While I can sympathize with any feelings of frustration WRT debating anti-Catholics here, we Catholics also must be consistent when doing so. For this reason I post this publicly to you, but fear not, this is ultimately a victory for the Church.
metmom is right. The Church most certainly does claim that She is the only means of salvation. Why? Because the Church is the (mystical) Body of Christ, and Christ is the only means of salvation.
Now, one may say, either out of genuine concern or for cynical derision: So what about those who aren’t Catholic on earth? Do they automaticalrly go to Hell?
Two words about that: First, consider the fact that elsewhere in the catechism it is taught that those, through no fault of their own, have no idea about the Church and/or Jesus, (or at least not an accurate understanding thereof, perhaps they may have been told lies about the Church and/or Jesus, but never the truth), and they have no way of knowing this truth themselves, will they go to Hell? No.
The Church teaches as long as they live a moral life “according to the law written on every man’s heart”, then there is hope for them.
That’s point one. Point two to consider is taken right from what metmom posted from the catechism, to whit: “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.”
Note what this says (and does not say): it says those who KNOW the Church is founded by God and yet still refuse Her. Now, even here only GOD and that particular person can know if they “knew” or were invincibly ignorant (as described above). So what that passage does NOT say is that one must be a Catholic on EARTH to be saved.
Indeed, the Church teaches that it is perfectly permissible to hope that, at the moment of death, a loved one (or anyone) who rejected the Church here on earth did so out of ignorance and was afforded one last opportunity to repent (and thus, part of such repentance being accepting the reality and necessity of the Church Militant) right before the body expired.
So what does all this mean? It means that yes, metmom is right when she claims the Church claims to be the only means of salvation. It also does NOT NECESSARILY mean one MUST be a practicing Catholic for one’s entire life, or for years, months, or even days.
It’s surely RECCOMENDED (for lack of a better term) though, especially if one even has an “inkling” of the Church’s claim(s) being true. After all, one surely wouldn’t want to fall in the category of KNOWINGLY rejecting the Church. For indeed, then there is no hope.
But again, that’s ultimately between any given individual and their Maker, God.
Again, sorry for the public correction but we cannot let people REMAIN in ignorance, if we have the ability to correct. If we don’t act upon such opportunities then their sin is upon us.
And I hope you don’t doubt what I said is true. I certainly can assure you it is, and I do not want to be put in the awkward position of debating a fellow Catholic.
There still is no phrase nor sentence which states there is no salvation but through the Church
Provide it or drop it
No ome will read all of the bla bla bla
I read from the popes’ own words in the encyclicals
I would not poison and do not ever poison my mind with anh ramblings of anyone who thinks they know more than the popes, the bishos and the doctors of the church
Thank you. My list of FR Catholics to respect has grown by two in the last two days.
Yea and verily! An accurate and succinct synopsis of the REAL position of the RCC wrt non-RCC. Well done!