“Outside the Church there is no salvation” (extra ecclesiam nulla salus) is a doctrine of the Catholic Faith that was taught By Jesus Christ to His Apostles, preached by the Fathers, defined by popes and councils and piously believed by the faithful in every age of the Church. Here is how the Popes defined it:
“There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.)
“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.)
“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.)
But man, following the example of his natural father, Adam, often disobeys the authority of God. The fact that the doctrine had to be thrice defined itself proves the Church’s paternal solicitude in correcting her erring children who fall into indifferentism. The first goal of Saint Benedict Center’s doctrinal Crusade is to defend this doctrine. We present here a selection of various articles written for that end.
Here are some recommended starting points on this all-important subject:
The Popes on Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus
The Fathers of the Church on Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus
Doctrinal Summary
Sentimental Theology
Pelagius Lives
Our Status in the Church (focusing on the doctrinal stance of Saint Benedict Center and the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary)
Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran, photo by Livioandronico2013 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The always worth-reading Edward Pentin has penned a fine piece on the situation of religious and cultural decline in Britain, exploring its causes and effects, and raising the possibility of a Catholic revival in the land known since the Middle … Continue reading
The Feast of the Epiphany commemorates three mysteries at once: the adoration of the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, and the Marriage Feast at Cana. Don’t take my word for it. Let the traditional Latin liturgy … Continue reading
Those of you who attended our conference in October heard a talk I gave entitled, “The Absolute Primacy of Jesus Christ and Its Implications for Our Crusade.” In it, I spoke of the Scotist Thesis, also called the Franciscan Thesis, … Continue reading
Father Thomas Crean, O.P., Dr. Alan Fimister, and Dr. John Joy have authored a twenty-five-page scholarly article, written in the scholastic format, in the pages of the theological journal, Divinitas. Called “Can a Person Be Justified by ‘Implicit Faith in … Continue reading
Father Chad Ripperger was recently interviewed by Terry Barber and Jesse Romero on their podcast, “Full Sheen Ahead.” A small excerpt of the interview was turned into a short stand-alone video on YouTube and entitled, “Exorcist Explains How Catholics/Non-Catholics Are … Continue reading
This document, which I reproduce word-for-word from the forty-third edition of the Enchiridon Symbolorum (Denzinger-Hünermann, or DH), is of interest to our doctrinal Crusade. It is a Brief sent by Pope Benedict XIV (Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini) to Cardinal Henry, Duke … Continue reading
The following is a “teaser” in advance of my talk at the upcoming Saint Benedict Center Conference: “The Absolute Primacy of Jesus Christ and Its Implications for Our Crusade.” WHAT are the implications of the Absolute Primacy of Christ for … Continue reading
Pope Francis is quoted as saying this at an inter-religious meeting of young people in Singapore: Every religion is a way to arrive at God. There are different languages to arrive at God but God is God for all. But … Continue reading
John-Henry Westen interviewed the “cancelled” priest, Father Jeff Fasching, of the Wichita, Kansas, Diocese. According to the discussion in the video, Father Fasching was removed as pastor because he taught difficult and unpopular Catholic truths from the pulpit of his … Continue reading
The question is a legitimate one and not an irksome word game. The different uses of the adjective, Roman — whether in reference to a City, an Empire, a Rite, an ecclesiastical Province, or to the fifth note of the … Continue reading
Earlier this month, Brother Matthew, M.I.C.M., of Saint Benedict Center in Still River, Massachusetts, gave a fine presentation on the history of Father Leonard Feeney and the “Boston Heresy Case.” The talk is embedded in the YouTube video below. It … Continue reading
Reviewing some correspondences with members of the sacred hierarchy recently, I came across multiple references to the dogma, extra ecclesiam nulla salus, which referred to it, not as a dogma or a doctrine, but as a “principle.” Does that word … Continue reading
Two days ago, the website of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, posted a pastoral letter from the pen of the Most Reverend Joseph E. Strickland, the Ordinary of that Diocese. Written on the heels of a recent apostolic visitation whose … Continue reading
Supposing that a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church had said, while discussing a major youth event he is tasked with organizing, “We don’t want to convert the young people to Christ or to the Catholic Church or anything like … Continue reading
The YouTube conference embedded below by Father Chad Ripperger is very much worth your careful attention. Father goes a long way in explaining the reasons for what might be called “emotional thinking,” i.e., the kind of low-quality thought that many … Continue reading
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