Catholics- Is there salvation outside the Church?

Question

The Catholic Church is the Church Universal--"No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church." (Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441.)

We have a "new thinking" now that those outside the Church can be saved like those who reject Christ as the Messiah and those who have left the Church and made up their own beliefs concerning salvation, many of them calling themselves Catholics.

What are your thoughts?

Paulcyp- you have a point since the Church Fathers reflect the CCC-Justin Martyr- Those, therefore, who lived according to reason [Greek, logos] were really Christians, even though they were thought to be atheists, such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus, and others like them. . . . Those who lived before Christ but did not live according to reason [logos] were wicked men, and enemies of Christ, and murderers of those who did live according to reason [logos], whereas those who lived then or who live now according to reason [logos] are Christians. Such as these can be confident and unafraid" (First Apology 46 [A.D. 151])

Answer 1

I don't think so. By grace they may be saved. This has something to do with the binding and losing statement of Jesus. Jesus also said "He who receives you, receives me. He who rejects you, rejects me and the One who sent me."

The fully incorporated are those who accept all the Church's means of salvation and who, by profession of faith, the sacraments, church government, and communion, are united in the visible structure of the Church. However, a Church member who does not persevere in charity is not saved. He is in the Church's bosom, but "in body" not "in heart" (Second Vatican Council).

Others who are baptized and are called "Christian" but who do not profess the Catholic faith are still joined to the Catholic Church in many ways. They enjoy a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. The unity with the Orthodox Church is so profound that it lacks little to attain the fullness to permit a common celebration of Eucharist (Pope Paul VI).
Peace and every blessing!

Answer 2

while the Church claims, "there's no salvation outdoors the Catholic Church", this quote comes from Doctrine that pertains fairly to the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism is Salvific, no longer in simple terms symbolic - hence it incredibly is totally necessary one gets the Sacrament of Baptism. One must be Baptized contained in the Church. i assume you're additionally conscious of the actuality the Catholic Church acknowledges as valid, Baptisms that take place in non-Catholic Christian church homes. A "valid Baptism" is while one is Baptized "contained in the call of the daddy, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" - a Trinitarian Baptism. How do 2 such Doctrines reconcile? the respond is recent in a 0.33 element of Church Doctrine: The Church acknowledges that "all certainty is God's certainty". for that reason, any ideals held by a non-Catholic Christian denomination, that are in sync with Catholic ideals, are to be regarded as God's certainty. everywhere those Truths are respected is seen component of the Catholic Church. So, the place is the Catholic Church? it incredibly is the place even a element of it incredibly is ideals and practices are known and believed to be God's certainty. hence, a guy or woman Baptized "contained in the call of the daddy, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" is a member of the Church. people who're Baptized in Catholic church homes are direct individuals of the Church. people who receive valid Baptisms from different denominations additionally exchange into individuals of the Church, albeit circuitously, yet memebers whether. i'm hoping this enables.

Answer 3

The Catholic Church teaches:

Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements.

Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church.

All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 819: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p3.htm#819

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

Christ's Church, not the Catholic church, was established some 600 years before catholicism. Catholics are brain washed from a very early age to believe that their's is the true church. Their practice is often far removed from what Jesus himself taught. Those Christians outside the Catholic church have long known salvation through Christ and the baptism of the Holy Spirit without having it sanctioned by a papal bull. Christ is the authority and not the church. Organised religion cannot save, that privilege is Jesus Christ's alone.

Answer 5

The Roman Catholic(RC) "church" is not the first, nor is it the only... in fact there is only One Church and The Roman one is not it.
The RCs are forbidden to teach The Truth of Salvation. In fact a priest can be kicked out for doing so. Those who only know RC dogma and "tradition" have never heard The Salvation Message.

All who come to God in The Way He prescribes will receive His free gift of Salvation. Those become part of The Body of The Church of which Jesus The Christ is The Head. Those are the ones of The True Christian Faith. Only those of The Church will enter Heaven... once one has received God's free gift of Salvation one can never lose it.


The so-called "new" teaching of the RCs is NOT God's Word or Will.

Answer 6

Ouch! Ouch!! Ouch!!! Ouch!!!! Ouch!!!!!

All these Christians condemning each other- I do not get it!!

The way I see it, spirituality is about coming to deeper peace, love and understanding. It's about developing your innermost self in a way that leads you to love, kindness and compassion for yourselves and others. It's about seeing the big picture, learning in your heart that we are all connected. It's about good works. It's about having purpose. It's about appreciating the amazing miracle of life, celebration and joy in being alive.

What kind of God would be so narrow minded as to condemn good people just for believing in a different sect? Say I'm Muslim, or Protestant. I'm a good person, I was raised in this religion and it serves me well. Some stranger comes along and says "You're going to Hell unless you convert because my Book says you are and it's the Word of God!" Why should I believe him? Especially if *my* Book says *he's* going to Hell!?

Why would God condemn me for not taking the word of some stranger over the word of my Holy Church? That just does not sound like a loving and understanding God- sounds petty and mean-spirited to me.

Religion brings out so many different emotions in people. Some are wonderful- love, concern for others, appreciation of life, a sense of sacred awe. And some are fear-based- exclusiveness, condemnation, narrow-mindedness. When people start separating the "saved" from the "damned," I think that's awful close to separating the "human" from the "less than human." That is mega-dangerous. Just look around at all the wars, hatred and intolerance it spurrs on.

The writer Dostoevsky, who was some kind of a Christian, (I'm not sure which kind) said "The line between good and evil runs through the center of every human heart."

So we have to begin with ourselves.

Answer 7

"My thoughts" don't matter. The official teaching of the Catholic Church is:

"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". (Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 847)

This teaching is binding upon the faithful on earth, and as such is also bound in heaven, just as the Bible says it is.

Answer 8

I was reading some of the answers to your question. Truly astonishing that men think they can trump God's word:

"if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved".

Answer 9

According to that new papal document, the orthodox churches can receive salvation.

and as that person above me stated, those who never heard the gospel but looked for God would also receive salvation




lost(dot)eu/21618
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Answer 10

I believe everyone has that chance at salvation.