OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH THERE IS NO SALVATION

We must hold as of the faith, that out of the Apostolic Roman Church there is no salvation; that she is the only ark of safety, and whosoever is not in her perishes in the deluge; we must also, on the other hand, recognize with certainty that those who are invincible in ignorance of the true religion are not guilty for this in the eyes of the Lord. And who would presume to mark out the limits of this ignorance according to the character and diversity of peoples, countries, minds and the rest?" These were the words of Pope Pius IX in 1854. The reason he commented on this doctrine was that modernists were making inroads into and teaching salvation for all. Again at the Council of Florence there were very stern warnings that outside of the Church there was no salvation but this was again when the French King was threatening to withdraw the French Church from union with Rome. There is a large number of Popes who have commented often angrily at the heretics and it is understandable that many would get the wrong interpretation. A well meaning lady came onto my blog and offered me salvation if I accepted that only those baptised in the Catholic church could go to heaven. It is not only about putting the Popes into context but I would be horrified of a God who at conception breathed a soul into a body in say China or some far off place with no knowledge of the Catholic Church knowing that that soul is inevitably bound for hell. And knowing he does this by the million. Yet a soul he fashions in the West has a great chance of learning about the Church.- There would be an injustice in this bordering on pre-destination. But again would that soul be saved outside the Catholic church very quietwhere would he or she receive the graces necessary for salvation? From the very fact that the Catholic Church exists and in every Mass grace is poured into the world by Jesus from the Cross and the Holy Spirit uses this grace to justify good people in invincible ignorance. Yes I do wish the salvation of everyone and if indeed Salvation outside the Church meant that millions were bound for Hell then it is something I would not want to preach to everyone, not something I would want to boast it is rather something that would terrify me.

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