Brothers and sisters, please fast and pray that God will grant us another saintly Pope, not the one we deserve.

Today is the day to begin the Conclave Novena Prayer:

I kneel before you, O Virgin Mother of God, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the compassionate mother of all who love you, cry to you, seek you, and trust in you. I plead for the Church at a time of great trial and danger for her. As you came to the rescue of the Church at Tepeyac in 1531, please intercede for the Sacred College of Cardinals gathered in Rome to elect the Successor of Saint Peter, Vicar of Christ, Shepherd of the Universal Church. At this tumultuous time for the Church and for the world, plead with your Divine Son that the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, His Mystical Body, will humbly obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Through your intercession, may they choose the most worthy man to be Christ’s Vicar on earth. With you, I place all my trust in Him Who alone is our help and salvation. Amen. Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee, have mercy upon us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, Virgin Mother of God and Mother of Divine Grace, pray for us!

If you know, you know lol.

This was one of the biggest stumbling blocks that made me hesitant to become Catholic. But over time, I realized natural theology is deeply biblical and firmly backed by the Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church. Vatican II was right … I was wrong.

https://youtu.be/whBernptSkM?si=GUavMr-f1btvcqgo

St. Ephrem the Syrian on the Primacy of St. Peter:

“[Jesus said:] Simon, my follower, I have made you the foundation of the holy Church. I betimes called you Peter, because you will support all its buildings. You are the inspector of those who will build on earth a Church for me. If they should wish to build what is false, you, the foundation, will condemn them. You are the head of the fountain from which my teaching flows; you are the chief of my disciples. Through you I will give drink to all peoples. Yours is that life-giving sweetness that I dispense. I have chosen you to be, as it were, the firstborn in my institution so that, as the heir, you may be executor of my treasures. I have given you the keys of my kingdom. Behold, I have given you authority over all my treasures” [Homilies 4:1 (c. A.D. 353)].

This is deep bruh..

This is an old post I made about Vatican Il's statement that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Since then, my understanding of the topic has grown a lot, so God willing, I'll be posting an updated version soon with more depth. I'll also show how this is actually a dogmatic belief for the Eastern Orthodox as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJGEhyqMfhV/?igsh=aXJkYnBwMXJkN2o5

Answer: No

🔸Unam Sanctum (1302) -

➡️“Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”⬅️

This still holds true to this day. The reason this doesn’t contradict Vatican II is because Pope Boniface VIII never said that ONLY those who know the Catholic Church is true are subject to the Roman Pontiff. A person can be under an authority without even realizing it.

For example if a driver speed down a road, not seeing the "25 mph" sign they can still get a ticket. They are still subject to the law whether they knew it or not.

🔸Council of Florence (1431- 1449) -

➡️“It firmly believes, professes and preaches that all those who are outside the catholic church, not only pagans but also Jews or heretics and schismatics, cannot share in eternal life and will go into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless they are joined to the catholic church before the end of their lives; that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is of such importance that only for those who abide in it do the church's sacraments contribute to salvation and do fasts, almsgiving and other works of piety and practices of the Christian militia produce eternal rewards; and that nobody can be saved, no matter how much he has given away in alms and even if he has shed his blood in the name of Christ, unless he has persevered in the bosom and the unity of the catholic church.”⬅️

The word “joined” here is key. The Council of Florence does not go into explicit detail on the procedural steps for how one is joined to the Catholic Church. It affirms the necessity of sacramental baptism to become members of the body and be saved, but it doesn’t say that it’s the ONLY way to be united to Christ and His Church.

Florence also doesn’t claim that only those who know the truth of Catholicism are joined to the Church. Someone can be joined to the Church without even realizing it.

Also Florence doesn’t tell us about those who, through no fault of their own, are unaware of the truth of these Catholic teachings and therefore can’t follow them.

We can tell Florence allows for nuance..just look at how it insists on baptizing a child immediately if they’re near death:

➡️“..if there is imminent danger of death, the child should be baptized straightaway without any delay, even by a lay man or a woman in the form of the church, if there is no priest, as is contained more fully in the decree on the Armenians.”⬅️

A child on the brink of death can’t, through no fault of their own, participate in the Church’s sacraments, fasting, almsgiving, and so on..especially if they’re a baby. So it’s clear Florence makes room for exceptions to the norm. And if there are exceptions to the norm, then it’s definitely possible for pagans, schismatics, and Jews who are invincibly ignorant to be saved. However Florence doesn’t answer this for us. It only addresses those who are culpable.

🔸Vatican II brings clarity to the teaching of extra ecclesiam nulla salus by showing us that it’s possible for non-Catholics who are invincibly ignorant to be saved:

Lumen Gentium 16 - ➡️“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. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life.”⬅️

Once you recognize what Florence and Unam Sanctam leave out or don’t directly address, you’ll see that neither one actually contradicts Vatican II.

🔸The possibility of Non-Catholics being saved is not a Vatican 2 invention. This is a pre-Vatican 2 teaching:

Pope Pius XII (1943) -

“As you know, Venerable Brethren, from the very beginning of Our Pontificate, We have committed to the protection and guidance of heaven those who do not belong to the visible Body of the Catholic Church, solemnly declaring that after the example of the Good Shepherd We desire nothing more ardently than that they may have life and have it more abundantly. Imploring the prayers of the whole Church We wish to repeat this solemn declaration in this Encyclical Letter in which We have proclaimed the praises of the “great and glorious Body of Christ” and from a heart overflowing with love We ask each and every one of them to correspond to the interior movements of grace, and to seek to withdraw from that state in which they cannot be sure of their salvation. For even though by an unconscious desire and longing they have a certain relationship with the Mystical Body of the Redeemer, they still remain deprived of those many heavenly gifts and helps which can only be enjoyed in the Catholic Church” (Mystici Corporis 103).

