There are many Catholic voices on the internet. On a typical day, Catholics use the internet to talk about the Faith, to teach and preach, as well as to spread false doctrine and claim that grave sins are moral. There is much good being done for Christ and His Church online, but also much harm. The harmful speech on the internet about Catholicism often comes from Catholics who claim to be explaining true Catholic doctrine, but instead they are distorting doctrine and harming souls. Such wickedness disguised as good will not go unpunished by God.

[Isaiah]
{5:20} Woe to you who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light, and light for darkness; who exchange bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
{5:21} Woe to you who are wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own sight!

Pope Francis

Recently, Pope Francis gave a sermon that included a mention of atheists:

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class. We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all. And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: We need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: We will meet one another there.”

Secular news headlines proclaimed “Even Atheists Can Go To Heaven.”

Now while the Pope did not explicitly say “even atheists can go to heaven”, my understanding of his words, read in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium, is that atheists can go to Heaven, even without converting to belief in God. The Pontiff was saying that Christ offers salvation to all, and that those who do good in cooperation with grace, not only meet in the work of doing good in this life, but also will meet again in Heaven. We are walking the path of grace and good works together toward Heaven.

Consider also the recent teachings of Pope John Paul II that salvation is offered to all persons, and that even persons who are constrained by culture and society from accepting Christ and His Church explicitly can be saved. Sometimes, a person might outwardly reject the Church, and yet be saved (without realizing it) by the Church.

Pope John Paul II: “Since Christ brings about salvation through his Mystical Body, which is the Church, the way of salvation is connected essentially with the Church. The axiom extra ecclesiam nulla salus — ‘outside the Church there is no salvation’ — stated by St. Cyprian (Epist. 73, 21; PL 1123 AB), belongs to the Christian tradition. It was included in the Fourth Lateran Council (DS 802), in the Bull Unam Sanctam of Boniface VIII (DS 870) and the Council of Florence (Decretum pro Jacobitis, DS 1351). The axiom means that for those who are not ignorant of the fact that the Church has been established as necessary by God through Jesus Christ, there is an obligation to enter the Church and remain in her in order to attain salvation (cf. LG 14). For those, however, who have not received the Gospel proclamation, as I wrote in the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, salvation is accessible in mysterious ways, inasmuch as divine grace is granted to them by virtue of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, without external membership in the Church, but nonetheless always in relation to her (cf. RM 10). It is a mysterious relationship. It is mysterious for those who receive the grace, because they do not know the Church and sometimes even outwardly reject her. It is also mysterious in itself, because it is linked to the saving mystery of grace, which includes an essential reference to the Church the Savior founded.” (All Salvation Comes Through Christ)

Now consider the teachings of another Church leader, one who is so often ignored in these types of discussions on salvation, Jesus Christ himself:

[Matthew]
{25:31} But when the Son of man will have arrived in his majesty, and all the Angels with him, then he will sit upon the seat of his majesty.
{25:32} And all the nations shall be gathered together before him. And he shall separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
{25:33} And he shall station the sheep, indeed, on his right, but the goats on his left.
{25:34} Then the King shall say to those who will be on his right: ‘Come, you blessed of my Father. Possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
{25:35} For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in;
{25:36} naked, and you covered me; sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.’
{25:37} Then the just will answer him, saying: ‘Lord, when have we see you hungry, and fed you; thirsty, and given you drink?
{25:38} And when have we seen you a stranger, and taken you in? Or naked, and covered you?
{25:39} Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit to you?’
{25:40} And in response, the King shall say to them, ‘Amen I say to you, whenever you did this for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me.’
{25:41} Then he shall also say, to those who will be on his left: ‘Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
{25:42} For I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and you did not give me to drink;
{25:43} I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked, and you did not cover me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.’
{25:44} Then they will also answer him, saying: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
{25:45} Then he shall respond to them by saying: ‘Amen I say to you, whenever you did not do it to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.’
{25:46} And these shall go into eternal punishment, but the just shall go into eternal life.”

Notice that those who are saved did not know that they were doing good for Christ when they were doing good for their fellow human beings. They say “Lord, when did we see you hungry?” But Jesus, the King, says to them, “whenever you did this for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me.”

This Gospel teaching implies that implicit knowledge of Christ is sufficient for salvation. Someone who does not know Christ explicitly can still be saved by knowing and accepting Christ implicitly — in the love of neighbor through full cooperation with grace, which is often expressed in good works.

