Could my non-Catholic friends (Born again/Protestant/Muslim) still go to heaven even if they have not accepted our Catholic faith? (Asked by Paul Meim, SE-1)
It says in the bible the 10 commandments can be summed up into two. Love the Lord your God with all your mind, heart, and soul. Second love your neighbor as yourself. If this is so, is it then possible for non-Catholics who live their lives practicing these two commandments to also go to heaven also? (Asked by Lourdes Mapa, SE-1)
Our Catholic Church used to say that “outside our church there is no salvation.” There is no longer any mention of this position in any document during and after Second Vatican Council (or Vatican II, held in 1963-65). The Catechism for Filipino Catholics (or CFC), the Catechism of the Catholic Church (or CCC), the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (or PCP II), and other Church documents all state a more accepting and respectful position of other religions. (All underscoring are mine)
- While our Catholic Church is the ordinary means of salvation (meaning, the Church has the means in how we can reach God), “this salvation through Jesus Christ is offered to all peoples, and this makes possible our openness in understanding the religious convictions of others.” (CFC, 75) Underscore mine.
- "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day." (CCC, No. 841, quoting Lumen Gentium).
- "Even for those who do not explicitly profess faith in him as the Savior, salvation comes as a grace from Jesus Christ through the communication of the Holy Spirit." (Ecclesia in Asia by JPII, No. 14).
- "The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions [referring to Hinduism, Buddhism in the earlier paragraph]. She has a high regard for the manner of life and conduct, the precepts and doctrines which, although differing in many ways from her own teaching, nevertheless often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men." (Vatican II document Nostra Aetate, No. 2, or the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non Christian Religions.).
- "The Synod Fathers drew attention to the multiple and diversified action of the Holy Sprit who continually sows the seeds of truth among all peoples, their religions, their cultures and philosophies. This means that these religions, cultures and philosophies are capable of helping people, individually and collectively, to work against evil and to serve life and everything that is good." (Ecclesia in Asia by JPII, No. 15)
In over simplistic terms, it is difficult to condemn the people of other faiths, considering that there are 6 billion people in the world, with only 1 billion Catholics. Can you imagine our God, who is Father of all and is a God of love, would condemn the 5 billion?
Nevertheless, it should also be emphasized that the above does not mean that we should stop our evangelizing efforts, for indeed it is also stated that "the Church's faith in Jesus is a gift received and a gift to be shared; it is the greatest gift which the Church can offer to Asia" (Ecclesia in Asia by JPII, No. 10).
It also states that our acceptance of other religions does not exempt us from our "duty to proclaim without fail, Christ who is the way, the truth and the life." (Nostra Aetate, No. 2)
However, we cannot convert other religions if we adopt a "holier than thou" attitude. Instead, we should adopt a position of mutual respect and charity: "We cannot truly pray to God the Father of all if we treat any people in other than brotherly fashion, for all men are created in God's image." (Nostra Aetate, No. 5)
