The Church does not say that explicit baptism of desire must be interpreted as explicitly known to us in particular cases.
The baptism of desire can only be accepted as a possibility known to God and unknown to us in particular cases. So when you read Quanto Conficiamus of Pope Pius IX, 1863 you can interpret the baptism of desire, as implicit and so not in conflict with the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. The dogma indicates everyone must be an explicit member of the Church for salvation and there are no exceptions.
I have received an e-mail with part of the text of Quanto Conficiamus stating that this is the teaching of the Catholic Church. I agree this is what the Church teaches and for centuries it was known that the baptism of desire was always implicit and not explicitly known to us.
So Quanto Conficiamus is endorsing what the secular media calls the ‘strict interpretation’ of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.
The ‘non strict interpretation’ would be everyone needs to enter the Church except for those saved with the baptism of desire or in invincible ignorance.
The liberal media means the ‘exceptions’ are known to us in particular cases and so they are ‘exceptions’.
In Quanto Conficiamus we do not reject those being saved in invincible ignorance and other forms of implicit salvation. We admit though that it cannot be de facto, explicitly known to us and can only be a possibility known only to God.
So we do not reject the Council of Trent’s baptism of desire and neither do we misinterpret Quanto Conficiamus.
QUANTO CONFICIAMUR, POPE PIUS IX, 1863:
7. Here, too, our beloved sons and venerable brothers, it is again necessary to mention and censure a very grave error entrapping some Catholics who believe that it is possible to arrive at eternal salvation although living in error and alienated from the true faith and Catholic unity. Such belief is certainly opposed to Catholic teaching. There are, of course, those who are struggling with invincible ignorance about our most holy religion. Sincerely observing the natural law and its precepts inscribed by God on all hearts and ready to obey God, they live honest lives and are able to attain eternal life by the efficacious virtue of divine light and grace. Because God knows, searches and clearly understands the minds, hearts, thoughts, and nature of all, his supreme kindness and clemency do not permit anyone at all who is not guilty of deliberate sin to suffer eternal punishments.
Those in invincible ignorance are known only to God. We cannot meet any such case. So the dogmatic teaching stands.
Lionel: We must help all people, irrespective... however we must know that the Catholic Church teaches that all non Catholics with no exception on earth need to enter the Church formally, explicitly for salvation and if there are any non Catholics in invincible ignorance etc it will be known ONLY to God.
In Christ
Lionel
8. Also well known is the Catholic teaching that no one can be saved outside the Catholic Church. Eternal salvation cannot be obtained by those who oppose the authority and statements of the same Church and are stubbornly separated from the unity of the Church and also from the successor of Peter, the Roman Pontiff, to whom “the custody of the vineyard has been committed by the Savior.”4 The words of Christ are clear enough: “If he refuses to listen even to the Church, let him be to you a Gentile and a tax collector;”5 “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you, rejects me, and he who rejects me, rejects him who sent me;”6 “He who does not believe will be condemned;”7 “He who does not believe is already condemned;”8 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”9 The Apostle Paul says that such persons are “perverted and self-condemned;”10 the Prince of the Apostles calls them “false teachers... who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master... bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”11
9. God forbid that the children of the Catholic Church should even in any way be unfriendly to those who are not at all united to us by the same bonds of faith and love. On the contrary, let them be eager always to attend to their needs with all the kind services of Christian charity, whether they are poor or sick or suffering any other kind of visitation. First of all, let them rescue them from the darkness of the errors into which they have unhappily fallen and strive to guide them back to Catholic truth and to their most loving Mother who is ever holding out her maternal arms to receive them lovingly back into her fold. Thus, firmly founded in faith, hope, and charity and fruitful in every good work, they will gain eternal salvation.
Lionel: We do not know these cases in particular so it does not contradict the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. Implicit salvation is not in conflict with Cantate Domino , Council of Florence 1441 on outside the church there is no salvation.
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