This possibility of salvation includes atheists who do not convert to belief in God. Their failure to believe in God might not be an actual mortal sin, if they sincerely believe that God does not exist. They might enter the state of grace by an implicit baptism of desire, though selfless love of neighbor in full cooperation with grace. And all true love of neighbor is at least implicitly the love of God.

How can any reasonable person think that God does not exist, or think that Christianity and Catholicism are not true worship of God? The fault lies, to a great extent, with us Christians, with us Catholics. We have not been shining examples of Christ in the world. We have obscured the truths of Christianity by lukewarm faith and by our many sins and failings. So it is hypocritical of us to say to non-Christians and non-believers: “How can you not believe?”

Conservative Dissenters

As soon as the news broke that Pope Francis had given a sermon suggesting that some atheists, by doing good works, are on the true path of salvation, many conservative Catholics online began to shout down the Pope.

They began to explain his words so as to distort the meaning to agree with their own conservative views. These misguided, ignorant, and arrogant persons think that only Christians or only Catholics go to Heaven. They think that atheists and all non-Christians, who know about Christ and His Church, cannot get to Heaven unless they explicitly accept Christ and His Church. When confronted with teachings of the Church to the contrary, they just ignore it.

Some took great pains to explain that you can’t get to Heaven by good works. Well, strictly speaking, that is true. Works alone do not save. But all persons who are offered salvation by Christ, and who are able to do so, are required by the positive precept of love of neighbor to do good works.

[James]
{2:14} My brothers, what benefit is there if someone claims to have faith, but he does not have works? How would faith be able to save him?
{2:15} So if a brother or sister is naked and daily in need of food,
{2:16} and if anyone of you were to say to them: “Go in peace, keep warm and nourished,” and yet not give them the things that are necessary for the body, of what benefit is this?
{2:17} Thus even faith, if it does not have works, is dead, in and of itself.
{2:18} Now someone may say: “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works! But I will show you my faith by means of works.
{2:19} You believe that there is one God. You do well. But the demons also believe, and they tremble greatly.
{2:20} So then, are you willing to understand, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
{2:21} Was not our father Abraham justified by means of works, by offering his son Isaac upon the altar?
{2:22} Do you see that faith was cooperating with his works, and that by means of works faith was brought to fulfillment?
{2:23} And so the Scripture was fulfilled which says: “Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.” And so he was called the friend of God.
{2:24} Do you see that a man is justified by means of works, and not by faith alone?
{2:25} Similarly also, Rahab, the harlot, was she not justified by works, by receiving the messengers and sending them out through another way?
{2:26} For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Those persons who have love, faith, and hope through Baptism into the Church can lose the state of grace by an actual mortal sin of omission of failing to do good works in their life. Conversely, those persons who enter the Church non-formally, through an implicit baptism of desire, can retain the state of grace and have eternal life, in part by fulfilling the positive precept to love their neighbor by doing good works in cooperation with grace.

So the Pope was saying that doing good works is important to the path of salvation. But numerous Catholic voices online shouted him down with a noisy avalanche of blog posts, tweets, discussion group posts, online articles and (largely anonymous) comments. They were all saying “Listen to me!” and, in effect, “Don’t listen to the Pope!”.

And the same is true on the point, implied, though not stated, by Pope Francis in his sermon, that atheists and other non-Christians can be saved without explicitly accepting Christ and His Church. A cohort of online conservative Catholics began to spew forth a great flood of “explanations” to convince people that the Pope really agrees with their own narrow-minded (narrow-souled) view, that only Christians or only Catholics get to Heaven. These ultra-conservatives allow that a person can get to Heaven without becoming a Christian if he or she has never heard of Christianity. But they don’t allow that anyone who knows about Christ and His Church can enter Heaven without accepting Christ.

Instead of LEARNING FROM THE POPE, these persons arrogantly assume that their own views cannot be mistaken. If any Pope or Council or Bishop says anything that is not in accord with their own understanding, they immediately assume that the Pope or Council or Bishop is wrong. Some of these persons reject, or at least ignore and denigrate, the entire set of teachings of an Ecumenical Council, Vatican II, because it is not in accord with their own misinterpretation of Scripture and Tradition. Others will simply radically re-interpret any magisterial teaching that is not in agreement with their own thinking.

