The Catholic Church is the True Faith… before the Bible was placed into a Canon (the official set of Divinely Inspired Books), the Apostles taught about God through oral tradition as they were the first bishops (you can read about this in the Acts of the Apostles–in the Bible). They then wrote somethings that they taught down into the Gospel, but they also wrote letters to their fellow Christians (who were Catholic though the term Catholic wasn’t used so much as Christian was). These letters and Gospels were read during Masses even as early as the 2nd century AD (I THINK it was the 2nd century at least–lol)–this is historically supported by some letters that St. Justin Martyr had written to a Roman Emperor (I think he was an emperor at least–lol) during that century. But after the Books of the Bible were written, there really was no formal declaration on which Books were Divinely Inspired (by Divine Revelation) and which ones weren’t), so the Church, acting through the Magisterium (the Pope and the Bishops) were guided by the Holy Spirit to declare which Books were truly inspired… much like how the Apostles were lead by the spirit in oral tradition and in writing the New Testament… these CATHOLICS declared the canon of the Bible, and we have used this canon ever since… though the Protestants later threw out some books that Martin Luther didn’t think sounded very Divinely Inspired or that contradicted what he believed (about purgatory, faith alone, sola scriptura, etc.). What other Church has a Pope? Really? A Successor of Peter? (Read John 21:16-17 one of the LAST things John emphasizes in the Gospel).
Protestants will likely go to hell, Catholics will likely go to hell, all different kinds of people likely go to hell, but not ALL “Protestants” and Catholics go to hell… You see, only Catholics can go to Heaven, but some Protestants ARE Catholic (they just don’t know it yet)–they seek the truth, they can’t help that they are not Catholic… something is holding them back which they cannot control… their ignorance is not their fault (this comes from a quote by Pope Pius IX). Heck, some Jews and Buddhists are Catholic… they just don’t recognize it and they are not Catholic in name… some of us are blessed to be born into Catholicism so we can grow in knowledge and faith more easily. All different kinds of people are at fault for their sin… but not all people are guilty of all their acts that are sinful because they are not responsible for them because of their ignorance in some way… some people are guilty though… if you are a Protestant and you know that Truth but you are holding yourself back from coming from the true faith (and you are responsible for this) than you are probably not a Catholic because you refuse Catholicism, therefore you cannot enter into Heaven… BUT, if you are ignorant of Catholicism because of lies you were told about the faith, and you try to live a good life and you try to come to know the fullness of Truth (Jesus Christ through the Catholic Church), then you may be apart of the Church in that… though you do not recognize it. Remeber, Jesus said tha some of His sheep are not of this flock… "Pius XII had said (Mystici Corporis Christi) that one can “be related to the Church by a certain desire and wish of which he is not aware”, i.e., by the desire to do what God wills in general."
ewtn.com/faith/teachings/chura5.htm ewtn.com/expert/answers/outside_the_church.htm
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