THERE ARE TWO INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH RELATED TO MISSION : Moto Proprio Ubicumque et Semper

There are two interpretations of the Catechism of the Catholic Church related to Mission: Ubicumque et Semper

The Motu Proprio for promoting the New Evangelization issued by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI calls to follow the Catechism of the Catholic Church in evangelisation.

5th. to promote the use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as essential and complete formulation of the content of the faith for the men of our time.

Since the Catechism is the ordinary Magisterium it cannot supersede an ex cathedra dogma. It needs to be interpreted in harmony with the infallible teaching extra ecclesiam nulla salus, thrice defined. It was also affirmed by Pope Pius XII in 1949 in the Letter of the Holy Office.

We need to be aware of the de jure and de facto nuances and whenever there is a reference to something in principle in contrast to something explicit and knowable . Otherwise we can be in a soup, seemingly lost and definitely not affirming the Deposit of the Faith.

The ex cathedra dogma does not state that those with the baptism of desire or who are in invincible ignorance or have a good conscience are exempted from formally entering the Church. Neither does it state that only those who know about the Catholic Church need to enter the Church through Catholic Faith and the baptism of water to avoid Hell. The dogma says everyone with no exception needs Catholic Faith and the Baptism of water as does Ad Gentes 7, Vatican Council II. So the catechism can be misinterpreted here.

So according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church , outside the Church there is no salvation means 1) everyone who is saved, explicitly with the baptism of water and Catholic faith or implicitly, unknown to us and known only to God, are saved by Jesus and His Mystical Body the Catholic Church (CCC 846).2) everyone needs Catholic Faith and the baptism of water, and there are no explicit or implicit, exceptions that we can know of, to go to Heaven avoid Hell (CCC 845).Outside the Church there is no salvation and everyone needs to be a formal, explicit member to avoid Hell.

CCC 846 also affirms the rigorist interpretation of the ex cathedra dogma outside the church there is no salvation. All need to enter as through a door, this is the language of the Church Fathers on extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. 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 (Emphasis added)

No where in the Catechism (CCC 836,837,838,846,847,849-852 etc) is there a contradiction of the rigorist interpretation of the ex cathedra dogma. The Catechism is in accord with Fr. Leonard Feeney.

CCC 847 and 848 refer to those saved with a good conscience or invincible ignorance and who are unknown to us human beings but only known to God. They are saved ‘in certain circumstances’ (Letter of the Holy Office 1949).So the ordinary way of salvation is the baptism of water with Catholic Faith; the explicit, formal means of salvation. The ordinary way of salvation for non Catholics according to the Letter of the Holy Office cannot be the baptism of desire, invincible ignorance or a good conscience.

CCC 845 indicates that the only way of salvation that we humans ‘know’ is the explicit, formal means which includes the baptism of water. CCC 847, 848 refer to hypothetical cases, a possibility known only to God and which we can accept only in principle. We do not know any particular case of invincible ignorance.

Neither do we know any person whom Jesus will judge as having a good conscience on the Day of Judgement. So CCC 847,848 (implicit, hypothetical salvation) does not contradict CCC 845 (the need for explicit entry into the Church as if entering a Door).

All people (Ad Gentes 7, Vatican Council II, and CCC 845) with no exceptions that we know of need Catholic Faith and the baptism of water to go to Heaven and avoid Hell. Outside the Church there is no salvation. The exceptions (CCC 847) are unknown to us.

When Catholics who misinterpret the Catechism as a break from Tradition and use the mantra ‘everyone needs to enter the Catholic Church except for those in invincible ignorance, the baptism of desire or blood’ a clarification is needed by them. It needs to be clarified that the exceptions (baptism of desire etc) to the ordinary means of salvation (baptism of water with Catholic Faith) are known only to God. People can be saved in this category (invincible ignorance etc) but they are unknown to us.

So if they are unknown to us and can be judged only by Jesus the teaching of the 'rigorist interpretation’ the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus, is still valid. It is also the official teaching of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. The Catechism or Vatican Council II (LG 16) does not contradict it.

Without this clarification (the exceptions (baptism of desire etc) to the ordinary means of salvation (baptism of water with Catholic Faith) are known only to God) the interpretation of Vatican Council II and the Catechism would be heresy. It could mean that the baptism of desire etc is the ordinary means of salvation, it is explicit and so contradicts the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. With the clarification Vatican Council II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is in accord with the ex cathedra dogma. They are in accord with Pope Pius XII's Letter of the Holy Office.

Here is the text of the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus which was the basis of mission for Catholics down the centuries.

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, 1302.).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

Ad Gentes 7, Vatican Council II has the same message.

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.

