I noticed the blog post of Fr.Joe Jenkins where I asked :
Similarly when Ad Gentes 7 says that all need Catholic Faith and the baptism of water for salvation we do not know any exceptions. None. Would you agree?
No he would not.
FATHER JOE:
No, this is not what Ad Gentes says. While affirming the role of Christ and his Church, we also read: “‘Therefore those men cannot be saved, WHO THOUGH AWARE THAT GOD, through Jesus Christ founded the Church as something necessary, still do not wish to enter into it, or to persevere in it.’
Fr.Joe Jenkins is saying that only they could not be saved who aware, who ‘know’ and yet do not enter.This would include the leading non Catholics in Washington who are educated and informed.LG 14 indicates they are damned unless they convert.
Father Joe will not accept that all non Catholics with no exception need to enter the Church.
Why? Does he know those who 'know' and those who 'do not know 'who are saved or going to be saved? Can he judge ?
The principal teaching of Ad Gentes 7 is that 'all need faith and baptism' for salvation. This is the ordinary way.All means all. We cannot judge and say this person knows and this person does not know and so this is the ordinary means of salvation.
So Fr.Joe does not agree that all need catholic Faith and the baptism of water for salvation and this is the ordinary means to Heaven according to the Church.
Instead he says:
Therefore though God in ways known to Himself can lead those inculpably ignorant of the Gospel to find that faith without which it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6),
Fr.Joe says :
The person who is aware that Jesus is God and that he instituted the Catholic Church as the true Church for our salvation must by necessity join that Church. But this leaves open the situation of ignorance of those who have not arrived at this truth.
Fr.Joe says.
When it comes to Ad Gentes 7, you must not omit the words, “WHO THOUGH AWARE THAT GOD.”
We know this is a new doctrine and irrational. We do not know who is saved in invincible ignorance so it does not contradict the dogma.Neither are we aware of who 'knows' about the Church .If there is such an exception the final decision is with God. We cannot judge.This was the error of Richard Cushing. He assumed that we could judge who is saved in ignorance.
So “WHO THOUGH AWARE THAT GOD.”does not contradict Ad Gentes 7 when it says all need Catholic Faith and the baptism of water for salvation. Vatican Council II does not contradict itself.-Lionel Andrades