Pope releases encylical letter: Ubicumque et Semper
"Always and everywhere," is how the Catholic Church shall preach the Gospel, according to a new encylical letter from Pope Benedict XVI. He also thereby creates a council for promoting evanglization.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
By Spero News
Given below are extracts of "Ubicumque et semper", the Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" by which Benedict XVI establishes the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation.
"The Church has the duty to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ always and everywhere. ... Over history this mission has assumed new forms and methods, depending on place, situation and historical moment. In our own time, one of its most singular characteristics has been that of having to measure itself against the phenomenon of abandonment of the faith, which has become progressively more evident in societies and cultures that were, for centuries, impregnated with the Gospel.
"The social transformations we have seen over recent decades have complex causes, the roots of which are distant in time and have profoundly modified our perception of the world. ... If, on the one hand, humanity has seen undeniable benefits from these transformations and the Church received further stimuli to give reasons for the hope she carries, on the other, we have seen a worrying loss of the sense of the sacred, even going so far as to call into discussion apparently unquestionable foundations, such as faith in the God of creation and providence; the revelation of Jesus Christ our only Saviour, the shared understating of man's fundamental experiences like birth, death and family life, and the reference to natural moral law". the rest
Zenit: Papal Decree Establishing New Council
posted by Pat Dague @ 9:36 AM
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
UBICUMQUE ET SEMPER CALLS TO FOLLOW THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SO THE RIGORIST INTERPRETATION OF EXTRA ECCLESIAM NULLA SALUS
Ubicumque et Semper the Motu Proprio for promoting the New Evangelization issued by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI calls to follow the Catechism of the Catholic Church in evangelisation.
The catechism however can be interpreted as a break from Tradition or supporting the rigorist interpretation of the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus, outside the church there is no salvation and everyone needs to be a formal member to avoid Hell.
This ex cathedra dogma does not state that those with the baptism of desire or who are in invincible ignorance or have a good conscience are exempted from formally entering the Church. Neither does it state that only those who know about the Catholic Church need to enter the Church through Catholic Faith and the baptism of water to avoid Hell. The dogma says everyone with no exception. So the catechism can be misinterpreted.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church can be interpreted as supporting the infallible teaching. This would be unpleasant for those who use the Jewish Left-Boston College interpretation of Vatican Council II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
http://eucharistandmission.blogspot.com/2010/10/ubicumque-et-semper-calls-to-follow.html
Contd
For instance here is CCC 845
to reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is "the world reconciled." She is that bark which "in the full sail of the Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world." According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone saves from the flood.
So according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church , outside the Church there is no salvation means 1) everyone who is saved, explicitly with the baptism of water and Catholic faith or implicitly, unknown to us and known only to God, are saved by Jesus and His Mystical Body the Catholic Church (CCC 846).2) everyone needs Catholic Faith and the baptism of water, and there are no explicit or implicit, exceptions that we can know of, to go to Heaven avoid Hell (CCC 845).Outside the Church there is no salvation and everyone needs to be a formal, explicit member to avoid Hell.
CCC 846 also affirms the rigorist interpretation of the ex cathedra dogma outside the church there is no salvation. All need to enter as through a door, this is the language of the Church Fathers on extra ecclesiam nulla salus.
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time , the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it
No where in the Catechism (CCC 836,837,838,846,847,849-852 etc) is there a contradiction of the rigorist interpretation of the ex cathedra dogma extra eccleisam nulla salus. The Catechism is in accord with Fr.Leonard Feeney.
Contd
CCC 847 and 848 refer to those saved with a good conscience or invincible ignorance and who are unknown to us human beings but only known to God. They are saved ‘in certain circumstances’ (Letter of the Holy Office 1949).So the ordinary way of salvation is the baptism of water with Catholic Faith; the explicit, formal means of salvation. The ordinary way of salvation for non Catholics according to the Letter of the Holy Office cannot be the baptism of desire, invincible ignorance or a good conscience.
CCC 845 indicates that the only way of salvation that we humans ‘know’ is the explicit, formal means which includes the baptism of water.CCC 847, 848 refer to hypothetical cases, a possibility known only to God and which we can accept only in principle. We do not know any particular case of invincible ignorance. Neither do we know any person whom Jesus will judge as having a good conscience on the Day of Judgement. So CCC 847,848 (implicit, hypothetical salvation) does not contradict CCC 845 ( the need for explicit entry into the Church as if entering a Door).
