Pope Pius XII, Vicar of Christ and Servant of God now eligible for beatification stated that all Jews in Boston with no exception need to enter the Catholic Church for salvation. He is the Holy Father who approved the Letter of the Holy Office, Vatican 1949 to the Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Richard Cushing, which affirmed ‘the dogma’ and the ‘infallible teaching’.
Here is the ex cathedra dogma.
• “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.)
• “We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302.)
• “The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.” (Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441.)-from the website Catholicism.org and “No Salvation outside the Church”: Link List ,The Three Dogmatic Statements Regarding EENS)
Jewish Left media states that Vatican Council II was revolutionary since it indicated that those in invincible ignorance, a good conscience or the baptism of desire can also be saved and so it was an exception to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. These were exceptions to the ordinary means of salvation i.e the baptism of water and Catholic Faith. This is false. Since these exceptions are also mentioned in the Letter of the Holy Office 1949, years before Vatican Council II. It is there in also the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Church Fathers. So Vatican Council II was not the first time that they were mentioned.
The Letter indicated that all Jews in Boston de facto needed to enter the Catholic Church for salvation. They needed to convert to be saved. De jure there could be exceptions to the ordinary means of salvation which only Jesus could judge. If there were exceptions it would be known only to God. De facto we cannot judge. So the dogma is clear: de facto every Jew in Boston needs to enter the Church. This was the message of Pope Pius XII.
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