Lorenzo Albacete on Slate

[marszale]

Here is a link to an interview given by Lorenzo Albacete on a new website hosted by Slate:

meaningoflife.tv/?speaker=albacete&topic=death

In it, Albacete, or at least the website’s interpretation of his comments, says that it is an official Church teaching that one can be an atheist and still achieve salvation.

Is this strictly true? If so, should it be promoted this way? If not, perhaps someone should request a correction . . .

 

[DavidFilmer]

marszale:

In it, Albacete, or at least the website’s interpretation of his comments, says that it is an official Church teaching that one can be an atheist and still achieve salvation.

Is this strictly true?

Without bothering to visit the site, I can say that it is strictly true that Catholic theology allows for the possibility that an atheist (or a person of any other belief system) may (possibly) achieve salvation throught the infinite mercy of God through what is known as “Invincible Ignorance.”

 

[marszale]

Could you explain Invincible Ignorance?

Thanks

 

[thistle]

marszale:

Could you explain Invincible Ignorance?

Thanks

CCC 1260 "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery."63 Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

 

[emsvetich]

thistle:

CCC 1260 "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery."63 Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

According to this explanation, how does this apply to an atheist? Doesn’t an atheist make a decision to choose not to believe in God, which would mean that they are not ignorant " of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church". True ignorance would be difficult in the present day and would seem to make this unlikely. I am not trying to be argumentative. I think that present day atheists are making as much of a political statement as much as a theological one.

 

[mosher]

emsvetich:

According to this explanation, how does this apply to an atheist? Doesn’t an atheist make a decision to choose not to believe in God, which would mean that they are not ignorant " of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church". True ignorance would be difficult in the present day and would seem to make this unlikely. I am not trying to be argumentative. I think that present day atheists are making as much of a political statement as much as a theological one.

That is the measure of the issue. Invincible Ignorance is different than “ignorance on purpose.” Each person has an obligation to seek truth and in that seeking we belive that it will eventually lead to the Church. However, if a person puts their head in the sand on purpose then they are culpable.