“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
“Sentimental Theology Revisited” is an article published in issue #32 of From the Housetops (this issue is unfortunately out of print), discussing Brother Francis’ article, “Sentimental Theology” and its significance to the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center.
Catholic World News (CWN) reports: “US Catholics tilt left, Pew survey finds.” The recent Pew Forum study under discussion “shows that many self-described American Catholics ignore Church teachings on both theological and social issues.”
Alright, this is a very provocative title, I admit, but the name of the book about which I here write is even more so: Casta Meretrix, “The Chaste Whore,” An Essay on the Ecclesiology of St. Ambrose. This long and … Continue reading
As thinking Catholics the world over realize, the Church today is in a state of crisis — one that Pope Paul VI described as its “auto-demolition,” its self-destruction. The great majority of those who acknowledge this agonizing reality are inclined … Continue reading
Father Muller was one of the most widely read theologians of the nineteenth century. This article was first published in 1875.
The assignment: Write a three page paper responding to the following questions. How can the finite man Jesus be the fullness of divine revelation? How can the finite Roman Catholic Church transmit the fullness of divine revelation? Include reference to … Continue reading
It is no secret that Father Avery Dulles, S.J., the Jesuit theologian created Cardinal in 2001, was, before his entrance into the Society of Jesus in 1946, a founder of the original Saint Benedict Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Wikipedia … Continue reading
Father asks: “Can an ‘implicit faith in Christ’ be sufficient for salvation?” He answers “No.”
Father asks: “Can an ‘implicit faith in Christ’ be sufficient for salvation?” He answers “No.” And he does so in over thirty pages of serious scholarship, with copious references to Fathers, Doctors, approved theologians, and magisterial pronouncements.
14-December-2007 — Vatican Information Service Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization SUMMARY POINTS I. Introduction 1. The Doctrinal Note is devoted principally to an exposition of the Catholic Church’s understanding of the Christian mission of evangelization, which is to … Continue reading
The contents of this posting are taken exclusively from a page located here: http://fatherleonardfeeney.googlepages.com/ .Of especial value to this page is the series of links that appears at the bottom of this posting. Leonard Feeney was born in Lynn, Massachusetts … Continue reading
Sandro Magister has more excerpts from Cardinal Biffi’s book on line. These passages regard the dropping of the bomb on Nagasaki.
This is the final installment of our review of Abbot Gabriel’s book. The “Regularization.” When Abbot Gabriel told me that there would be things Brother Francis would not agree with in his book, I assumed that these would be matters … Continue reading
In the last edition, I mentioned that my review of Abbot Gabriel’s book would cover both its positive and its negative aspects. I also mentioned that, should the parts we view as less favorable get more attention, it is not … Continue reading
The Abbot of St. Benedict Abbey in Still River has made an important contribution to the historical literature on Father Feeney and his Crusade. Abbot Gabriel Gibbs, O.S.B., one of the early members of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart … Continue reading
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