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My question is one that has been asked many
times. Nevertheless, here it comes.
John Doe is a member of the Assembly of
God down the road. He loves God, has an
active prayer life, fasts, attends worship
services, serves with a glad heart, tithes,
and is a faithful husband and father.
He sins, he confesses his sin. He repents,
and sometimes fails.
There is a Roman Catholic Church across
the street from the First Assembly of God
where Mr. Doe is a member, and Mr. Doe
is well aware of the neighboring Church,
as he passes it three times a week on the
way to his church.
Mr. Doe has chosen to not to worship in
the Roman Catholic Church.
Is it correct interpretation of Catholic
Doctrine that Mr. Doe will spend eternity
separated from God in Hell?
According to my understanding of the clear
teaching readily available in the Catechism,
the answer is, Yes, based solely upon his
choice, Mr. Doe will not enter Heaven and
will spend eternity in Hell separated from
God.
Is this a correct understanding?
Michael
{
Given this hypothetical scenario and person, is John Doe saved according to the Catholic Church? }
Mike
replied:
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the question.
It depends.
If one knows the Catholic Church
to be the one Church founded by Our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and
has sought to understand with (his|her)
mind, Her Divine Teachings, yet refuses
to enter:
Yes, that person gravely
risks (his|her) salvation and cannot be saved.
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? (cf. Cyprian, Ep. 73.21:PL 3,1169; De unit.:PL 4,509-536.)
Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
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 man or woman can damn anyone to
Hell. Only Jesus, the True Judge
and Lord of all, judges and allows
others to damn themselves through
their free will.
In your situation, if John Doe was
an active member of the First Assembly
of God, but was unaware that Jesus
founded one Church on St. Peter and
His successors before ascending into
Heaven, he would not be culpable
for what he didn't know.
Through the Church, he would receive
many graces that would encourage
him to investigate and look into
the Church's Teachings, doctrines
and history. If he refused
to follow these suggestions of the
Holy Spirit, he would be more culpable,
but we can't say whether his degree
of culpability is worthy or unworthy
of his salvation. Only the
Lord can decide this at his Particular Judgment, a judgment we will all receive.
If John Doe was an active member
of the Catholic Church but has left
and is now an active member of the
Assembly of God, he gravely risk
his salvation if he knows that the
One, True Church Jesus founded is
the one he has left.
Church scandals or no scandals — the
gates of Hell will not prevail, Matthew
16:17-19, on
issues of faith and morals.
He has an obligation to develop his
conscience and knowledge on an ongoing
basis, even as an Assembly of God
minister or lay person and be open
to returning to the Church which
is wounded by his leaving.
Being a minister of a false Christian
Church doesn't ensure salvation,
like the ark in the Old Testament. Only the Catholic
Church can save from the flood as
it is the New Testament symbol of
the Ark of the Covenant.
Some of our previous replies may
give you a better understanding of
what we believe: