Everyone in heaven is Catholic?

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rwoehmke

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The statement everyone in heaven is Catholic kind of throws me. I know it does not mean that only card carrying Catholics can get into heaven, but beyond that I am shall we say “puzzled.” Please expand on the this declaration. :confused:
 
I think you are referring to someone said in another thread.

That saying may mean this :
Since Catholic church is the true Chruch, and the way Catholics worship models after the way angels worship in heaven, therefore, whoever enter heaven, even they were not Catholics on earth, they will become Catholics due to the true way of worship Catholics always do. In other words, the way Catholics worship God in Mass is the same way angels worship God in heaven right now.

This is just how I interprete it.
 
Dear rwoehmke,

I think it means, only those who are beholding Him face to face, because that is what heaven is, they are the ones who know Him as they are known by Him. They are there fore in possesion of the Truth, the fullness of truth, and they are the bride of Christ.These are the people who are what catholics say we’re supposed to be.If our Lord embraces us, who can be against us?

My two cents, if you get my drift.
 
Everyone who is saved, is saved by means of the Church which Christ founded–that is, the Catholic Church. Consequently, everyone who makes to heaven is saved by incorporation into the Catholic Church, whether they ever consciously accepted the Church or not. This is just another way of restating *extra ecclesiam nulla sanctus. *
 
JimG said:
Everyone who is saved, is saved by means of the Church which Christ founded–that is, the Catholic Church. Consequently, everyone who makes to heaven is saved by incorporation into the Catholic Church, whether they ever consciously accepted the Church or not. This is just another way of restating *extra ecclesiam nulla sanctus. *
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Jim, explain to me how the man who is ignorant of the Gospel is saved by incorporation into the Catholic Church? And how does “outside the church there is no salvation” fit into this theory?
 
Dear 3-bar,
I think what this means is that IF your in Heaven, you’ve been already admitted into the beatific vision. How you got there is somewhat immaterial. We can’t presume to judge God’s invitation.
 
Jim, explain to me how the man who is ignorant of the Gospel is saved by incorporation into the Catholic Church? And how does “outside the church there is no salvation” fit into this theory?
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Purgatory, in short.

You cannot sin if you are ignorant of the fact that what you are doing is a sin. Therefor, the man who has no knowledge of Christ cannot sin. We all know, however, that we are born with consciences and these direct us towards God, though we may choose to ignore it. The unknowing man who strives to do what is right and good even if he may not know why and has never heard of God is, in fact, doing God’s Will. As such after his death he may, by the Mercy of God, end up in Purgatory where his attatchements to unholy things and an attraction to God and His Son will diminish and grow respectivly. He is still saved through the graces granted through the Catholic Church, because the graces of Purgatory and his desire to do good in his Earthly life have both been provided by God through His Church.

Purgatory helps save more souls. I don’t understand why so many people are against it.
 
3bar17 said:
Jim, explain to me how the man who is ignorant of the Gospel is saved by incorporation into the Catholic Church? And how does “outside the church there is no salvation” fit into this theory?
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Well, Rawb gave one explanation.

But I really don’t think the matter is fully explainable because it’s not fully revealed.

The Church has long held the doctrine of “no salvation outside the church.” Another way of saying it is that in order to be saved, you must be incorporated into the Church. Normally, that is through Baptism, and living within the sacramental life of the Church.

But we also know of many who were baptized on their deathbeds. They were incorporated into the Church. Some can be incorporated into the Church by baptism of desire, i.e. catechumens not yet baptized but intending to be.

Can God incorporate someone into the Church outside those means? Sure, and He’s not obligated to tell us how He does it. Purgatory is a good explanation; because anyone there is already incorporated into the Church and on their way to heaven.

Can the ‘invincibly ignorant’ be incorporated into the Church? Certainly, if they have tried to follow the law of God to the best of their ability. The how is up to God. But everyone who reaches heaven will have been incorporated into the Church, and thus into Christ, in some way.
 
It is for God to judge who will enter heaven and who will not. I am sure there are plenty of Catholics in heaven and I am sure there are plenty of non Catholics in heaven.

Does this mean I don’t believe in Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus? No. I firmy believe in this doctrine of the faith. However, I also believe in the universal salvific will of God. I believe that God wills all men to be saved.

