did anyone hear that the Pope was supposed to say unless your a catholic you will not go to heaven?

Question

a friend of mine told me that he said this last week is this true ?
He said it was on the news? I never seen or heard just curios.
if he did does anyone know what news paper article or news clip it's in?...thanks

ALLIZDWAG......men rejecting Jesus as Savior condemn themselves to hell, fundies etc..have no power to condemn anyone it's not in their hands its a choice. but to say a group of "believers" won't go to heaven unless they belong to a certain organzation is scriptualy wrong, believers chose salvation not organzations made by men.

rachlg1979....to clarify I'm not catholic I'm a Christan, ..I was told this and like I said I was wondering if it was true, I have a lot of catholic friends but I didn't want to be rude and ask them.
I just wanted to know if what I was told was true or not.

Run James Run..no it's not hard to use Google but if everyone in Yahoo Q/A did that there would be no Yahoo Q/A.....its called Questions and Answers for a reason

Answer 1

I saw this yesterday on aol, I went back to find it but couldn't find it. Yes it is true

Answer 2

Yes, your friend did hear that on the news. Unfortunately, the news services did not report it correctly. Following is what the document actually said about salvation:

"It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation"

The entire document is at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

It is sad that so many people chose to believe the mininterpretation by the news services instead of questioon such an outrageous statement.

Answer 3

i fail to understand why anyone would be upset over this...
let me pose a question: do you grant the pope authority in your life? do you accept his words on anything else in your daily life? if not, they why would you care what he says in this matter? if you accept the pope, then you're a catholic, and it's not a problem. if you don't accept the pope, then he has no authority over you, anyway, ...... and if you feel that he's on the 'admissions committee' to heaven, then you're a catholic, so again....

edit: i understood. however, i ask again, unless you are a catholic, whatever the pope says is meaningless to your life and spirituality. he can't determine if you are or aren't going to 'heaven' or if i am. i only mention myself, because i'm not a christian of any variety, and my religion doesn't preclude anyone from going to 'gan eden' or what you'd translate as paradise, whether ot not they follow our faith. in fact it's easier for a non-jew to 'get to heaven' than it is for a jew. all of which i realize has nothing to do with the pope, and his pronouncments.

Answer 4

The Pope did not say anything on the subject. He simply approved a new document that states nothing new: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

Most Christian denominations believe that each of them is the fullest version of the Church of Christ.

While the Catholic Church also believes that she is "the highest exemplar" of the mystery that is the Church of Christ, she does not claim that non-Catholic Churches are not truly Christian. 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 5

I think what the Pope was getting at is that the Catholic Church is the only true Church. I don't know where this non-catholic = no salvation thing came from but I don't think that it was the message from the Pope.

Answer 6

I heard it on the news ans was shocked by the statement for this is not the way to build bridges between groups of people with different religious thoughts

Answer 7

no it is not true, the pope can not say whether or not you can go to heaven, only Jesus and God (1 in the same) can. Jesus is the ways towards heaven. "I am the way, the truth, and the light, no one comes to the Father but through me."

Answer 8

is the the leader of the catholic said that?''its a Darn Lie''there is NO CATHOLIC CHURCH WORD IN THE BIBLE ONLY THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST OR CHURCH OF THE LORD''THE MAJORITY OF CHRISTIANS ESPECIALLY THE BAPTIST,AND FELLOWSHIPS LUTHERIANS DONT AGREE W/ HIM THE PRIESTS ARE THE NUMBER ONE LEAD THE PEOPLE IN WRONGLY MANNER OF WORSHIPPING''THE BIBLE SAID DONT BOW DOWN ON GRAVEN IMAGES AND MAKE THEM BUT THE CATHOLICS DISOBEY GOD'S LAW'' NOW YOURE TELLING IF WE ARE NOT CATHOLS YOU WONT SEE HEAVEN NONSENSE"

Answer 9

Yea I heard about that too, but please don't fall for that, Jesus Christ Himself told us in John 14:6 that He alone is the Way, Truth, and the Light. No denomination will get you to heaven, it will only give you a support group to help you along your spiritual journey, but Christ alone will take you to His Kingdom.

Answer 10

He cited church documents that said the Church was the way to salvation. That the other denominations had no grace.