What the Archbishop of Mosul has not said

Our sufferings today are the prelude of those you, Europeans and Western Christians, will also suffer in the near future. I lost my diocese. The physical setting of my apostolate has been occupied by Islamic radicals who want us converted or dead. But my community is still alive.

Please, try to understand us. Your liberal and democratic principles are worth nothing here. You must consider again our reality in the Middle East, because you are welcoming in your countries an ever growing number of Muslims. Also you are in danger. You must take strong and courageous decisions, even at the cost of contradicting your principles. You think all men are equal, but that is not true: Islam does not say that all men are equal. Your values are not their values. If you do not understand this soon enough, you will become the victims of the enemy you have welcomed in your home.-Archbishop Amel Nona Chaldean Catholic Archeparch of Mosul, now exiled in Erbil Corriere della Sera August 9, 2014 http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/08/archbishop-of-mosul-i-have-lost-my.html

The Archbishop has not said that according to Vatican Council II  all Muslims in Mosul need 'faith and baptism'(AG 7) to go to Heaven and avoid Hell.Spiritually he has not helped them.

This is the official teaching of the Catholic Church according to the text of Vatican Council II.It is in continuity with the past on the issue of other religions and salvation.

There is nothing in Vatican Council II to contradict extra ecclesiam nulla salus.Since those who are saved through the 'good and holy' things in other religions (NA 2), seeds of the Word (AG 11),elements of sanctification and truth (LG 8) etc are not known to us in the present times. So they are not exceptions to  the traditional teaching on salvation.

All the Muslims in Mosul according to Vatican Council II need to convert into the Catholic Church for salvation i.e to go to Paradise and Hell.

We cannot meet anyone in Mosul who does not need 'faith and baptism' for salvation.We cannot get to know  a person there who can be saved in invincible ignorance and with the baptism of water.Those who are saved as such are not known to us on earth.

According to Ad Gentes 7 all need the baptism of water for salvation. This would include those saved with the baptism of desire, invincible ignorance, seeds of the Word, 'elements of sanctification and truth' etc. 

In Heaven there are only Catholics according to Vatican Council II.They are  those persons who have 'faith and baptism'.

We do not know of any exception. No extra ordinary way is visible to us. However if a Muslim is saved while he is in religion, he would be saved through Jesus and the Catholic Church, Jesus' Mystical Body. In Heaven he would be a Catholic.However for us this is only a possibility. We do not know any case over the last 100 years or more. A possibility, a hypothetical case cannot be a defacto exception to the traditional teaching.

This 'possibility', could be saved through the good things in his religion which will lead him to Jesus and the Church. There is the case of the ex Imam  at the Divine Retreat Centre Pota, India.He  converted into the Catholic Church after reading the Quran. He found things do not add up.His search for the Truth led him to the Catholic Church finally.

If a Muslim is saved and is in Heaven he has received Catholic Faith and the baptism of water.He is no longer a Muslim. There are no known exceptions to the ordinary means of salvation( faith and baptism) on earth or in Heaven.The baptism of water in the Catholic Church is the norm to get to Heaven.

 Archbishop Amel Nona  has not announced this to the Muslims in Mosul. 

-Lionel Andrades