There was light rain today morning and the banks along the river Tiber are not visible. The water is flowing fast and high.It was nice to visit the office of the Congregation for Catholic Education overlooking St.Peter's Square. It was warm inside.There was a view of St.Peter's Basilica from the room in which I waited briefly to meet a priest representing the Cardinal Prefect, His Eminence Zenon Grocholewski.
I introduced myself and said I had a question on the Catholic Faith with reference to Catholic Education and in particular the Pontifical Universities in Rome.
Fr.Angelo agreed with me. He said that we cannot see the dead saved. The dead are not visible to us.
I explained that since the dead saved are not visible to us Vatican Council II does not contradict itself. Lumen Gentium 16 (invincible ignorance and a good conscience) is not an exception to Ad Gentes 7 which says faith and baptism are needed for all for salvation.
He asked what had this to do with the Congregation for Catholic Education. Since we do not know these cases saved in invincible ignorance, implicit desire, seeds of the word etc these cases are not exceptions to Ad Gentes 7 and neither are they exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. Yet this error is being taught in the Catholic seminaries and universities in Rome.
I mentioned cases of seminary professors at the Angelicum, Gregorian and other Universities assuming that we can see the dead saved and so these cases are explicit exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.This is the norm in the Catholic universities and not an exception.
Fr.Angelo said that I should take this issue to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This issue could not be dealt with by the Congregation for Catholic Education.He would agree with me he said that we cannot see the dead .
This issue is important for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith granting canoncial status to the Society of St.Pius X (SSPX).The SSPX accepts Vatican Council II as an historical event but rejects the interpretation of the Council with the premise of being able to see the dead.Since the universities, for example, assume that being saved in invincible ignorance etc are known to us in 2012 and are exceptions to the dogma Vatican Council II emerges as irrational, non traditional and modernist.This is the version being taught at the Catholic Universities. It is this interpretation of the Council that the SSPX is rejecting.
If the universities agreed with the Congregation for Catholic Education that we cannot see the dead saved; implicit salvation is not explicit for us, then there are no exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus in Vatican Council II. The Council emerges traditional and affirms the SSPX position on other religions and ecumenism.The irrational premise is removed.The SSPX would be able to accept this interpretation of the Council.The CDF needs to also acknowledge that we cannot see the dead saved.
-Lionel Andrades
Vatican Council II does not contradict itself or the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. We cannot see the dead.- Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,Vatican
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