I spoke to Fr.Marco Hausmann FSSP today morning after he offered the Tridentine Latin Mass at the church San Giuseppe a Capo le Case, Rome and I was surprised earlier to see during Holy Mass that the church was full.
He said there are no exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. He agreed that defacto we do not know of any case of someone being saved in invincible ignorance or the baptism of desire.
It is possible, he said, that a person in a jungle somewhere could have the correct disposition, faith in Jesus etc, however there are no defacto, objective cases for us. These persons if they existed would only be known to God.A possibility yes. Objectively, defacto in the present times known to us ?No.
This is a common place question I keep asking priests. It is so simple that I am concerned at times that they may think I am testing their intelligence.Of course even a young person would tell you that we cannot see the dead who are now in Heaven saved as such. The priests could be thinking ,"Why does he have to ask me these inane questions ?". Yet I am compelled to since Catholics say hypothetical cases are de facto exceptions.
At first they usually respond with theology and I have to say "Si, si sono in accordo"(I agree) and wait to rephrase my question.Once they undestand what I am saying there is a big smile on their face and they agree with me.Obviously! Who among us can see the dead? So how can there be defacto, objective exceptions to the dogmatic teaching.In general every one needs the baptism of water in 2014 in Rome for salvation. Those who have died without 'faith and baptism'(Ad Gentes 7, Vatican Council II) are not on the way to Heaven.
Fr.Hausman agreed that there were no exceptions and humanly we cannot see any person on earth for them to be exceptions to all needing the baptism of water.
So far so good. In fact it was too good. So I didn't press my luck and ask him if the Holy Office 1949 and the Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Cushing made an error, when they assumed that the baptism of desire referred to known persons. They assumed there were known exceptions to the traditional interpretation of the dogma.This is what they inferred when they said that Fr.Leonard Feeney was wrong. I did not ask Fr.Marco if the Holy Office made a mistake.That would be too much.
Even Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in magisterial documents have made an error. They assumed that there are known exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. I did not bring up this point with Fr.Marco.
Earlier at Mass in Italian at this same church, another priest spoke of Jesus as the Saviour.A Saviour saves from what? He did not say Hell but left it up to us to understand. Possibly among the few lay people there, I was the only one who understood.However in accord with the error of the Magisterium at Boston and then subsequently by the popes up to Pope Francis, he could only proclaim Jesus without the necessity of formal membership in the Church.
So he said that salvation is open for all.Of course Jesus died for all and salvation is available for all in potential. But that priest was not going to say to receive this salvation all need to formally enter the Church,with Catholic Faith and the baptism of water.(Dominus Iesus 20, Redemtoris Missio etc).
Similarly the FSSP priests,otherwise in Rome, would proclaim the same limited kerygma and Good News as is expected of him by the Rome Vicariato and the Vatican. They are not allowed to say that the Catholic Church is necessary for salvation.Since it would affirm the dogma according to Fr.Leonard Feeney and the pre-1949 times.It would also not be good for good relations with the Jewish Left.
So the Magisterium today proclaims that Pope Pius XII was correct and Fr.Leonard Feeney wrong. In other words there are defacto exceptions to all needing to formally enter the Church in 2014.Invincible ignorance is an exception. The baptism of desire is an exception to the dogma.This is not rational. It is not common sense and it would contradict what Don Marco told me today.But this the sad situation under which we have to attend Holy Mass today.-Lionel Andrades
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