My understanding of magisterial teaching is that only a person who commits an actual mortal sin and who does not repent prior to death will end up in Hell. All other persons will have eternal life in Heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches the same, that to end up in Hell, a mortal sin is necessary, with persistence in that sin until death:

1037 God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want “any to perish, but all to come to repentance”

In my understanding, the only persons who die in a state of “original sin only” are those adults (and perhaps some teens) who die without repenting from the actual mortal sin of omission of never having found sanctifying grace in this life, despite ample opportunity. Thus, everyone who is sent to Hell is sent there essentially for the same sin: failure to repent from one or more actual mortal sins. And this conclusion is in accord with the teachings of Jesus. Remember Him? His teachings in the Gospel seem never to be mentioned when salvation of non-Christians is the subject. People are shouting that you must accept Christ to be saved, but they ignore what Christ actually taught on that point.

Jesus taught that the only unforgiveable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. And what is that sin, in theological terms? It is final impenitence, i.e. the refusal, through the last moment of life, to repent from actual mortal sin. And so the teachings of Scripture, of Tradition and of the Magisterium all agree. A non-Christian who knows about Christianity can still be saved, as long as he or she does not commit an actual mortal sin, or at least repents from all actual mortal sins prior to death.

Does all this imply that some persons enter Heaven, thinking that God and Heaven do not exist, or that some persons enter Heaven knowing nothing of Christ who saved them? I think not. What happens in the case of the salvation of non-Christians is that the individual spends some time in Purgatory, which is not only a place of just but merciful punishment, but also a place of learning. The souls in Purgatory learn whatever they did not know before about Christ, His Church, and His plan of salvation. Then they enter into Heaven.

Pope Francis versus Conservative Dissenters

Many conservative Catholics imagine that all heresies and errors are found among liberals, and that the conservative answer to every question must be correct. They accept the teachings of Conservatism, not the teachings of Christ. Anyone who contradicts their views and assumptions must be in error. So if even the Pope teaches something contrary to their own views, they reject it or they radically re-interpret it. Radical re-interpretation has become a popular way to claim to adhere to Catholic teaching while believing whatever one wishes.

Have you heard about Pope Francis? Have you read his words on various topics? Then you know that he does not pull any punches. Eventually, Pope Francis is going to teach definitively, in a magisterial document rather than in a sermon or speech. Eventually, Pope Francis is going to teach definitively a doctrine that contradicts the assumptions and conclusions of conservative Catholics. Perhaps the topic will be salvation for non-Christians. Perhaps the document will be the encyclical on Faith that the Pope is currently preparing. How will conservatives react?

Some will accept his teaching and change their views. But I have no doubt, seeing how conservatives have treated the teaching of the Pope so far, that many will reject his teaching. Some will declare him a heretic, and thereby fall into automatic excommunication. Some will break away from the Church and form a new group, similar to the SSPX. Some will radically re-interpret his words, so as to nullify what he is teaching. They will claim that salvation for non-Christians who do not convert is only barely possible theoretically, and never happens or very rarely happens in reality. Or they will make some other set of claims and excuses to justify their own views and to distort or nullify Papal teaching.

News Media Claims

Well, as it stands now, they shouted down the Pope very effectively. Even the secular headlines are now proclaiming the radical re-interpretation of the Pope’s words about salvation for atheists. Some of these news articles are mis-citing and mis-quoting an explanation given by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB. The news media falsely claim that these words by Fr. Rosica are a correction of the Pope’s comments by the Vatican. Father Rosica does not work at the Vatican; he has no position that would allow him to speak for the Holy See. And the full text of his remarks supports the possibility of an atheist obtaining salvation without explicit acceptance of Christ and His Church.

First, Father Rosica quotes the Compendium of the Catechism (not the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as the media claimed).

171. What is the meaning of the affirmation “Outside the Church there is no salvation”? This means that all salvation comes from Christ, the Head, through the Church which is his body. Hence they cannot be saved who, knowing the Church as founded by Christ and necessary for salvation, would refuse to enter her or remain in her. At the same time, thanks to Christ and to his Church, those who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ and his Church but sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, try to do his will as it is known through the dictates of conscience can attain eternal salvation.

My explanation of this teaching is that those who sincerely do not believe that the Church is founded by the Son of God and necessary for salvation, and so reject the Church, might not be committing an actual mortal sin, due to invincible ignorance. They know of Christ and Christianity, but they do not know that Jesus is the Messiah and that all salvation is though His Church. So they can still be saved.

The Compendium considers the strongest case, for this type of salvation by implicit acceptance of Christ: when the individual does not know of Christ and Christianity at all. But the same theological principles apply if the person has invincible ignorance — he knows that Christ and His Church exist, but he does not know (he does not sincerely believe) that Christ is the Savior, or that the Catholic Church is the ark of salvation.