Spirit of Catholicism, Karl Adam pg. 182 (1924) -

“The Church expressly distinguishes between “formal” and “material” heretics. A “formal” heretic rejects the Church and its teaching absolutely and with full deliberation; a “material” heretic rejects the Church from lack of knowledge, being influenced by false prejudice or by an anti-Catholic upbringing. St. Augustine forbids us to blame a man for being a heretic because he was born of heretical parents, provided that he does not with obstinate self-assurance shut out all better knowledge, but seeks the truth simply and loyally (Ep. 43,1,1). Whenever the Church has such honest enquirers before her, she remembers that our Lord condemned Pharisaism but not the individual Pharisee, that He held deep and loving intercourse with Nicodemus, and allowed Himself to be invited by Simon.”

Catholic Encyclopedia (1912):

“This saying (“Outside the Church, no salvation”) has been the occasion of so many objections that some consideration of its meaning seems desirable. It certainly does not mean that none can be saved except those who are in visible communion with the Church. The Catholic Church has ever taught that nothing else is needed to obtain justification than an act of perfect charity and of contrition. Whoever, under the impulse of actual grace, elicits these acts receives immediately the gift of sanctifying grace, and is numbered among the children of God (s.v. “The Church”).

“Should he die in these dispositions, he will assuredly attain heaven. It is true such acts could not possibly be elicited by one who was aware that God has commanded all to join the Church, and who nevertheless should willfully remain outside her fold. For love of God carries with it the practical desire to fulfill His commandments. But of those who die without visible communion with the Church, not all are guilty of willful disobedience to God’s commands. Many are kept from the Church by ignorance. Such may be the case of numbers among those who have been brought up in heresy. To others the external means of grace may be unattainable. Thus an excommunicated person may have no opportunity of seeking reconciliation at the last, and yet may repair his faults by inward acts of contrition and charity. It should be observed that those who are thus saved are not entirely outside the pale of the Church. The will to fulfill all God’s commandments is, and must be, present in all of them. Such a wish implicitly includes the desire for incorporation with the visible Church: for this, though they know it not, has been commanded by God. They thus belong to the Church by desire ([Latin,] voto). Moreover, there is a true sense in which they may be said to be saved through the Church.”

Pope BI. Pius IX (1863) -

“There are, of course, those who are struggling with invincible ignorance about our most holy religion.

Sincerely observing the natural law and its precepts inscribed by God on all hearts and ready to obey God, they live honest lives and are able to attain eternal life by the efficacious virtue of divine light and grace. Because God knows, searches and clearly understands the minds, hearts, thoughts, and nature of all, his supreme kindness and clemency do not permit anyone at all who is not guilty of deliberate sin to suffer eternal punishments.”(Quanto Conficiamur Moerore 7).

Pope BI. Pius IX (1854)

“For, it must be held by faith that outside the Apostolic Roman Church, no one can be saved; that this is the only ark of salvation; that he who shall not have entered therein will perish in the flood; but, on the other hand, it is necessary to hold for certain that they who labor in ignorance of the true religion, if this ignorance is invincible, are not stained by any guilt in this matter in the eyes of God (Singulari Quadem”; D 1647).

Cardinal Juan de Lugo (1646) -

“He who is baptized as an infant by heretics, and is brought up by them in false doctrine, when he reaches adulthood, could for some time not be guilty of sin against the Catholic Faith, as long as this had not been proposed to him in a way sufficient to oblige him to embrace it. However, if the Catholic Faith were subsequently proposed to him in a way sufficient to oblige him to embrace it and to abandon errors contrary to it, and he still persisted in his errors, then he would be a heretic” (De Virtute Fidei Divinae, disp. 20, n. 149, pp. 566–567; cited in Sullivan, op. cit., 97).

St. Augustine (400 AD) -

“When we speak of within and without in relation to the Church, it is the position of the heart that we must consider, not of the body. . . . All who are within [the Church] in heart are saved in the unity of the ark” (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 5:28:39).

St. Thomas Aquinas (1271) -

“With regard, however, to Cornelius [Acts 10], it is to be observed that he was not an unbeliever, else his works would not have been acceptable to God, whom none can please without faith. Now he had implicit faith, as the truth of the Gospel was not yet made manifest: hence Peter was sent to him to give him fuller instruction.” (S Th. II II q. 10 a. 4 ad)

St. Justin Martyr (155 AD) -

We have been taught that Christ is the first-born of God, and we have declared above that He is the Word [logos] of whom every race of men were partakers (cf. John 1:1–9); and those who lived reasonably [meta logou] are Christians, even though they have been thought atheists; as, among the Greeks, Socrates and Heraclitus, and men like them; and among the barbarians, Abraham, and Ananiah, and Azariah, and Mishael, and Elijah, and many others whose actions and names we now decline to recount, because we know it would be tedious. So that even they who lived before Christ, and lived without reason [aneu logou], were wicked and hostile to Christ, and slew those who lived reasonably [meta logou] (First Apology 46)