I’m confused. In one paragraph you say there is no salvation outside the Church, then in the next paragraph you say God can save those outside the Church.
Help? Thanks.
Yes, gladly for those who ask from a sincere desire to know more about God and His Church. Obviously there is more depth to understand than the simple essential statements that I had given. When we say no salvation outside the Church, it means that all salvation is through Christ who is Head of His one true Church where the truth is taught and His Sacraments are ministered. All salvation is related to His Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist (like all of God’s revealed truth, this certainly deserves more depth of discussion). God made His Church for all His New Covenant family. Yet, the more that you have been given, the more is required of you. If you know the Church was built by Christ for His New Covenant family where we have the truth of Him and His valid and licit Sacraments, but fail to join, or leave it, then we’re in grave jeapordy and cannot be saved… Obviously, it does not mean no salvation outside of the the physical walls of the Church, or that if you’re simply an official member of this Church then you are automatically saved. Sadly, some inside do not believe and obey, and thankfully some officially outside the Church do believe, love God, and obey to the best of their ability given what they know and are able to do. These who love God and seek Him, should come into His Church where the fullness of revealed truth is taught, and we can be united to Him in the incomparable Eucharist.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
**“
Outside the Church there is no salvation” **
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:
Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.337
848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."338