let me remind you that this is the official teaching of the Church I am member of, not necessarily a church you are member of. Call me what you want, I’ll just stick to teaching authority of the Magisterium.
CCC 818 “However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.”
And this is so often taken the wrong way - especially when you read it outside of the light of the Tradition.
The above is true when the individuals you speak of are validly baptized
and are inculpable for their ignorance or rejection of the Catholic church. The second one culpably rejects even one aspect of the Truth, they reject it all. The above states that they are not culpable for the initial sin of separation - but there is still an objective sin in remaining separated. Now the erroneous assumption is that if one is born outside of the One True Church, there is no necessity of Conversion. The Devil loves that one I’m sure.
Converting those
born outside of the One True Church was especially true in the early years and even centuries of the Church - and true every time the Church ever sent a mission to a non-Christian land. These folks were born separated, raised separated, and when they heard the Gospel, they had to overcome the errors of what they were taught since birth and accept the Truth of the Gospel. It’s tough, but it is made possible by God’s grace - and this requires us within the Church cooperating with that God’s grace as well…issuing the call to conversion to His Church, preaching the fullness of the Gospel.
It was true then, and it’s true now. No matter how difficult it may seem. CCC 819 “Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth” are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: “the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements.” Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to “Catholic unity.”
And again, the above can be true only for two groups of folks.
- Those not culpable for their ignorance or rejection of the Catholic Church, or
- for those whome these elements eventually lead them into the Catholic Church.
Both of the above statements, written as they are, are easily misread. Read in the light of Tradition (including all official magesterial proclamations that have come down the pike since day one), one can see through the ambiguity to the truth.
Read apart from the light of Tradition, one can be lead to believe that all Christian religions (sometimes even non Christian religions) are “more or less” praisworthy and can save. Hence the notion that Protestants just have to “be good Protestants”, muslims just “be good Muslims”, etc. and all will be well and good. Well, that will win you alot of kudos and pats on the back from the world - and probably a promotion within your local masonic lodge. But if these souls are lost, I wouldn’t want to have to answer for making them more comfotable on their ride to perdition.
The intention to “not offend” has the unintended side effect of leading to religious indifference - one of the biggest problems facing the Church today. And a problem we were warned explicitly about in the centuries leading up to VII. Would that we would have listened.
Too many choose to read the present and ignore the past, when in fact, we as Catholics are supposed to read the present in light of all that has been taught since day one…in light of the past, in light of Tradition.
DustinsDad
