No Salvation Outside the Church.

A person may be a member of the Catholic Church only in name but not in spirit; on the other hand he can be a member in spirit but not in name. The Church mentions baptism of desire as one way of spiritual membership and Baptism of blood as another way. The Holy Innocents is an example of the latter. Let me dwell a little more on Baptism of desire: these are my musings pending the publication of the compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church where the topic is discussed at better length..

A theological stand is held in that a soul, who lives according to its conscience, who lives a naturally good life, etc., but who is invincibly ignorant of the true faith could be saved through baptism of desire. Ronald Knox in commenting on “salvation outside the Church” says: “The simplest way to put it, I think, is this – there is no other religious body in the world except the Catholic Church which makes a supernatural contribution to a man’s chances of salvation. He may receive natural help from some other source; his conscience may be stirred by the preaching of the Salvation Army, or he may learn a useful habit of mental prayer from the Buchmanites, or his sense of worship may be stimulated by the beauty of the ceremonies which he witnesses at the Church of the Cowley Fathers. But there’s only one religious body whose membership, of itself, tends to procure our salvation, and that is the Cathlic Church. If anybody is saved without visible membership of it he is saved, not because he’s an Anglican, not because he’s a Methodist, not because he’s a Quaker, but for one reason only —because he is a Catholic without knowing it. (ISG, 118-19)

The doctrine is clear. But I would like to focus on “without knowing it,”…on the invincible ignorance. Today, is it possible to be in the state of invincible ignorance when the Gospel had been preached throughout the world? Have we not reached a point wherein the Gospel had been preached throughout the world? Is it possible that in the Providence of God, He will give a soul the knowledge of Catholicism and still withold a small amount of grace wherewith the soul may come to know and enter the Catholic Church? Would’nt God have the power to show the Church and give such soul the opportunity to enter the Church considering He had already given the soul so much graces? And isn’t God’s way like this: whenever He has given a soul the grace of conversion, He, also, “sends” someone, precisely, to point out the Church to such a soul, as Christ sent Philip to the Eunoch?

Isn’t this clear in the lives of converts? All of the converts who were encased in their previous beliefs, from John Newman to Edith Stein, found the Catholic Church? God’s way is evidently clear. That when He gives the grace of conversion to a soul, He gives it so that they may find and enter the visible Church. Why should God fall short in the case of a few souls and deprive them of graces from entering the visible Church?”

Is it possible for God to give a soul the grace of conversion and still keep him in invinsible ignorance? How come in the stories of converts, God did not allow them to remain in invinsible ignorance if they can be saved without entering the visible Church, He who knows the hearts of men? If Christ came to establish His Church, membership of which is necessary for salvation, why should he withold the grace of membership when by His almighty power, He can give the occassion for them to enter?

Take the hypothetical case of a native, alone in an island who was enlightened by God into following his conscience and living a good natural life, can he be saved as he is? Theoretically, yes. But basing it in the Providence of God, God would either arranged it in some way that he gets in contact with the Church enabling him to enter the visible Church or God will “send” him a messenger, like Philip, who would introduce him to the visible Church. It is for this purpose that God instituted “apostles,” meaning “sent” that such souls may be able to enter the visible Church. Isn’t this the apostolic commission: that we go to all nations and point the Church and teach all how to enter the Church?

Going back to Ronald Knox’s “he is a Catholic without knowing it,” this is theoretically correct. But most probably God will give him the grace to know and enter the visible Church…. if he is to be saved.