Sunday, July 11, 2010

IL SETTIMANALE DI PADRE PIO : EXTRA ECCLESIAM NULLA SALUS IS THE OFFICIAL TEACHING OF THE CATHOLIC MAGISTERIUM TODAY

Fabrizio Cannone writing in Il Settimanale di Padre Pio ( Piccolo Catechismo sulla Dominus Iesus June 20, 2010) laments that we have abolished the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

Have we ?

I don’t think so.

I wish he would be more positive and do a piece for the magazine saying:

Extra eccleisam nulla salus means outside the Church there is no salvation. For Catholics, this Latin phrase expresses the official teaching of the Catholic Magisterium today . It says everyone, with no exceptions must be an explicit, visible member of the Catholic Church to go to Heaven and avoid Hell.

It is an ex cathedra dogma, thrice defined by popes and Councils and so it is an obligatory teaching for all Catholics to believe in, to safeguard their salvation for all eternity.

The three infallible ex cathedra pronouncements are

1. “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215). Ex Cathedra

2. “We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 302.). Ex Cathedra

3.“The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. 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.) Ex Cathedra – from the website Catholicism.org and “No Salvation outside the Church”: Link List, the Three Dogmatic Statements Regarding EENS: http://nosalvationoutsideofthecatholicchurch.blogspot.com//
Vatican Council II Ad Gentes 7 repeats the same message.
In Ad Gentes 7 it is said all people need Catholic Faith and the Baptism of water for salvation. All means everyone with no exceptions.
Therefore, all must be converted to Him, made known by the Church's preaching, and all must be incorporated into Him by baptism and into the Church which is His body. For Christ Himself "by stressing in express language the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5), at the same time confirmed the necessity of the Church, into which men enter by baptism, as by a door.-Ad Gentes 7,Vatican Council II.
Ad Gentes 7 also says those who know about Jesus and the Catholic Church and yet do not enter are on the way to Hell. In Rome, Christians (Orthodox, Protestants, Evangelicals, Jehowahs Witnesses and other sects) know about Jesus and the Catholic Church.

Therefore those men cannot be saved, who though aware that God, through Jesus Christ founded the Church as something necessary, still do not wish to enter into it, or to persevere in it.-Ad Gentes 7

Vatican Council II Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.- Lumen Gentium 14, Vatican Council II
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Vatican has positively endorsed the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus in Responses to Some questions regarding certain Aspects of the Doctrine of the Church in which it refers to ‘the traditional doctrine’, ‘according to Catholic doctrine’

Cardinal William Levada, Prefect, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) and Archbishop Angelo Amato, former Secretary, CDF emphasize in Responses to Some questions regarding certain Aspects of the Doctrine of the Church:

Christ “established here on earth” only one Church and instituted it as a “visible and spiritual community”, that from its beginning and throughout the centuries has always existed and will always exist, and in which alone are found all the elements that Christ himself instituted. “This one Church of Christ, which we confess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

This Church, constituted and organised in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him”.]the word “subsists” can only be attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely because it refers to the mark of unity that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe... in the “one” Church); and this “one” Church subsists in the Catholic Church.-Responses to Some Questions Regarding certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church.(June 29, 2007)
So Responses to Some Questions Regarding certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church does not explain are understanding of Church (ecclesiology) as a break from Tradition and extra ecclesiam nulla salus.It repeats the message of Vatican Council II that the Church is a necessity for salvation (Ad Gentes 7, Lumen Gentium 14). We do not separate Jesus from the Church, even though elements of salvation can be present outside the visible boundaries of the church. De facto everyone needs to enter the Catholic Church; it is a necessity for salvation .All non-Catholics need to enter through the ordinary way of salvation which is the baptism of water and Catholic Faith. De facto everyone needs to enter the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also says everyone needs to be a visible member of the Catholic Church.

To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is "the world reconciled." She is that bark which "in the full sail of the Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world." According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone saves from the flood.-Catechism of the Catholic Church n.845
Also see Redemptoris Missio 55, Dominus Iesus 20, CDF,Notification on Fr. Jacques Dupuis S.j (2001) and Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church.The Council of Trent states those who do not want to perish in the flood need to enter the Ark. (Article 114, Council of Trent).The Syllabus of Errors of Pope Pius IX (Dec.8,1854) condemns the negation of the dogma Extra ecclesiam nulla salus(Proposition XVI), condemns any reduction or change of the same dogma (Proposition XVII), condemns any negation of this dogma in relation with Protestantism (Proposition XVIII).
The dogma says everyone needs to be a visible member of the Catholic Church.
'...it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 302.). Ex Cathedra
'...none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation...
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.) Ex Cathedra
The dogma does not contradict other Church Documents regarding the Baptism of Desire.
1.The Catechism says a person can be saved without the Sacraments in the Baptism of Desire and other exceptions.

2. The Letter of the Holy Office 1949 says it is possible in 'certain circumstances'.
3.Lumen Gentium 16 Vatican Council II repeats the same message.

I assume the three documents are referring to implicit faith in certain circumstances and known only to God. So by nature it is only a concept a possibility and not a reality. So it does not contradict the Deposit of Faith that everyone with no exception must be a visible member of the Catholic Church to avoid Hell.This is the Deposit of the Faith.

We know that there is no de facto or de jure baptism of desire that you and I know of because of the limitation of our mind.

We know there is no baptism of desire except that which is a concept in our mind since only God knows the specifics.

So the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Letter of the Holy Office and Vatican Council II do not contradict the Deposit of Faith for me since rationally I know they are referring always to implicit Baptism of Desire, implicit salvation for those in invincible ignorance and of course for someone with a good conscience on the Day of Judgement.

So I can say YES to the dogma and YES to these three documents.

Since it is a concept we can expect all types of theories as long as we know that it does not contradict the deposit of faith.

When people say that everybody needs to enter the Catholic Church except for those in invincible ignorance, with the baptism of desire and a good conscience it could be right or wrong depending on the interpretation.

1.It is WRONG if they mean that every one does not need to become a visible member of the church. Then this is a new doctrine and contrary to the Deposit of the Faith.

2. It is RIGHT if they mean every one does have to become a visible member of the Catholic Church to avoid Hell and if there is anyone with the Baptism of Desire, genuine invincible ignorance and a good conscience it will be known only to God.

I am waiting for Fabrizio Cannone and Corrado Gnerre to take up this subject.

-Lionel Andrades

Lionel's E-News for the week July 11-17,2010 : PROPOSED WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR EXTRA ECCLESIAM NULLA SALUS

Lionel's E-News for the week July 11-17, 2010

Monday, July 5, 2010
PROPOSED WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR EXTRA ECCLESIAM NULLA SALUS


ONLY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH-CATHOLIC MISSION OFFICE TO THE JEWS AND GENTILES IN ROME
…but he that believeth not shall be condemned.’-Mark 16:16

Lionel Andrades, Catholic layman
E-mail: lionelandrades10@gmail.com
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