Lionel's blog
… 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…’(Emphasis added).
‘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."…-Vatican Council IISo Vatican Council II is affirming the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus just like St.Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and all the other Carmelites. Here is the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.
“There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.).The dogma does not say that those in invincioble ignorance, with the baptism of destre or with a good conscience do not de facto have to enter the Catholic Church to avoid Hell. The dogma indicates that there are no exceptions. This is Teresian spirituality.
“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, 302.).
“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.) – from the website Catholicism.org and “No Salvation outside the Church”: Link List, the Three Dogmatic Statements Regarding EENS) http://nosalvationoutsideofthecatholiicchurch.blogspot.com/
Now, among those things which the Church has always preached and will never cease to preach is contained also that infallible statement by which we are taught that there is no salvation outside the Church.Pope Pius XII was saying all Jews in Boston, specifically, and other cities like Rome, needed to worship God in the only religion in which God wants all people to be united in. This is also the teaching of Fr. Leonard Feeney, who was not excommunicated for heresy. This was also the teaching of St.Teresa of Avila.
However, this dogma must be understood in that sense in which the Church herself understands it...-Letter of the Holy Office 1949 (Emphasis added).
In His infinite mercy God has willed that the effects, necessary for one to be saved, of those helps to salvation which are directed toward man's final end, not by intrinsic necessity, but only by divine institution, can also be obtained in certain circumstances when those helps are used only in desire and longing.-Letter of the Holy Office 1949So implicit faith was never in conflict with evangelisation and mission, or with the dogmatic teaching that everyone with no exception needs to enter Jesus’ Mystical Body; the Church, to be saved, from Hell. Since we do not know any specific person, who in those rare, 'in certain circumstances' God will judge as having a good conscience, the baptism of desire or being genuinely in invincible ignorance(LG 16).
Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel.-Lumen Gentium 16,Vatican Council II.Carmelites Studies needs to see the link between Vatican Council II and St.Teresa of Avila.
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