Sunday, July 7, 2013

SSPX says 'Outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation': Joint Document by Catholics and Lutherans

The DICI Newsletter of the Society of St.Pius X (SSPX)  has criticized  the Joint Document by Lutherans and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity,Vatican  published on  June 17, 2013. 
“Mistaking the constant, unanimous teaching of Tradition that the Mystical Body of Christ is the Catholic Church and that outside of it there is no salvation, this ecumenism has, so to speak, destroyed the most beautiful treasures of the Church because, instead of accepting the unity founded on the whole truth, it tried to construct a unity adapted to a truth wedded to error.”-DICI News 
In From Ecumenism to Silent Apostasy (2) the SSPX has stated Outside the Church There is No Salvation. The SSPX is  affirming the thrice defined dogma and the statements of the popes on this issue.
 
The SSPX however has not quoted Ad Gentes 7 which is mentioned in the Catechism of the Catholic Church under the title Outside the Church there is no salvation . Ad Gentes 7 which says 'all' need 'faith and baptism', refers to Catholic Faith and the baptism of water. It cannot be referring  to the faith of  Lutherans or Jehovah Witnesses.Neither can it refer to the baptism of desire which we cannot administer.
 
Lutherans do not have Catholic Faith.They are outside the Catholic Church. One must be a  visible member of the Church in 2013, with Catholic Faith, for salvation.
 
Catholic Faith and the baptism of water are the ordinary means of salvation for Lutherans and not the baptism of desire and being saved in invincible ignorance.
 
Are there elements of sanctification and truth in the separated communities? Does the Holy Ghost use the separated communities as a means of salvation? The so-called “sister-churches” , SSPX asks in From Ecumenism to Silent Apostasy .However the SSPX does not state that these cases are hypothetical .They are known only to God.
 
We do not know (and cannot know) anyone saved with elements of sanctification or in imperfect communion with the Church, seeds of the Word etc. So these  cases are not exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus  or to Vatican Council II (AG 7).They are not even relevant.The SSPX document has not pointed this out.

Vatican Council II(AG 7) supports the SSPX traditional position on other religions and ecumenism. There are no exceptions mentioned in Vatican Council II (LG 16,LG 8,UR 3 refer to unknown cases in 2013 and so are not exceptions).
 
To assume that we can know in 2013 Lutherans saved in imperfect communion with the Church(UR 3) , elements of sanctification and grace(LG 8), seeds of the Word(AG 11) etc would be making the Richard Cushing Error.
 
So in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (846) under the title Outside the Church there is no salvation there are no exceptions mentioned to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus or the need for all to enter the Church' as through a door'(AG 7). All who are saved are saved through Jesus and the Church (846) must not be considered a contradiction or an exception to the dogma (all need to convert into the Catholic Church).Since we do not personally know those who are saved with implicit desire or in invincible ignorance. We do not know anyone saved without Catholic Faith and the baptism of desire for them to be known exceptions to Traditon.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church  like Vatican Council II affirms the literal interpretation of Fr.Leonard Feeney. This was the traditional interpretation of the Church Councils and popes whom the SSPX has cited.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church like Vatican Council, without the Richard Cushing Error of being able to physically see cases saved with the baptism of desire etc, indicate that Orthodox Christians and  Protestant communities need Catholic Faith for salvation from Hell. They are outside the Church.It is not enough just to believe in Jesus but one must live the teachings of Jesus in only the Catholic Church. As Pope Francis said, 'we cannot find Jesus outside the Church'. He was quoting Pope Paul VI (Evangelii Nuntiandi) and St.Ignatius of Loyola.
-Lionel Andrades

1
A joint document by Catholics and Lutherans