… the Church teaches that those innocently ignorant of the Church in a formal way still profess the faith by following the law of God written on their hearts. It is Christ they follow, although they know it not. And the Church, being Christ perpetuated on earth, is that in which the person professes their faith, unknowingly, and informally.
My point is that Catholic Answers and others in the orthodox/radio/ communications/media Catholic movement are not expressing the FULL mind of the Church in this matter. Of course there is confusion but there is no heresy to be lobbed at an APPROVED Church group. “What the Church does not condemn neither do I”. These Catholic Media elites should clarify that the Feeney position though not popular is not heresy since there are Church approved groups. Does the Church approve heresy?
If anything it is what the Church has always required for salvation:
** Pope Leo XII, Ubi Primum #14. May 5, 1824:**
“It is impossible for the most true God, who is Truth itself, the best, the wisest Provider, and the Rewarder of good men, **to approve all sects who profess false teachings **which are often inconsistent with one another and contradictory, and to confer eternal rewards on their members… by divine faith we hold one Lord, one faith, one baptism… This is why we profess that there is no salvation outside the Church.”
** Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos #13. Aug. 15, 1832:**
“With the admonition of the apostle, that ‘there is one God, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. 4:5), may those fear
who contrive the notion that the safe harbor of salvation is open to persons of any religion whatever. They should consider the testimony of Christ Himself that ‘those who are not with Christ are against Him,’ (Lk. 11:23) and that they disperse unhappily who do not gather with Him. Therefore, ‘without a doubt, they will perish forever, **unless they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate **(Athanasian Creed).
** Pope Gregory XVI, Summo Iugiter Studio, 1832**:
#5.You know how zealously Our predecessors taught that very article of faith which** these dare to deny, namely the necessity of the Catholic faith and of unity for salvation.** The words of that celebrated disciple of the apostles, martyred St. Ignatius, in his letter to the Philadelphians are relevant to this matter: **“Be not deceived, my brother; if anyone follows a schismatic, he will not attain the inheritance of the kingdom of God.” **Moreover, St. Augustine and the other African bishops who met in the Council of Cirta in the year 412 explained the same thing at greater length:
"Whoever has separated himself from the Catholic Church, no matter how laudably he lives, will not have eternal life, but has earned the anger of God because of this one crime: that he abandoned his union with Christ."
Omitting other appropriate passages which are almost numberless in the writings of the Fathers, We shall praise St. Gregory the Great who expressly testifies that this indeed is the teaching of the Catholic Church. He says:
“The holy universal Church teaches that it is not possible to worship God truly except in her and asserts that all who are outside of her will not be saved.” Official acts of the Church proclaim the same dogma. Thus, in the decree on faith which Innocent III published with the synod of Lateran IV, these things are written: “**There is one universal Church of all the faithful outside of which no one is saved.” **Finally the same dogma is also expressly mentioned in the profession of faith proposed by the Apostolic See, not only that which all Latin churches use, but also that which the Greek Orthodox Church uses and that which other Eastern Catholics use. We did not mention these selected testimonies because We thought you were ignorant of that article of faith and in need of Our instruction. Far be it from Us to have such an absurd and insulting suspicion about you. But We are so concerned about this serious and well known dogma, which has been attacked with such remarkable audacity, that We could not restrain Our pen from reinforcing this truth with many testimonies.
** Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis, 1943:**
22,: “Actually only those are to be numbered among the members of the Church who have received the laver of regeneration and profess the true faith.”
ATIS COGNITUM–ON THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH–ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII–JUNE 29, 1896:
#9…If then it be certain that anything is revealed by God, and this is not believed, then nothing whatever is believed by divine Faith:
for what the Apostle St. James judges to be the effect of a moral delinquency, the same is to be said of an erroneous opinion in the matter of faith. “Whosoever shall offend in one point, is become guilty of all” (Ep. James ii., 10). Nay, it applies with greater force to an erroneous opinion.For it can be said with less truth that every law is violated by one who commits a single sin, since it may be that he only virtually despises the majesty of God the Legislator. But he who dissents even in one point from divinely revealed truth absolutely rejects all faith, since he thereby refuses to honour God as the supreme truth and the formal motive of faith. *“In many things they are with me, in a few things not with me; but in those few things in which they are not with me the many things in which they are will not profit them” *(S. Augustinus in Psal. liv., n. 19).
** Pope Pius IX, Syllabus of Modern Errors, Dec. 8, 1864 - Proposition 16:**
“Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation, and arrive at eternal salvation.”= condemned
L 3,1169; De unit.
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