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Dear Fr. Angel,

here is the text of the magisterium regarding the statement that outside the Church there is no salvation in which the author clearly wants to vindicate the absolute impossibility of salvation for non-Catholics, thus contradicting the “Lumen Gentium” constitution of the Second Vatican Council.

Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, Cantate Domino, 1441, ex-cathedra: “The Church firmly believes, professes and announces that none of those who are outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans but also Jews or heretics and schismatics, they will be able to reach eternal life, but they will go into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, if before death they have not now been reunited; believes the unity of the body of the Church is so important that only to those who persevere in it will the sacraments of the Church provide salvation; and fasting, almsgiving and other works of piety and the exercises of the Christian militia obtain the eternal reward; that no one, no matter how many alms he has given and even if he had shed his blood for the name of Christ, can be saved if he does not remain in the womb and unity of the Catholic Church” (DS 1351 T-N).

I apologize for the time I’m taking up.

I thank you infinitely

Matteo

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Priest’s answer

Dear Matteo,

1. It should be noted first of all that the statement is not made ex cathedra by Eugene IV, but by the Council of Florence under the pontificate of Eugene IV.

It changes little in substance, however it is the council that expresses itself in its extraordinary magisterium.

2. It is rightly said “if he does not remain in the womb and unity of the Catholic Church”.

The council does not specify how one remains within the womb and unity of the Catholic Church.

But it is understood that it can remain there in an explicit and visible way or in an implicit and latent way.

3. Let’s proceed step by step.

And above all by Christ’s will to save everyone. His will is not inert, but effective, active.

Here is what He Himself said: “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn 12:32).

Jesus therefore acts in an invisible and certain way in everyone’s heart.

On another occasion Jesus said: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (Jn 10:16).

We must also remember the words spoken when some said to him: “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us” (Mk 9:38). But Jesus replied: “Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us”. (Mk 9,39-40).

This is why in the prologue of the Gospel of Saint John we read: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (Jn 1:9).

In light of these statements, Saint Paul can say: “This is a beautiful and pleasing thing in the sight of God, our savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:4-6).

4. One may wonder how He acts on those who do not know Him.

Someone rightly observed that just as Christ, when  on earth ,acted on some by contact and with others  at a distance, so He continues to do even today.

He acted by contact on those who approached Him, on those who could touch Him.

And even today He continues to act through contact with those who receive the sacraments, which are defined by St. Thomas as “the relics of Christ”.

5. With others He acted at a distance as he did towards the centurion’s servant. When the Lord was about to go to his house, he said to him: “I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof” and as when “the king’s official said to him: «Lord, come down before my child dies». Jesus said to him: “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live”. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe”. (Jn 4,49-53).

In the same way, Jesus Christ continues to act at a distance on multitudes of people who do not know Him, but whom He secretly visits with the rays of grace. This grace of enlightenment and love saves them.

As soon as this grace is accepted, one enters into latent communion with Christ and consequently one enters into latent communion with the body of Christ, with the Church.

6. The sacraments are the ordinary ways of salvation.

But with those who do not know these paths, God travels other paths that are invisible to us and which are therefore called extraordinary.

In theology it has always been taught that “gratia non alligatur sacramentis” (grace is not linked to the sacraments).

God also has other means, as for example we saw with regard to Baptism because in addition to that of water there is also the Baptism of desire and the Baptism of blood.

For this reason St. Thomas writes: “From the fact that all men are required to explicitly believe some truths in order to save themselves, there is no inconvenience whatsoever for someone to live in the woods or among wild animals. For it belongs to Divine Providence to provide each with the things necessary for salvation, unless one prevents it on his part.

Therefore, if someone educated according to natural reason behaves in such a way as to practice good and avoid evil, it must be held as a very certain thing (certissime tenendum est) that God will reveal to him by internal inspiration the things that he must necessarily believe or will send him some preacher of the faith as he did with Saint Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10,1 55)” (De Veritate, 14, 11, ad 1 T-N).

7. Therefore all those who, despite not being baptized, secretly welcome grace by living in an upright and honest manner belong to Christ in a secret manner.

It is a saving belonging.

While they belong to Christ, in the same way, as has been said, they also secretly belong to the Church. Grace circulates in them and they can appropriate the merits of Christ and the merits of all the saints.

This secret membership does not have the advantages of grace received by contact.

However, when it is accepted, it ipso facto brings the whole Church into communion in a latent and real way.

8. In the light of these principles, the Holy Office in a letter to the Archbishop of Boston, 8 August 1949 writes: “The Savior not only prearranged in a precept that all people should enter the Church, but also established that the Church was the mean of salvation without which no one can enter the kingdom of celestial glory.

In his infinite mercy God willed that, of those means for salvation which only by divine institution, not indeed by intrinsic necessity, are disposed to the ultimate end, in certain circumstances the effects necessary for salvation can be obtained even where they are applied only with intention or desire. The same concept is expressed in the sacrosanct Council of Trent both with regard to the sacrament of regeneration and the sacrament of penance.

In its way, the same thing must be said about the Church, since it is the general means of salvation.  In order for one to obtain eternal salvation, it is not always required to  be truly incorporated as a member of the Church, but at least to adhere to the same with intention and  desire.

This vow then need not always to be explicit, as happens with the catechumens, but where man suffers from invincible ignorance, God also accepts an implicit vow, called by that name, because it is contained in that good disposition of the soul with which man wants his will to conform to the will of God.

These things are clearly taught in Pius XII’s encyclical letter Mistici Corporis regarding the mystical body of Jesus Christ. In fact, in this the Supreme Pontiff clearly distinguishes between those who are truly incorporated into the Church as members, and those who only vote to adhere to the Church…

In reality, among the members of the Church we must include exclusively those who received the washing of regeneration and professing the true faith, nor by themselves unfortunately separated themselves from the membership of this body, nor were separated from the legitimate authority due to the very serious sins committed.

Towards the end of the same encyclical letter, inviting to unity, with a soul full of love, those who do not belong to the structure of the Catholic Church, he recalls those who “by a certain unconscious desire and longing are ordered to the mystical body of the Redeemer” (T-N); it does not exclude them at all from eternal salvation, on the other hand it nevertheless asserts that they are in such a state in which they cannot feel sure of their own salvation… Since they are deprived of those many heavenly gifts and aids that are given only in the Catholic Church to enjoy.

With these prudent words he disapproves both those who believe that eternal salvation cannot be granted just with an implied intention , and those who falsely state that men can equally be saved in every religion” (DS 3868-3872).

9. On the other hand it is necessary to remember that Christ said: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk 16:16).

He did not say that anyone who is not baptized will be condemned.

Our Lord’s statement urges the Church and theologians to provide reasons, as I have tried to do.

Wishing you all the best, I bless you and remember you in prayer.

Father Angelo