Historical Papal Stance on Salvation

[dmar198]

The running theme seems to be, the Church is the Church of Christ, without Christ and His Church, no one can be saved. If people are saved, even if they don’t believe in the one true Church, they somehow still go to Heaven through it. The Christ part is easy to get. After, He is, “the way, the truth, and the light.” No one can come to the Father except through His sacrifice.

I guess my question about the Catholic Church part would be, how? You’ve all referred me to articles and posted papal quotes explaining how people can be saved, but not explaining how and why people can only be saved through the Church.

I think a few of the articles pointed to some way of understanding the how. One was Pope St. Pius X’s 1908 catechism: “A person outside the Church by his own fault, and who dies without perfect contrition, will not be saved. But he who finds himself outside without fault of his own, and who lives a good life, can be saved [because] the love called charity…unites unto God, and in a spiritual way also to the Church, that is, to the soul of the Church.” (Catechism of Christian Doctrine)

If charity unites a person to the soul of the Church even though they are not united to externally to the Church, then it seems to me that those who openly disagree with the Church can fall into that category if their disagreement comes from a state of invincible ignorance. Does that seem reasonable?

 

[Pound_Coolish]

Still don’t quite get it. (Shocking.) Maybe I’m not asking quite the right question.

Firstly, what in the language of the quotes (or the context of them) allows for the interpretation that people can in fact go to Heaven if they are not in the Church? That is, that it is still possible to go to heaven through the Church? Is that implicit in the writing? Or does it have to be read in?

Secondly, how is one saved through the church if you are outside it? Yes, I realize of course that the Church is, as you have all reminded me, the Church of Christ. It is the only one He founded, and He works through it. He could certainly work through it to save souls who do not believe if He chose. But, how is He working through the Church to save those who die without being in it? What *exactly *is it the Catholic Church does to save someone who dies outside of her? Or do we not know?

Thank you.

 

[steve_b]

Thank you both kindly, but while that is helpful, it’s somewhat unsatisfactory.

You claim there’s nothing wrong with these quotes in historical context. But there is simply no reconciling those quotes with Catholic teaching. They say those who are not Catholic, “will without a doubt perish in eternity” and outside the Catholic church “nobody at all is saved.”

The statements are true

The caveot put in place in today’s teaching has always been the case even if not specifically stated. That is a person’s ignorance. Providing that ignorance is purely innocent. By innocent I mean, a person has not deliberately avoided learning what they need to know when it is/was easily available to get. 1791

That’s why the CCC states (emphasis mine)

846

"How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it."

To give scripture + Tradition spoken of #34

 

[Abu]

Pound Coolish #22
But, how is He working through the Church to save those who die without being in it? What exactly is it the Catholic Church does to save someone who dies outside of her? Or do we not know?

As there is only one Christ and He established only His Catholic Church with all the means of salvation, everyone who wants to do good and follow the dictates of conscience, while seeking to know what is right from wrong, may be saved through His Church – there is just no other way.

The* how *is through the individuals sincerity in seeking to do what is true and good; what Christ does through His Church, and no other way, is to make salvation attainable for such an individual as without His Church there is no salvation, which “means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body” (CCC 846).

 

[Pound_Coolish]

Thanks, Abu. I believe that’s finally cleared it up for me. Thanks for sticking with me. And hanks for your patience, everyone, my slowness must have been a bit frustrating at times.

 

[Abu]

Very glad to be of some help, Pound Coolish.

By gaining a better insight into Christ, His Church and Her teaching, we can all help others to see Him and His Church as the Way, the Truth and the Life.