All people (Ad Gentes 7,Vatican Council II,CCC 845) with no exceptions that we know of, need Catholic Faith and the baptism of water to go to Heaven and avoid Hell. Outside the Church there is no salvation. The exceptions (CCC 847) are unknown to us.
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:
Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.
848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."
Contd
When Catholics who misinterpret the Catechism as a break from Tradition, use the mantra, ‘ everyone needs to enter the Catholic Church except for those in invincible ignorance, the baptism of desire or blood’ it needs to be clarified that the exceptions (baptism of desire etc ) to the ordinary means of salvation (baptism of water with Catholic Faith) are known only to God. People can be saved in this category (invincible ignorance etc) but they are unknown to us.
So if they are unknown to us and can be judged only by Jesus the teaching of the 'rigorist interpretation’ the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus, is still the official teaching of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. The Catechism or Vatican Council II (LG 16) do not contradict it.
Without this clarification ( the exceptions (baptism of desire etc ) to the ordinary means of salvation (baptism of water with Catholic Faith) are known only to God ) the interpretation of Vatican Council II and the Catechism would be heresy. It could mean that the baptism of desire etc is the ordinary means of salvation, it is explicit and so contradicts the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. With the clarification Vatican Council II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is in accord with the ex cathedra dogma. They are in accord with Pope Pius XII's Letter of the Holy Office.
Along with CCC 845, CCC 846 also affirms the rigorist interpretation of the ex cathedra dogma outside the church there is no salvation. It says all need to enter the Catholic Church as through a door, this is the language of the Church Fathers on extra ecclesiam nulla salus.
Here is the text of the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus which was the basis of mission for Catholics down the centuries.
1. “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215). Ex cathedra.
2. .“We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302.).Ex cathedra.
3. “The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.” (Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441.) Ex cathedra – from the website Catholicism.org. Also available at “No Salvation outside the Church”: Link List, the Three Dogmatic Statements Regarding EENS
Contd
Ad Gentes 7,Vatican Council II has the same message.
Therefore, all must be converted to Him, made known by the Church's preaching, and all must be incorporated into Him by baptism and into the Church which is His body. For Christ Himself "by stressing in express language the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5), at the same time confirmed the necessity of the Church, into which men enter by baptism, as by a door.-Ad Gentes 7,Vatican Council II.
Lumen Gentium 16 (LG 16) does not contradict the infallible teaching.
Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.-Lumen Gentium 16, Vatican Council II.
Lumen Gentium 16 does not refer to explicit, knowable Baptism of desire and invincible ignorance. Those who will be judged with a good conscience are not explicitly known to us.
If one assumes that LG 16 refers to explicit baptism of desire then there would be trouble also with the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1257.
VI. THE NECESSITY OF BAPTISM
1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation.59 He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them.60 Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament.61 The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water and the Spirit." God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.
CCC 1257 states that the Church knows of no means to eternal beatitude other than the Baptism of water and also says God is not limited to the Sacraments. There could be some, or many, saved without the Sacrament of Baptism.
It would violate the Principle of Non Contradiction. It would mean de facto everyone needs the Baptism of Water and Catholic Faith to go to Heaven (AG 7,CCC 1257) and de facto there can also be people saved without the Sacrament of the Baptism of water (LG 16, CCC 1257). It does not make sense.
However if they considered LG 16 as referring to de jure, implicit salvation, something that we can accept in principle but which is only known to God ( it is only explicit for God and we do not know a single case of Baptism of Desire) then it would not violate the Principle on Non Contradiction. It would mean de facto every one needs to explicitly enter the Catholic Church while de jure, in principle there could be some people saved with implicit baptism of desire etc.
There is no explicit or implicit Baptism of desire that we can know of reason tells us. Neither the past popes or saints have referred to an explicit Baptism of desire. Neither does the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Contd.
Since we know that there can be no explicit baptism of desire etc, LG 16, is referring to implicit Baptism of desire known only as a concept. Something hypothetical. A probability. A possibility.
Only God can know when it is explicit. We do not know of any explicit baptism of desire in the present times, which is external, seeable and repeatable.
We do not know even in principle (implicitly) if there is any Baptism of desire in the present time. However we know as a concept that God is Good and Merciful and so could save a person with the Baptism of Desire whenever and if God wanted.
If the Baptism of desire etc is not explicit then LG 16 does not contradict the infallible teaching or Fr. Leonard Feeney. There is no confusion with CCC 1257. So then neither does the LG 16 text repeated in the Catechism contradict the ex cathedra dogma and Fr. Leonard Feeney.
So when the new papal decree states
5th. to promote the use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as essential and complete formulation of the content of the faith for the men of our time.
