May 11, 2011 – Catechism 846-848

The idea of salvation outside the church is a tricky one. The reason it's tricky is because we do not know or understand the complete power of God in his infinite mercy. We have somewhat of an understanding, a mere glimpse of that mercy and what Christ did on the Cross for all of us. But we are not God. There is no limit to what he can accomplish for a person that he wants to accomplish, there's no limit to his mercy for a person and we cannot comprehend that. So, to put limitations on who God can save or who is saved or what needs to be done for salvation is to not understand God's power. But does that mean that the statement "outside the church there is no salvation " is incorrect? I don't think so. I think it is stated very clearly outside the Church of there is no salvation. It is a mystery how God's saves people that are not a part of the Church but it fully understands that it can't fully comprehend God's mercy. But that isn't to say the that Christ didn't establish a singular church and that this singular church has the fullness of Truth and the Ordinary means of salvation. This church that Christ established has all those things but God understands that our human limitations may not fully expose all humans to the Church and its full meaning. There may be people who, through no fault of their own never have the chance to accept the teachings of the Church and find Christ and salvation through Christ. So the Church allows for that road to salvation that we can't fully understand. The church's teaching allows room for infinite mercy and the mystery of God .

I was trying to think of an example that would show this in a way that might not be the most common example. You could hear people talk about some person in some jungle somewhere who has no contact with the outside world but lives a good life and so can be saved. That's a fairly abstract example, and I want to come upon something a little closer to home. Take for example someone who was sexually abused by a priest. We know for fact that this has happened, far too often in many cases, and in some cases covered up and has led to many turning away from the faith. How can I judge a person who has been sexually abused by a priest for not coming back to the Catholic faith. I can't imagine what they have gone through and what their mindset is. I would consider them a person who, through no fault of their own, is not a part of the Church or going about the Ordinary means of salvation. Are they going to be saved or not, are they seeking salvation or not, I don't know? But I would imagine they would have a very very difficult time trusting the Catholic Church and its teachings because of the experience they have gone through and their mindset and it is absolutely not their fault. But I believe there is salvation for them if they seek God as its says "in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience those two may achieve eternal salvation".

There are some who know exactly what the Church teaches, the Catholic Church teaches, and ignore that to the detriment of their souls. Do I feel that this includes all Non-Catholics, absolutely not. I don't even know if it would include many non Catholic Christians. I don't know if it includes those who do not follow the Catholic faith because they have a misunderstanding of the Catholic faith. God only knows what is in a person's heart and that is why we are called not to judge.