Lumen Gentium 16 (LG 16) does not contradict the infallible teaching.

Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.-Lumen Gentium 16, Vatican Council II.

Lumen Gentium 16 does not refer to explicit, knowable Baptism of desire and invincible ignorance. Those who will be judged with a good conscience are not explicitly known to us.

If one assumes that LG 16 refers to explicit baptism of desire then there would be trouble also with the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1257.

1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation... God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.

CCC 1257 states that the Church knows of no means to eternal beatitude other than the Baptism of water and also says God is not limited to the Sacraments. There could be some, or many, saved without the Sacrament of Baptism.

It would violate the Principle of Non Contradiction. It would mean de facto everyone needs the Baptism of Water and Catholic Faith to go to Heaven (AG 7,CCC 1257) and de facto there can also be people saved without the Sacrament of the Baptism of water (LG 16, CCC 1257). It does not make sense.

However if they considered LG 16 as referring to de jure, implicit salvation, something that we can accept in principle but which is only known to God ( it is only explicit for God and we do not know a single case of Baptism of Desire) then it would not violate the Principle on Non Contradiction. It would mean de facto every one needs to explicitly enter the Catholic Church while de jure, in principle there could be some people saved with implicit baptism of desire etc.

There is no explicit or implicit Baptism of desire that we can know of reason tells us. Neither the past popes or saints have referred to an explicit Baptism of desire. Neither does the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Since we know that there can be no explicit baptism of desire etc, LG 16, is referring to implicit Baptism of desire known only as a concept. Something hypothetical. A probability. A possibility.

Only God can know when it is explicit. We do not know of any explicit baptism of desire in the present times, which is external, see able and repeatable.

We do not know even in principle (implicitly) if there is any Baptism of desire in the present time. However we know as a concept that God is Good and Merciful and so could save a person with the Baptism of Desire whenever and if God wanted.

If the Baptism of desire etc is not explicit then LG 16 does not contradict the infallible teaching or Fr. Leonard Feeney. There is no confusion with CCC 1257. So then neither does the LG 16 text repeated in the Catechism contradict the ex cathedra dogma and Fr. Leonard Feeney.

QUESTIONS

1.If someone says  non Catholics can be saved with the baptism of desire or invincible ignorance tell him politely that he does not know any such person and neither do you. We can only accept it in principle. It is not explicit for us.So how can it contradict the dogma?

If you do not know any explicit case how can you interpret the Catechism as saying those with the baptism of water or in invincible ignorance do not have to enter the Church and so this is in opposition to the infallible teaching?

2.Was not Fr. Leonard Feeney excommunicated for this  rigorist interpretation it could be asked ?

There is no Church Document which says so. The Letter of the Holy Office states he was excommunicated for disobedience.

Assuming he was excommunicated for heresy how can a statement by the Holy Office supersede the teaching of an ex cathedra dogma?

3.So people can be saved with the baptism of desire?
Yes we accept it only in principle. De facto, explicitly we cannot know any case.

4.The Catechism says only those who know and do not enter are on the way to Hell. So it applies to only those who know?
Of course those who know and do not enter are on the way to Hell we accept this in principle. We do not know those who know and neither do we know those who do not know.CCC 845 says everyone, with no exception needs to enter the Church for salvation.So does the ex cathedra dogma. So does Ad Gentes 7, Vatican Council II.

All Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Jews and others  are on the path to Hell unless they convert into the Catholic Church before they die (Cantate Dominio, Council of Florence, Ex Cathedra). This knowledge for centuries has been the basis of mission.

So explicitly everyone with no exception needs to enter the Church for salvation. In principle there can be exceptions known only to God.

In turn you could ask people to answer the following questions.

1. The Catholic Church teaches that non-Catholic religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism etc) are not paths to salvation?

Yes (CDF, Notification, Fr. Dupuis s.j 2001, Dominus Iesus 20, 2000 etc)

2. The Catholic Church teaches that Catholic Faith and the baptism of water are needed for all people for salvation? Yes

(Those in invincible ignorance, with the baptism of water or blood, or with a good conscience will be known only to God. We do not know any case.) (Ad Gentes 7, Lumen Gentium 14, Vatican Council II, etc)

3. The Catholic Church teaches that when I meet a non Catholic (Jew, Muslim etc) I know that he or she needs to convert into the Catholic Church to avoid Hell? Yes.(Cantate Domino, Council of Florence, Ex Cathedra, extra ecclesiam nulla salus, Dominus Iesus 20, CDF, Notification on Fr. Jacques Dupuis etc.)

4. The Catholic Church has not retracted the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus and it still is a Magisterial teaching? Yes.

______________________________