6. THE QUESTION WAS: In 418
A.D., Augustine wrote: “A man cannot have _______________ except in the
Catholic Church.”
THE ANSWER IS…..C….. SALVATION
Here is the rest of the
quote: “A man cannot have salvation, except in the Catholic Church. Outside the
Catholic Church he can have everything except salvation. He can have honor, he
can have Sacraments, he can sing alleluia, he can answer amen, he can possess
the gospel, he can have and preach faith in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit; but never except in the Catholic Church will he be
able to find salvation.” (Augustine, Discourse to the People of the Church at
Caesarea, A.D. 418)
But, as Catholics, we believe
there are people in heaven who did not have the opportunity to know the
Catholic Church. The Catholic Church says that although the Church is the
instrument Christ established for our salvation, and really the only guarantee,
God in all His infinite mercy may supernaturally order a person to His Church
if they sincerely sought God.
Here is what the Catechism
says:
847 "Those who, through no fault of their own, do not
know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a
sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they
know it through the dictates of their conscience—those too may achieve eternal
salvation"
http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/most/getwork.cfm?worknum=71
(what the Church means by “no salvation outside the Church)
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