Necessary for salvation?

[Love_is_Patient]

I got into a conversation with my friend who attends the Church of the Nazarene about similarities and differences between our faiths. He is of the opinion that believing in Jesus and living a Christ-like life is what is necessary for salvation, and all the “extra stuff” that Catholics believe in are unnecessary, man-made traditions (i.e. the sacraments, etc.)

He’s heard of the “no salvation except through the Church” and of course disagrees with it.

Here’s my problem: I don’t quite understand the Catholic Church’s understanding of how non-Catholic Christians can get to heaven. I got stuck, because I know we don’t believe that not being Catholic is a sentence to hell, so there is a way to get there without the Eucharist and Confession and etc.

What exactly does the Church teach?

 

[Stephen_C]

CCC
838 “The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.” Those “who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.” With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound “that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s Eucharist.”

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”