Dear Scott,
Yesterday I made a pit stop at the main library of a nearby Catholic
university. This library has an unusually complete and balanced
theological section. I regret I could not find a copy of Robert A Burns'
"Roman Catholicism, Yesterday and Today". Nor could I find any reviews of
the book in "Religion Index One: Periodicals" nor in the "Catholic
Periodical and Literature Index". I fear this may indicate that Burns has
written a fairly lightweight book. Also, I have only the one paragraph
that you quoted that I can comment on. I realize that any remarks I make
may be unfair to the author since I have only one short text without
context to work with.
That being said, I suggest that Burns has not read the Baltimore Catechism
and the documents of Vatican II very carefully. The Baltimore Catechism
(copyright 1885, re-issued 1901 and 1921 in the Thomas Kinkead edition)
does not deal with the subject of the salvation of unbaptized people.
About baptized non-Catholics, in question/answer #512, the Catechism asks:
"How are such persons (i.e., baptized persons who do not know the Catholic
Church to be the true Church) said to belong to the Church?" The answer
given: "Such persons are said to belong to the `soul of the Church'; that
is, THEY ARE REALLY MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH WITHOUT KNOWING IT" (emphasis
added). Burns is simply wrong when he says, "The Catechism defines the
Church narrowly in Roman Catholic terms."
Now, Vatican II more clearly draws out the implications of the relation of
baptized non-Catholics to the visible Catholic Church, and --- unlike the
Baltimore Catechism --- goes on to explore the relation of UNBAPTIZED
people to the Church. (N.B. the Holy Spirit always works in the Church to
clarify what was ot so clear before, and to render explicit what was only
implicit before. So the development of doctrine is not "dramatic change"
as Burns unfortunately alleges, but a wholly gentle and organic growth.)
I wish to give you the words of the Council, and from them you will draw
the answers to your questions. From the Constitution on the Church, "Lumen
Gentium":
" 8. Christ, the one Mediator, established and continually sustains here
on earth His holy Church, the community of faith, hope and charity, as an
entity with visible delineation through which He communicated truth and
grace to all. But, the society structured with hierarchical organs and the
Mystical Body of Christ, are not to be considered as two realities, nor are
the visible assembly and the spiritual community, nor the earthly Church
and the Church enriched with heavenly things; rather they form one complex
reality which coalesces from a divine and a human element. For this
reason, by no weak analogy, it is compared to the mystery of the incarnate
Word. As the assumed nature inseparably united to Him, serves the divine
Word as a living organ of salvation, so, in a similar way, does the visible
social structure of the Church serve the Spirit of Christ, who vivifies it,
in the building up of the body.
This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one,
holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Saviour, after His Resurrection,
commissioned Peter to shepherd, and him and the other apostles to extend
and direct with authority, which He erected for all ages as "the pillar and
mainstay of the truth." This Church constituted and organized in the world
as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the
successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him, although many
elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible
structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are
forces impelling toward catholic unity.
15. The Church recognizes that in many ways she is linked with those who,
being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian, though they do not
profess the faith in its entirety or do not preserve unity of communion
with the successor of Peter. For there are many who honor Sacred Scripture,
taking it as a norm of belief and a pattern of life, and wo show a sincere
zeal. They lovingly believe in God the Father Almighty and in Christ, the
Son of God and Saviour. They are consecrated by baptism, in which they are
united with Christ. They also recognize and accept other sacraments within
their own Churches or ecclesiastical communities. Many of them rejoice in
the episcopate, celebrate the Holy Eucharist and cultivate devotion toward
the Virgin Mother of God. They also share with us in prayer and other
spiritual benefits. Likewise we can say that in some real way they are
joined with us in the Holy Spirit, for to them too He gives His gifts and
graces whereby He is operative among them with His sanctifying power. Some
indeed He has strengthened to the extent of he shedding of their blood. In
all of Christ's disciples the Spirit arouses the desire to be peacefully
united, in the manner determined by Christ, as one flock under one
shepherd, and He prompts them to pursue this end. Mother Church never
ceases to pray, hope and work that this may come about. She exhorts her
children to purification and renewal so that the sign of Christ may shine
more brightly over the face of the earth."
After explaining the relation of baptized non-Catholics to the Catholic
Church in this way, the Council goes on to explain the relation of the
unbaptized to the Church. The Council's teaching makes clear that God
wants all men to be saved (1st Tim. 2:4), and that those who do not enjoy
fullness of membership in the visible Church can nonetheless be related to
her in varying degrees and so be saved by reason of their sharing "many
elements of sanctification and of truth" which are "gifts belonging to the
Church of Christ" and so are "forces impelling toward Catholic unity."
The closure of Burns's paragraph is vapid and simplistic. Vatican II gives
full weight to the importance of the visible element of Christ's Church and
to the saving value of belonging full to the Catholic Church.
Sincerely in Christ,
Father Mateo
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit -
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