You all may want to consider the following links:
firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0305/articles/dulles.html
christorchaos.com/APatronSaintforConciliarism.htm
sspxasia.com/Newsletters/1997/November/Hell.htm *
As well as what Bob Sungenis wrote in
this article:
As it stands, there are many other things John Paul II has said and done that make it hard for one to be partial to him. In regards to the issue of hell, for example, Mr. Young tries to defend the pope by stating that those who have accused him of saying “hell is not a place” have their translation askew. It should be “hell is more than a place.” Granted, but objections to John Paul’s view of hell have little to do with whether it is a place. Rather, it concerns his constant insinuation that few people, if any, will be sent to hell. In Crossing the Threshold of Hope John Paul II states: “Eternal damnation is certainly proclaimed in the Gospel. To what degree is it realized in life beyond the grave? This is, ultimately, a great mystery,” and “even when Jesus says of Judas, the traitor, ‘It would be better for that man if he had never been born’ (Mt. 26:24), his words do not allude for certain to eternal damnation”(pp. 73 and 186). In August 1999 he stated: “Eternal damnation remains a real possibility, but we are not granted, without special divine revelation, the knowledge of whether or which human beings are effectively involved in it.”(13)
The words “whether…human beings are…involved in it” are quite disturbing, since they indicate that John Paul holds out for the possibility that no human beings will be in hell, and logically, this would stem from his apparent belief that all men are saved unless proven otherwise. Obviously, this is a dogmatic error of fact, so much so that in the official compilation of his teachings in book form, the Insengamenti, the phrase “of whether” was taken out. It now reads “the knowledge of which human beings are effectively involved in it.” Thus, even the pope’s own editors caught his error. In any case, it is quite apparent that the pope has done much, short of actually saying that no human beings are in hell, to imply that God may indeed save everyone, or that He already has. In light of this, it is no surprise that one of the pope’s favorite theologians was Hans Urs Von Balthasar, the modernist who became famous for espousing the “hell may be empty” theory in the book Dare We Hope?
When we compare the pope’s statement in L’Osservatore Romano to more traditionally-minded statements, we see a marked contrast. For example, St. Alphonsus Ligouri said of Judas: “Poor Judas! Above seventeen hundred years have elapsed since he has been in Hell, and his Hell is still only beginning” (Preparation for Death, p. 127). The same is true if we compare John Paul’s words to those of the Council of Florence: “It firmly believes, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart ‘into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels’ [Mt 25:46], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock…” (DS 714).
*Just a friendly note of warning that the SSPX is in schism.
