Pope Innocent III (1208 A.D.), Eius Exemplo:
By the heart we believe and by the mouth we confess the one Church, not of heretics but the Holy Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic (Church) outside which we believe that no one is saved.
(Innocent III, Eius Exemplo [December 18, 1208]; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], # 423, pp. 166-167. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Lateran Council IV (1215 A.D.), “Ecumenical XII: The Trinity, Sacraments, Canonical Mission, etc.,” Chapter 1:
One indeed is the universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved, in which the priest himself is the sacrifice, Jesus Christ, whose body and blood are truly contained in the sacrament of the altar under the species of bread and wine; the bread (changed) into His body by the divine power of transubstantiation, and the wine into the blood, so that to accomplish the mystery of unity we ourselves receive from His (nature) what He Himself received from ours. And surely no one can accomplish this sacrament except a priest who has been rightly ordained according to the keys of the Church which Jesus Christ Himself conceded to the Apostles and to their successors.
(Lateran Council IV [1215], “Ecumenical XII: The Trinity, Sacraments, Canonical Mission, etc.,” Chapter 1; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], # 430, pp. 169-170. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Pope Boniface VIII (1302 A.D.), Unam Sanctam:
With Faith urging us we are forced to believe and to hold the one, holy, Catholic Church and that, apostolic, and we firmly believe and simply confess this (Church) outside which there is no salvation nor remission of sin… Furthermore, we declare, say, define, and proclaim to every human creature that they by necessity for salvation are entirely subject to the Roman Pontiff.
(Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam [November 18, 1302]; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], ## 468, 469, pp. 186, 187. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Alt. Trans. Pope Boniface VIII (1302 A.D.), Unam Sanctam:
Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins… Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.
(Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam [November 18, 1302]; trans. Charles A. Coulombe, A History of the Popes, [New York: MJF Books, 2003], pp. 452, 453.) See also: papalencyclicals.net.
Pope Clement VI (1351 A.D.), Super Quibusdum:
…no man of the wayfarers outside the faith of this Church, and outside the obedience of the Pope of Rome, can finally be saved.
(Clement VI, Super Quibusdum [September 20, 1351]; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], # 570b, p. 204. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Pope Eugene IV, The Council of Florence (1441/2 A.D.), Cantata Domino:
The sacrosanct Roman Church . . . firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart “into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels” [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock; and that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is so strong that only to those remaining in it are the sacraments of the Church of benefit for salvation, and do fastings, almsgiving, and other functions of piety and exercises of Christian service produce eternal reward, and that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.
(Eugene IV, The Council of Florence, Cantata Domino [1441/2]; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], ## 703, 714, pp. 225, 230. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Cf. Francis A. Sullivan, S.J.:
…the teaching of St. Thomas and the whole medieval tradition . . . required explicit Christian faith for the salvation of everyone in the Christian era. After the suppression of the Jesuit order, hardly any Catholic theologians dared to question the traditional teaching on this point.
(Francis A. Sullivan, S.J., Salvation Outside the Church? Tracing the History of the Catholic Response, [Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1992], p. 103.)
Pope Pius IX (1854 A.D.), Singulari Quadem:
For, it must be held by faith that outside the Apostolic Roman Church, no one can be saved; that this is the only ark of salvation; that he who shall not have entered therein will perish in the flood; but, on the other hand, it is necessary to hold for certain that they who labor in ignorance of the true religion, if this ignorance is invincible, are not stained by any guilt in this matter in the eyes of God.
(Pope Pius IX, Singulari Quadem [December 9, 1854]; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], # 1647, p. 416. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Note: This mention of invincible ignorance seems to be the first hint of a potential change towards those churches (i.e. Protestants and Eastern Orthodox) who are not in subjection to the Roman Pontiff.
Cf. Pope Pius IX (1863 A.D.), Quanto Conficiamur Moerore:
But, the Catholic dogma that no one can be saved outside the Catholic Church is well-known; and also that those who are obstinate toward the authority and definitions of the same Church, and who persistently separate themselves from the unity of the Church, and from the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, to whom “the guardianship of the vine has been entrusted by the Savior,” cannot obtain eternal salvation.
(Pope Pius IX, Quanto Conficiamur Moerore [August 10, 1863]; trans. Henry Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, trans. Roy J. Deferrari, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1957], # 1677, p. 425. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Dominic Hughes, O.P. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: April 25, 1955, Patric A. O’Boyle, Archbishop of Washington, April 25, 1955.)
Pope Leo XIII (1890 A.D.), Sapientæ Christianæ:
For in effect he scatters and gathers not, who gathers not with the Church and with Jesus Christ, and all who fight not jointly with him and with the Church are in very truth contending against God.
(Leo XIII, Sapientæ Christianæ [January 10, 1890]; trans. The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII: Third Edition, trans. John J. Wynne, S.J., [New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1903], p. 191. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Remigius Lafort, S.T.L., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: Jno. M. Farley, Archbishop of New York, New York, August 4, 1903.)
Pope Saint Pius X (1904 A.D.), Iucunda Sane:
Yet at the same time We cannot but remind all, great and small, as Pope St. Gregory did, of the absolute necessity of having recourse to this Church in order to have eternal salvation, to follow the right road of reason, to feed on the truth, to obtain peace and even happiness in this life.