Fr. Rosica begins with the quote from the Compendium, and then takes it a step further (just as I have done).

The great German Jesuit theolgian, Fr. Karl Rahner introduced the idea of “anonymous Christian” into theological reflection. Through this concept, offered to Christians, Rahner said that God desires all people to be saved, and cannot possibly consign all non-Christians to hell. Secondly, Jesus Christ is God’s only means of salvation. This must mean that the non-Christians who end up in heaven must have received the grace of Christ without their realising it. Hence the term – ‘anonymous Christian’.

A non-Christian may reject a Christian’s presentation of the gospel of Christ. That however, does not necessarily mean that the person has truly rejected Christ and God. Rejection of Christianity may not mean the rejection of Christ. For if a given individual rejects the Christianity brought to him through the Church’s preaching, even then we are still never in any position to decide whether this rejection as it exists in the concrete signifies a grave fault or an act of faithfulness to one’s own conscience. We can never say with ultimate certainty whether a non-Christian who has rejected Christianity and who, in spite of a certain encounter with Christianity, does not become a Christian, is still following the temporary path mapped out for his own salvation which is leading him to an encounter with God, or whether he has now entered upon the way of perdition.

In other words, a person might reject Christ and His Church outwardly, while accepting Christ implicitly by accepting the true selfless love of neighbor. By loving justice, truth, and mercy, and by expressing that love in good works, the atheist or non-Christian is implicitly loving and accepting Christ, and is thereby saved by Christ.

So the news media claim that the Vatican corrected the Pope is false. Father Rosica is not speaking for the Vatican. And he did not correct the Pope, but instead he gave a good explanation of how atheists can be saved.

Even so, rejection of Christ and/or rejection of the holy Catholic Church is objectively a grave sin. And that is why some magisterial sources speak of eternal condemnation for persons who reject Christ or His Church. If these persons commit that objective mortal sin with full knowledge and full deliberation, then the sin is also an actual mortal sin, deserving of eternal punishment. There are clear magisterial teachings infallibly stating that a grave sin must be an actual mortal sin, and not merely objectively grave, in order to condemn to Hell:

Pope Benedict XII: “By this Constitution which is to remain in force forever, we, with apostolic authority, define the following…. Moreover, we define that according to the general disposition of God, the souls of those who die in actual mortal sin go down into hell immediately after death and there suffer the pain of hell.” (Pope Benedict XII, On the Beatific Vision of God, in the year 1336)

The Council of Florence: “But the souls of those who depart this life in actual mortal sin, or in original sin alone, go down straightaway to hell to be punished, but with unequal pains.” (Florence, Sixth Session, 6 July 1439.)”

The rejection of Christ or His Church MUST BE actual mortal sin, not merely an objectively grave sin, in order to condemn to Hell. So when an atheist or non-Christian knows about Christianity and yet rejects Christianity, they might still be in a state of grace and they might still be saved, if the sin is merely objectively grave, and not also an actual mortal sin.

But as I said, many ignorant, arrogant, and apparently compassionless “Catholic” voices on the internet have succeeded in shouting down the Pope. They have prevailed in their claim that atheists and other non-Christians, who know well about Christ and His Church, cannot be saved without explicit acceptance of Christ and explicit conversion to Catholicism.

What would Christ say to them?

{23:13} So then: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you close the kingdom of heaven before men. For you yourselves do not enter, and those who are entering, you would not permit to enter.

{23:15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and by land, in order to make one convert. And when he has been converted, you make him twice the son of Hell that you are yourselves.

{23:25} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you clean what is outside the cup and the dish, but on the inside you are full of avarice and impurity.
{23:26} You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, and then what is outside becomes clean.
{23:27} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed sepulchers, which outwardly appear brilliant to men, yet truly, inside, they are filled with the bones of the dead and with all filth.
{23:28} So also, you certainly appear to men outwardly to be just. But inwardly you are filled with hypocrisy and iniquity.

{23:33} You serpents, you brood of vipers! How will you escape from the judgment of Hell?

These hypocrites loudly proclaim that no one can be saved who outwardly rejects the Church. Then they outwardly (and inwardly) reject the Church by shouting down the Pope whenever his teachings are not in agreement with their own erroneous thinking. They adamantly proclaim that non-Christians, who explicitly refuse to convert to Christianity, are going to Hell. But all the while, they themselves are on the path to Hell.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.