I do believe that there are more Catholics than non-Catholics in heaven because the Catholic faith is the fullest expression of the Christian faith, and only in the Catholic Church can you be certain of the means to achieve salvation. We have the Sacraments, and we have the teaching authority of the Magisterium which is eternally protected from error in matters of faith and morals by the Holy Spirit.

However, men cannot be condemned because of ignorance. What about people who do not know of the Catholic faith? Does God automatically condemn them? I don’t think he does. He judges the actions of these men based on the innate moral code that is written on the hearts of all men. Those who are invincibally ignorant of the Catholic faith can be saved through the graces of the Holy Spirit.

What about those who know of the Catholic faith but sincerely believe they are following the will of God in another religion? What if a person truly believes in Calvinism or Pentecostalism? Should they be condemned because they died before they had the chance to realise that the Catholic religion is the true faith? Or, should they be condemned because we Catholics failed in our duty to evangelise and teach them?

No. I believe God would not condemn a person who sincerely believed that a false religion was the true religion, as long as they lived a good life according to their own moral code. Those who were born into a religion cannot be blamed for thinking that this belief system was true. They cannot be held accountable for this as long as they did everyhing in their power to discover the truth of the Lord.

It should be noted however, that I believe any person who is truly seeking to know the will of God will eventually come to see the truth of the Catholic faith. They will be guided by the Holy Spirit; for faith is a gift from God.

Only in the Catholic faith can you be sure of the means to achieve Salvation through Christ. While other religions may contain elements of truth, the fullness of the Christian faith subsists in the Catholic Church. As such, we have a duty to evangelise the nations of the earth. Only through Christ can one be sure of salvation. And only through Christ and in his Church can one practice that religion which is truly pleasing to God. To summarise my beliefs on this subject, here is an analogy:

There are three cars. The first is a fine car but it has flat tires; it can move but it is very slow. The second car has everything you need to drive but it has no brakes; it can get you where you want to go but you are likely to crash at any point during the journey. The third car is perfect, in fact it is a Ferrari Sports car. It is fast and it drives beautifully. You know you can reach your destination safely as long as you drive properly.

The first two cars are other religions, especially Christian religions because they are closer to the truth (Catholicism). The third car is the Catholic faith. The moral is that other religions may get you to heaven but you’ll most likely fail. Only the Catholic faith will give you all you need to get there (as long as you live a good life).
 
Dempsey1919, I think your answer is right on the money.Thank you for an excellent explanation, it fits perfectly with what the Catechism says; #s 846-848.
Regina Pacis ora pro nobis,
3-17
 
By the time one non-Catholic enters Heaven (to be more exact, they know this if they are in Purgatory), he starts to do what he didn’t believe while living on earth - that is interceding for us as in communion of Saints and see the awesome Blessed Virgin Mary as their Mother. 🙂
 
Rawb said:
Purgatory helps save more souls. I don’t understand why so many people are against it.
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Yeah, I always wondered that too. I’ve noticed a lot of non-catholics do not believe in Purgatory. :confused:
 
Nothing that is not perfect can enter Heaven. The preparation of Purgatory makes us perfect. Only the Church established by Jesus Christ (the Catholic Church) has the fullness of Truth. In Purgatory we are prepared for Heaven by making us perfect believers and followers of Christ - which must be, and can only be, through His Church, the Catholic Church.

~Liza
 
If you find yourself in heaven it will have been through the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that Jesus founded for that very reason. How is known to Jesus alone.

SO yes everyone in heaven belongs to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
 
I wouldn’t be surprised if more non-Catholics are in heaven than Catholics, and after all, Catholics are far less than half the earth’s population. The Church has long affirmed baptism by desire, and not only by water, and so anyone who has not called himself a Catholic can enter heaven… And yet all the same, I would think that all the people in heaven are Catholics. A Moslem in heaven would know that there is a trinity and could no longer think of himself as a Moslem. A Protestant would learn that Christ founded the Catholic Church over the course of his life. And of course a pagan would know God and would laugh at his own earlier belief in gods.
 
I’m hoping that if I am blessed enough to enter Heaven, things like what Church people attended while we were on earth won’t register in my mind.
 
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