Grace comes through Christ’s Church. As long as form and matter are observed baptism by non-catholics is valid (even the SSPX recognizes this). So, the statement in Vatican II, that the separated brethren “access the community of salvation” is true.
However, there is a huge difference between recognizing that some sacraments can be conferred outside the Church (not a novel idea) and that one does not have to be Catholic. The very same documents says: **“For it is only through Christ’s Catholic Church, which is ‘the all-embracing means of salvation,’ that they can benefit fully from the means of salvation.” **
Saying that “baptism by heretics can be valid” is not the same as saying “one need not be Catholic.” Otherwise the Church has been in error since the 3rd century!
Read!
For the Spirit of
Christ has not refrained from using them as a means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church.
YES: It is the SAME as saying “one need not be Catholic.”
Because, they
already have the VAT II Church to "
derive their efficacy".
**Just to be realllllly clear. **
The document is saying that the VAT II church is saving those outside the visible membership by admitting that they somehow telegraph this “efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church” into the other religions’ “liturgical actions”. And doing so without any distinction made as to WHAT actions if any, are included or excluded.
I know you are trying to define the boundary to just baptism and perhaps matrimony, and excluding others, but you are going well beyond “what is written”. Your project on creating this limited boundary is your own made up boundary. It is nowhere expressed or even implied in the document.
Once again read your own Church authorityconfirms my conclusion:
Cardinal Walter Kasper:
“…
today we no longer understand ecumenism in the sense of a return, by which the others would ‘be converted’ and return to being Catholics. This was expressly abandoned by Vatican II.”
Benedict XVI,
Theological Highlights of Vatican II, 1966, pages 61, 68: “…
Meantime the Catholic Church has no right to absorb other Churches. …
A basic unity – of Churches that remain Churches, yet become one Church – must replace the idea of conversion…”
Benedict XVI, Aug. 17, 2005, on Bro. Roger:
“**Bro. Roger Schutz **founder of a non-Catholic sect and extremely knowledgeable about the Catholic Doctrines] **is in the hands of eternal goodness, of eternal love; ****he has arrived at **eternal joy…”
Bro Shutz was in his 70’s. Do you think that he’s in heaven as a protestant, knowingly rejecting the Catholic Church just because he was baptized decades ago?
If Roger Shutz can do it entirely outside the visible membership of the VAT II church, who would you dare exclude? No one, so the visible membership idea is unwarranted appendage on your part.
This is the teaching of the VAT II church. I do not attempt to reconcile it with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, as you may be doing.
Trying to do so would lead one into twisted logic, made up hypotheses & contradictios.