionel: The ‘doctrine of L.Feeney’ is not specified by John Pacecho. Different people claim different things. The Letter of the Holy Office 1940 nowhere says that he was ‘condemned’ for heresy.

Fr. Leonard Feeney held the rigorist interpretation of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus as did the popes cited here. Fr. Leonard Feeney knew that there was no baptism of desire or being saved in invincible ignorance which was an exception to the rigorist interpretation of outside the church no salvation.

Pope Paul VI:

"In view of the pastoral nature of the Council, it avoided any extraordinary statements of dogmas endowed with the note of infallibility, but it still provided us teaching with THE AUTHORITY OF THE ORDINARY MAGISTERIUM, which must be accepted with docility...." (2)Paul VI, Allocution to Consistory of Cardinals, May 24,1976 (Osservatore Romano, English, June 3, l976), complained: "It is even affirmed that the Second Vatican Council is not binding." (General audience of Jan 12,1966)

"We believe that the Church is necessary for salvation, because Christ, who is the sole mediator and way of salvation, renders Himself present for us in His body which is the Church.[33] But the divine design of salvation embraces all men, and those who without fault on their part do not know the Gospel of Christ and His Church, but seek God sincerely, and under the influence of grace endeavor to do His will as recognized through the promptings of their conscience, they, in a number known only to God, can obtain salvation." (The Credo of the People of God, 1968, 23)

Pope John Paul II

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church, is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition, and the Church's Magisterium. I declare it to BE A SURE NORM FOR TEACHING THE FAITH and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion. May it serve the renewal to which the Holy Spirit ceaselessly calls the Church of God, the Body of Christ, on her pilgrimage to the undiminished light of the Kingdom!"

"The universality of salvation means that it is granted not only to those who explicitly believe in Christ and have entered the church. Since salvation is offered to all, it must be made concretely available to all. But it is clear that today, as in the past, many people do not have an opportunity to come to know or accept the Gospel revelation or to enter the church... . For such people, salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a mysterious relationship to the church, does not make them formally a part of the church, but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is the result of his sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit. It enables each person to attain salvation through his or her free cooperation." (Dec. 7, 1990)

Being saved in invincible ignorance is not a defacto exception to the teaching of Cantate Domino Council of Florence

Catholic Legate cites three defined dogmas.

Preface

The Rigorist position holds that only those baptized with water will be saved in accordance with Our Lord's words in John 3:5: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God." Proponents of the position also appeal to many patristic texts as well as to the three declarations of the dogma of "No Salvation Outside the Church" which has been defined by the Catholic Church in the medieval period of her history. The following piece presents a number of objections to the strict view of "No Salvation Outside the Church" and absolute necessity of water baptism.-John Pacecho

Objection 1

The three official definitions, presented in Appendix 1, are often cited by the Rigorists in support of their position. The citations, however, are done so either ignoring the Magisterium's intended meaning or out of their historical context.

i) Pope Innocent III - Lateran Council IV (AD 1215) - The 12th Ecumenical Council of the Church:

In relation to baptism only seven years prior to this decree, this same Pope Innocent III wrote in 1208 AD: "A certain Jew, when at the point of death, since he lived only among Jews, immersed himself in water, while saying I baptize myself in the name of the Father, and the Son, and in the Holy Spirit.. We respond that since there should be a distinction between the one baptizing and the one baptized, as clearly gathered from the words of the Lord when said "Go baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit." The Jew must be baptized again by another. If however such a one had died immediately he would have rushed to his heavenly home without delay because of the faith of the sacrament although not because of the sacrament of faith." (D413)

Lionel: Being saved in invincible ignorance is not an exception to the rigorist interpretation of Lateran Council IV (1215 AD).

John Pacecho:
Clearly, then, the Pope is affirming the efficacy of baptism by desire.

Lionel:
 The efficacy of the baptism of desire is not disputed. In principle (de jure ) it is accepted. De facto (in reality) we do not know any case which can be an exception to the dogma which says all need to enter the Church.

ii) Pope Boniface VIII - Papal Bull Unam Sanctum, 1302:

This document had nothing to do with condemning heretics or pagans or Jews. Its origin was precipitated by a dispute between the Pope and King Philip IV over money - taxation to be exact. The dispute then developed into the Philip's attack on Papal jurisdiction in the Church itself. This is the context within which the Pope issued his decree: it was directed at those who have heard and understood what the Catholic Church teaches. That is why, for instance, the Pope mentions the Greeks who explicitly reject papal authority.

Lionel: The Church’s teaching on the Holy Trinity, approved by a Council, and the Catholic Church’s dogma on Hell, was also issued in the context of those particular times. They reflect truths of the Catholic Faith which are eternal. Similarly the Papal Bull Unam Sanctum 1302 is saying for salvation all need to be subject to the pope. All need to be in the Catholic Church.

iii) Pope Eugene IV, the Bull - Cantate Domino, 1441:

The context of the Bull is clearly directed at heretics who attack the Christological dogmas of the Church including Jesus' person and hypostatic union. All of these heresies mentioned had contact with the full gospel and many (such as the Arians, Manichaeans, and Monophystes) were anathematized. All of these sects have heard the message, but have refused to enter the Church despite that fact. This is the context that one must interpret the Pope's anathema to the pagans and the Jews. It presumes that the individuals within these groups have also heard and understood the Church, but obstinately reject her. It is to these individuals that the anathema applies.

Lionel: All the three defined dogmas including Cantate Domino 1441 were written in the context of their time and with the same message: the necessity of entering the Catholic Church for salvation. Cantate Domino mentions the need specifically for Jews and other Christians to convert into the Catholic Church to avoid the fires of Hell.

This teaching is similar to that of Vatican Council II (Ad Gentes 7, Lumen Gentium 14) on the need for all, all people, to have Catholic Faith and the baptism of water for salvation(to avoid Hell).

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. -Cantate Domino, Council of Florence.
Being saved in invincible ignorance is not a defacto exception to the teaching of Cantate Domino, Council of Florence.
-Lionel Andrades