Dear brothers and sisters in Christ
I thank you for taking the time to read my contributions
Anna Scott and
Trebor and I am very appreciative of the fact that, at least on some level, you have both found them useful - not to mention hopefully fruitful to your spiritual journey, wherever the dictates of conscience eventually lead you both.
I would like to continue my analysis of magisterial and theological Catholic teachings on salvation prior to Vatican II. In this regard I’m going to look at two texts:
- The Catechism of St Pope Pius X published in 1908. It was a short text issued by Pope Pius X with questions and answers regarding the essentials of Christian faith - with the intention of it being a source that all Catholic faithful could relate to and understand.
- The Baltimore Catechism published in 1885 and also passages from The Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism Concerning the Salvation of Non-Catholics, orginally published in 1891 by Rev. Thomas L. Kinkead.
These are both illuminating magisterial texts. They both have their time-bound effects - since the doctrine has developed since then - but it is clearly present in both.
So without further ado let us look first to Pope Pius X’s Catechism:
"…
27 Q: Can one be saved outside the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church?
A: No, no one can be saved outside the Catholic, Apostolic Roman Church, just as no one could be saved from the flood outside the Ark of Noah, which was a figure of the Church.
28 Q: How, then, were the Patriarchs of old, the Prophets, and the other just men of the Old Testament, saved?
A: The just of the Old Testament were saved in virtue of the faith they had in Christ to come, by means of which they spiritually belonged to the Church.
29 Q: But if a man through no fault of his own is outside the Church, can he be saved?
A: If he is outside the Church through no fault of his, that is, if he is in good faith, and if he has received Baptism, or at least has the implicit desire of Baptism; and if, moreover, he sincerely seeks the truth and does God’s will as best he can, such a man is indeed separated from the body of the Church, but is united to the soul of the Church and consequently is on the way of salvation
…
16 Q: Is Baptism necessary to salvation?
A: Baptism is absolutely necessary to salvation, for our Lord has expressly said: “Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”
17 Q: Can the absence of Baptism be supplied in any other way?
A: The absence of Baptism can be supplied by martyrdom, which is called Baptism of Blood, or by an act of perfect love of God, or of contrition, along with the desire, at least implicit, of Baptism, and this is called Baptism of Desire…"
- Pope St Pius X, Catechism (1910)
Now the Baltimore Catechism. It focuses mainly on Protestants (rather than non-Christians, although parts of it can be applied to them too). It has a few errors relating to certain matters, but generally, its a faithful compilation of the nineteenth century Church’s teaching (In diluted, layman’s terms):
"…**121. Q. Are all bound to belong to the Church?
A. All are bound to belong to the Church, and he who knows the Church to be the true Church and remains out of it, cannot be saved**. *(Baltimore Catechism) *
Anyone who knows the Catholic religion to be the true religion and will not embrace it cannot enter into Heaven…Suppose, however, that there is a non-Catholic who firmly believes that the church to which he belongs is the true Church, and who has never—even in the past—had the slightest doubt of that fact—what will become of him?
If he was validly baptized and never committed a mortal sin, he will be saved; because, believing himself a member of the true Church, he was doing all he could to serve God according to his knowledge and the dictates of his conscience…If, then, we found a Protestant who never…had the slightest doubt about the truth of his religion, that person would be saved; because, being baptized, he is a member of the Church, and being free from mortal sin he is a friend of God and could not in justice be condemned to Hell. Such a person would attend Mass and receive the Sacraments if he knew the Catholic Church to be the only true Church.
…All infants rightly baptized by anyone are really children of the Church, no matter what religion their parents may profess. Indeed, all persons who are baptized are children of the Church…"
- The Baltimore Catechism (1885); and passages from The Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism Concerning the Salvation of Non-Catholics published in 1891
Protestants are validly baptized, and so are children of the Catholic Church (members) - since as Joan of Arc said (and she is quoted in the modern Catechism): “
About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they’re just one thing, and we shouldn’t complicate the matter”. Christ and his Mystical Body are one and the same, such that Protestants who are validly baptized, in whatever denomination, are baptized into the Catholic Church. And as for non-Christians, as Pope St Pius X explained, they are baptized into the Church by implicit (unconcious desire) through faithfully following the dictates of their own conscience and striving to follow the will of God as it is known to them through that conscience. And so as the Baltimore Catechism explains, all people who are rightly baptized - whether as non-Catholic Christians or through implicit desire (if they are non-Christians) are “
are really children of the Church, no matter what religion their parents may profess”, that is no matter what religion they have been brought up in.
Much love in Christ
and have been re-doing it, and the inspector is comming Monday to pass or fail it.
But I promise next week when I have some time, I will find out what this is?
But I promise I will find out for you what this organization truly is, and what it is about! Just give me a couple weeks okay.
I find myself back at square one.