We have the rigorist interpretation of the ex cathedra dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. This dogma was never revoked or changed according to any Magisterial Document. It still is a Magisterial teaching in accord with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Those evangelizing need to know that :
1. The Catholic Church teaches that non-Catholic religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism etc) are not paths to salvation?
Yes (CDF, Notification, Fr. Dupuis s.j 2001, Dominus Iesus 20, 2000 etc)
2. The Catholic Church teaches that Catholic Faith and the baptism of water are needed for all people for salvation? Yes
(Those in invincible ignorance, with the baptism of water or blood, or with a good conscience will be known only to God. We do not know any case.) (Ad Gentes 7, Lumen Gentium 14, Vatican Council II, etc)
3.The Catholic Church teaches that when I meet a non Catholic (Jew, Muslim etc) I know that he or she needs to convert into the Catholic Church to avoid Hell ? Yes.(Cantate Domino, Council of Florence, Ex Cathedra, extra ecclesiam nulla salus, Dominus Iesus 20, CDF, Notification on Fr. Jacques Dupuis etc.)
4. The Catholic Church has not retracted the ex cathedra dogma extra eccleisam nulla salus and it still is a Magisterial teaching ? Yes.
CONCLUDED
Sandra Mazzolini who has written a controversial book in Italian on extra ecclesiam nulla salus, based on the writings of Fr. William Most, is to teach at the Urbaniana Pontifical University, Rome in the new academic year 2010-2011.
According to the University Handbook she will conduct a seminar on ‘The development and interpretation of extra ecclesiam nulla salus (MLT 3005 3 credits Second Semester Lo sviluppo e interpretazione dell ‘Extra ecclesiam nulla salus’). There are other courses too which she has been permitted to teach as a lecturer in the department of missiology.
Sandra like Fr. William Most never says that the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus is ex cathedra. They both present a long list of Church Fathers and mix up explicit and implicit means of salvation. They believe that there can be the rigorist interpretation of the dogma and new interpretations. It can be ‘developed’.
They interpret the dogma differently from St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Francis of Assisi and numerous saints through the centuries. They both tacitly reject the dogma on the infallibility of the pope ex cathedra.
Also the two reasons for their change in the interpretation of the dogma are factually incorrect. They cite Fr. Leonard Feeney and Vatican Council II as the reason for the ‘development’.
1. There is no Church Document which states that Fr. Leonard Feeney of Boston was excommunicated for heresy. The Letter of the Holy Office published in the Denzinger Enchiridion states the excommunication was for disobedience. The ex cathedra dogma indicated, like Fr. Leonard Feeney’s rigorist interpretation, that all Jews in Boston need to convert into the Catholic Church with no exception to avoid Hell.
2. Lumen Gentium 16, Vatican Council II cannot contradict the infallible teaching since there is no explicit invincible ignorance or the baptism of desire that we can know of. There are no cases of the baptism of desire which we know of in the present times or the last 100 years. None of us knows whom Jesus will judge as having a good conscience on the Day of Judgement. So if there is anyone with the baptism of desire, invincible ignorance or a good conscience it will be known only to God. For us it is only a concept, something we accept in principle, hypothetical, a possibility known only to God. So if it not explicit how it can contradict the rigorist interpretation of the ex cathedra dogma which says everyone with no exception, needs to enter the Church to go to Heaven.
So where is the basis of the ‘development’ of extra ecclesiam nulla salus? How can you interpret it differently from the past with no new texts or Church documents to support you? Yet this is what Sandra Mazzolini and the late Fr. William Most do.
There is no Church document which says that the Catholic Church has retracted extra ecclesiam nulla salus, or now, interprets it differently. It still is a Magisterial Document.
It is in accord with Vatican Council II (Ad Gentes 7), the Catechism of the Catholic Church (N.845,846) and Magisterial Documents (Dominus Iesus 20 etc)
How can a lay, presumably Catholic woman , throw away the ex cathedra teaching ,change its meaning and interpretation and then go forward to receive the Eucharist at Mass? To reject an ex cathedra teaching is grave matter. One of the requirements for mortal sin.
Also how can an ex cathedra teaching be superseded by the ordinary Magisterium (Vatican Council II, Letter of the Holy Office 1949) and that too with a factually false interpretation?
She is faced with the hard truth and she could not like it- it is, all Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Jews are on the path to Hell unless they convert into the Catholic Church before they die (Cantate Dominio, Council of Florence, Ex Cathedra). This knowledge for centuries has been the basis of mission.
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