Salvation outside the Church - doctrinal change?

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My son is not a Catholic, but brought up a very good question last night.

But before I get burned to a crisp, let me explain that I’m not a sedevancist - I’m a brand new Catholic that can’t answer my son’s question… :o

For 1850 years, there has been a consistent teaching - “There is no salvation outside the Church.” I’ve seen this doctrine all the way back to the earliest days of the church - I remember reading that Ignatius said it around the year 100.

Yet, since Vatican 2, I understand that this teaching has changed to be more ecumenical and inclusive of other denominations. (I’m pretty sure that I’ve read this correctly – Do I have my facts right?)

Did the Church change on this doctrine? If so, was the earlier doctrine in error? Is the current doctrine in error? My son is questioning Papal infallibility because of this issue. I thought it was a pretty good question for a 15 year old! Please help me with a good answer!
 
You are incorrect to think this is a new teaching.

catholicresponse.net/proofpart1.htm
catholicresponse.net/proofpart2.htm
catholicresponse.net/proofpart3.htm

Please read these three articles from before Vatican II–you need to read at least the first two, or you might get the wrong idea.

Anyway, in sum, it has always been, and it still is true that outside the Church there is no salvation–all post Vatican II popes have taught it (it was in Pope Benedict’s early June audience on Cyprian).

But, it has always been taught that there can be members by desire–those who either not Baptized or who do not profess the fullness of truth, if, through no fault of their own are not explicitly Catholic, but have a love for God above all things, can be saved. Their love for God implies a desire to do all He commands and to believe all He has revealed–this makes one a member by desire. St. Alphonsus explains (but please read those articles, they go into detail concerning pre-Vatican II magisterial teaching)

St. Alphonsus Liguori (1691-1787) Moral Theology - (Bk. 6): "But baptism of desire is perfect conversion to God by contrition or love of God above all things accompanied by an explicit or implicit desire for true Baptism of water, the place of which it takes as to the remission of guilt, but not as to the impression of the [baptismal] character or as to the removal of all debt of punishment. It is called ‘of wind’ ‘flaminis’] because it takes place by the impulse of the Holy Ghost Who is called a wind ‘flamen’]. Now it is de fide that men are also saved by Baptism of desire, by virtue of the Canon ‘Apostolicam De Presbytero Non Baptizato’ and the Council of Trent, Session 6, Chapter 4, where it is said that no one can be saved ‘without the laver of regeneration or the desire for it.’
 
From the Catechism of St. Pius X (much older magisterial teaching is in the above articles):

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
 
On the other hand:

John Paul I:

According to the words of St Augustine, an image dear to the ancient Fathers of the Church, the ship of the Church must not fear, because it is guided by Christ and by his Vicar: “Although the ship is tossed about, it is still a ship. It carries the disciples and it receives Christ. Yes, it is tossed on the sea but without it, one would immediately perish” (Sermon 75,3; PL 38,475). Only in the Church is salvation: without it one perishes!
ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/jp1progr.htm

Benedict XVI:
vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20070606_en.html
Indeed, the Church was easily his favourite subject. Cyprian distinguished between the* visible, *hierarchical *Church *and the *invisible *mystical *Church *but forcefully affirmed that the Church is one, founded on Peter.

He never wearied of repeating that “if a man deserts the Chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, does he think that he is in the Church?” (cf.* De unit. [On the unity of the Catholic Church], *4).

Cyprian knew well that “outside the Church there is no salvation”, and said so in strong words (Epistles 4, 4 and 73, 21); and he knew that “no one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as mother” (*De unit., *6). An indispensable characteristic of the Church is unity, symbolized by Christ’s seamless garment (*ibid., *7): Cyprian said, this unity is founded on Peter (*ibid., *4), and its perfect fulfilment in the Eucharist (*Epistle *63, 13).

“God is one and Christ is one”, Cyprian cautioned, “and his Church is one, and the faith is one, and the Christian people is joined into a substantial unity of body by the cement of concord. Unity cannot be severed. And what is one by its nature cannot be separated” (De unit., 23).
 
John Paul II:

“The mystery of salvation is revealed to us and is continued and accomplished in the Church…and from this genuine and single source, like ‘humble, useful, precious and chaste’ water, it reaches the whole world. Dear young people and members of the faithful, like Brother Francis we have to be conscious and absorb this fundamental and revealed truth, consecrated by tradition: ‘There is no salvation outside the Church.’ From her alone there flows surely and fully the life-giving force destined in Christ and in His Spirit, to renew the whole of humanity, and therefore directing every human being to become a part of the Mystical Body of Christ.” (Pope John Paul II, Radio Message for Franciscan Vigil in St. Peter’s and Assisi, October 3, 1981, L’Osservatore Romano, October 12, 1981.)
 
There was a priest named Fr. Feeney who taught it was essentially impossible for non-Catholics to be saved. Here is the reponse from 1949 from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It explains this concept well:

matt1618.freeyellow.com/appendixe.html
 
Wow! Thanks for the wonderful information, Genesis315! I’m looking forward to sharing it with him. 🙂
 
tomch said:
My son is not a Catholic, but brought up a very good question last night.

But before I get burned to a crisp, let me explain that I’m not a sedevancist - I’m a brand new Catholic that can’t answer my son’s question… :o

For 1850 years, there has been a consistent teaching - “There is no salvation outside the Church.” I’ve seen this doctrine all the way back to the earliest days of the church - I remember reading that Ignatius said it around the year 100.

Yet, since Vatican 2, I understand that this teaching has changed to be more ecumenical and inclusive of other denominations. (I’m pretty sure that I’ve read this correctly – Do I have my facts right?)

Did the Church change on this doctrine? If so, was the earlier doctrine in error? Is the current doctrine in error? My son is questioning Papal infallibility because of this issue. I thought it was a pretty good question for a 15 year old! Please help me with a good answer!
Click to expand...
The Church has constantly taught the same thing for the last 2000+ years. No, the Church did not change the Doctrine. What changed is our understanding of exactly what constituted “Outside” the Church. How validly Baptized but not Catholic Christians were related to the Church of Christ, those who did not personally choose to separate themselves from the Catholic church but were in a sense born into the situation they are in.
 
This is also dealt with in the encyclical *Dominus Iesus *from John Paul II. Basically, what it says is that Christ founded ONE Church (not many). The normal means of salvation that we know is through the Catholic Church; we cannot be sure of anyone who stands outside of that visible body. (In fact, it then goes on to describe Protestant denominations as not being properly “churches”, since they do not have the Eucharist as Christ ordered it to be celebrated… so they are properly called “ecclesial communions”, not churches.)

Many of these ecclesial communions do, in fact, try to preach Christ as best they can, and many people come to faith through them. DI says we can hope for their salvation, even if we do not understand exactly how it is effected. Salvation is always through the Catholic Church.

SO, even though they were not members of the Catholic Church, the graces Christ gives us are given through the Church, and they’ll find this out in Heaven! (If nothing else, if Protestants claim they are saved by reading the Bible and believing… they only HAVE that Bible because of generations of Catholic monks who copied and preserved the texts! In a very practical sense, the Catholic Church has already been necessary in their salvation, before you even get into the spiritual realm.)
 
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