What do Catholics believe happens to non catholics after death? looking for a brief answer

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There are many reasons why someone might have “walked away” from the Catholic Church. While it is a sin for a Catholic to do so, God will take all factors into account including the person’s intent, state of mind, other outside influences. For example, a child who is baptized Catholic but ends up being raised by a parent who is a member of some other church, who brings up the child in their own non-Catholic church, is in a different position from somebody who at age 40 decides they are bored with the Catholic Church and would rather go to the more exciting new Evangelical megachurch up the street. There are also people who leave the Catholic Church because they suffered abuse or weren’t catechized correctly.

The bottom line is that there is no blanket category of people who automatically go to Hell. We should pray for the souls of the fallen-away Catholics.
 
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God offers all the means to salvation, which includes the gift of faith. If someone is actually a “good person” seeking the truth with an upright conscience, they will find it as Jesus promises along with the other necessary means (like the grace of repentance, etc.). However, He does not necessarily grant these graces to all at the same time, as the parable of the workers in the vineyard shows–that parable shows it may even happen at the “eleventh hour,” that is, the last moments. It may therefore be known only to God.

God has revealed what is necessary for salvation, but not who is saved or not. Our job, per Jesus’ command, is to encourage everyone to partake of those means as soon as they are able and to persevere to the end in them, since “he who perseveres to the end shall be saved.”
 
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God knows if they died in a state of rejection of Him through mortal sin. We leave it in God’s hands
 
No one here can tell me what will happen only what they believe will happen.
 
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.

We have faith that God sent His Son, Jesus, who died for us, rose again, and has ascended into heaven, who freely offers us the gift of salvation.

Jesus, God made Man, lived on this earth, spoke to people, telling them all that the Father wishes us to know and to do to be saved. Jesus instituted a Church to be guided by the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, who will lead us to all Truth.

So we can indeed KNOW, not because of what we believe, but because of WHO told us what to believe. Our Faith rests on a Man who is Truth.
 
I remember when a notorious serial killer was murdered, evangelicals I knew remarked how he was in Heaven now because he had been “saved” by a pastor who was counseling him. They marveled at God’s mercy in their presumed knowledge regarding where this person would spend eternity.

The way I imagine most Catholics look at this is:
  1. We do not know if he mortally sinned between the time he became “saved” and the time he died.
  2. God knows his heart better than he does.
 
Jesus says in scripture, Come! you who fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited me in prison. When you did it to them, you did it to me.

Comforting and frightening at the same time.

He also said to pray ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’. Wow. Tough one. The measure we measure to others will be measured against us.

What happens to non-Catholics after death? I hope they receive mercy because it is what I wish to receive. All of us have fallen short of the mark.
 
PennyinCanada said:
"Pray forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’.The measure we measure to others will be measured against us.

What happens to non-Catholics after death? I hope they receive mercy
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Very well said…& if I could add…

For us to use doctrine to better learn the things that unite us instead of using doctrine to better learn the things that divide us.
 
Hi727 said:
So just to be clear Catholics believe it is possible for a non catholics to go to heaven?
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It’s entirely possible. We understand that, now.

When I was growing up in the 1950s and early 60s, prior to Vatican II, we were taught in Catechism class that ONLY Catholics could go to heaven. That sounded so extremely limiting and even self-righteous, not to mention judgmental. I didn’t believe God is that narrow-minded, and he certainly isn’t unfair. Some people are raised from birth in a different faith, yet are very God-fearing, pious and loving folks. Others are drawn to non-Catholic denominations for a variety of reasons, including spiritual ones. None of this is deserving of arbitrary condemnation. And Catholics certainly don’t have a monopoly on the Promised Land.

This is one reason I truly believe the Holy Spirit was present at Vatican II and helped guide it. That prejudicial, even bigoted teaching that only Catholics can go to heaven is a thing of the past. Now, we recognize that it’s up to God, and not to us, to determine who goes to heaven and who doesn’t. I believe this enlightenment was part of the action of the Holy Spirit upon the Second Vatican Council.

Likewise, we are no longer taught that the souls of innocent little babies who die before being baptized are arbitrarily and automatically thrust into Limbo for all of eternity. Again, we leave it up to God’s mercy and let HIM decide.

A new and broadened spirit of charity now guides the Church since Vatican II, and while we can still pray that all persons will eventually convert to the faith that Jesus originally established, we also realize that God is the best. fairest and most merciful Judge of all of us, including non-Catholics, and even non-Christians. We should wish the best for everyone, and then leave it up to Him. God can be trusted one-hundred percent, and that applies to every soul on earth.
 
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Hi727 said:
So just to be clear Catholics believe it is possible for a non catholics to go to heaven?
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We believe that we are bound by the sacraments but God is not. It’s like saying you have to buy a ticket to go to the theater, but the owner can let in anyone he wants.

Catholics are able to obtain a lot of help from God through the sacraments, and we can also know we are receiving that grace. For others, it’s like they are walking in the dark.

Or one could say we have a very good map while non-Catholics have limited maps or none at all.
 
As quoted by PennyinCanada & to progress this way of thinking i quote
JanR said:
We understand that, now.

A new and broadened spirit of charity now guides the Church we also realize that God is the best. fairest and most merciful Judge of all of us, including non-Catholics, and even non-Christians. We should wish the best for everyone, and then leave it up to God
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Annie said:
Or one could say we have a very good map while non-Catholics have limited maps or none at all.
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A beautiful way of looking at it (JanR & Annie)…we are ALL in need of Gods grace & mercy
 
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We all have to follow our consciences. It is not up to me to judge what happens to those who leave the Faith.
 
Great question: thanks

We don’t know for sure; but the current Catechism (1260, 846, 847, & 848) teaches that there a CONDITIONAL possibility of eternal life “cf outside of the CC. IF THROUGH THEIR OWN FAULT THEY DO NOT KNOW OF THE GOD’S DESIRE THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE A CATHOLIC TO ATTAIN SALVATION” )Based on 1st. Tim. 2: 3

God Bless you
 
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