(Pius X, Iucunda Sane [March 12, 1904], 9; trans. The Papal Encyclicals: 1903-1939, trans. Claudia Carlen IHM, [McGrath Publishing Company, 1981], p. 22. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: James E. McSweeney, V.G. Imprimatur: F. Joseph Gossman Bishop of Raleigh. Raleigh, October 26, 1981.)
Anathema.
Vatican I (1870 A.D. ):
If any one, therefore, shall say that blessed Peter the Apostle was not appointed the Prince of all the Apostles and the visible Head of the whole Church militant; or that the same directly and immediately received from the same our Lord Jesus Christ a primacy of honor only, and not of true and proper jurisdiction: let him be anathema.
…If, then, any should deny that it is by institution of Christ the Lord, or by divine right, that blessed Peter should have a perpetual line of successors in the Primacy over the universal Church, or that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter in this primacy: let him be anathema.
...so that the Church of Christ may be one flock under one supreme pastor through the preservation of unity both of communion and of profession of the same faith with the Roman Pontiff. This is the teaching of Catholic truth, from which no one can deviate without loss of faith and salvation.
…we teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed: that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in dischaige of tlie office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility Avith which the divine Redeemer willed that his Church should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding faith or morals; and that therefore such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreformable of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church.
But if any one—which may God avert—presume to contradict this our definition: let him be anathema.
(The Dogmatic Decrees of the Vatican Council Concerning the Catholic Faith and the Church of Christ, A.D. 1870., First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ, Session IV, Ch. I, II, III, IV; trans. Philip Schaff, Bibliotheca Symbolica Ecclesiæ Universalis: The Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes: Volume II, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1878], pp. 259-260, 261-262, 263, 270-271.) See also: ccel.org.
Excursus: The Roman Catholic Understanding of the Term “Anathema.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia:
“To understand the word anathema”, says Vigouroux, “we should first go back to the real meaning of herem of which it is the equivalent. Herem comes from the word haram, to cut off, to separate, to curse, and indicates that which is cursed and condemned to be cut off or exterminated, whether a person or a thing, and in consequence, that which man is forbidden to make use of.” …In the New Testament anathema no longer entails death, but the loss of goods or exclusion from the society of the faithful. …But he who is separated from God is united to the devil, which explains why St. Paul, instead of anathematizing, sometimes delivers a person over to Satan (I Tim., i, 20; I Cor., v, 5). …Anathema remains a major excommunication which is to be promulgated with great solemnity. …In passing this sentence, the pontiff is vested in amice, stole, and a violet cope, wearing his mitre, and assisted by twelve priests clad in their surplices and holding lighted candles. He takes his seat in front of the altar or in some other suitable place, and pronounces the formula of anathema which ends with these words: “Wherefore in the name of God the All-powerful, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, of the Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and of all the Saints, in virtue of the power which has been given us of binding and loosing in Heaven and on earth, we deprive N— himself and all his accomplices and all his abettors of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Our Lord, we separate him from the society of all Christians, we exclude him from the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church in Heaven and on earth, we declare him excommunicated and anathematized and we judge him condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels and all the reprobate, so long as he will not burst the fetters of the demon, do penance and satisfy the Church; we deliver him to Satan to mortify his body, that his soul may be saved on the day of judgment.”
(Joseph N. Gignac, S.T.D., J.C.D., “Anathema;” In: The Catholic Encyclopedia: Special Edition: Volume I, eds. Charles G. Herbermann, et al., [New York: The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., 1913], pp. 455-456. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907, Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur, John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.) See also: newadvent.org.
A Catholic Dictionary:
Anathema. A thing devoted or given over to evil, so that “anathema sit” means, “let him be accursed.” St. Paul at the end of 1 Corinthians pronounces this anathema on all who do not love our blessed Saviour. The Church has used the phrase “anathema sit” from the earliest times with reference to those whom she excludes from her communion either because of moral offences or because they persist in heresy. Thus one of the earliest councils—that of Elvira, held in 306—decrees in its fifty-second canon that those who placed libellous writings in the church should be anathematised; and the First General Council anathematised those who held the Arian heresy. General councils since then have usually given solemnity to their decrees on articles of faith by appending an Anathema.
Neither St. Paul nor the Church of God ever wished a soul to be damned. In pronouncing anathema against wilful heretics, the Church does but declare that they are excluded from her communion, and that they must, if they continue obstinate, perish eternally.
(William E. Addis, Thomas Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, [New York: The Catholic Publication Society Co., 1884], “Anathema,” p. 24. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Eduardus S. Keogh, Cong. Orat., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Henricus Eduardus, Card. Aechiep. Westmonast. Die 18 Dec., 1888. Imprimatur: John Card. McCloskey, Archbishop of New York, Feb 14. 1884. Cf. Shea John Gilmary, ed., The Catholic Educator: A Library of Catholic Devotion and Instruction, [New York: John Duffy, 1902], “Anathema,” p. 29.)
Excursus: The Historical Understanding of the Term “Anathema.”
The Seventh Ecumenical Council (The Second Council of Nice):
Now anathema is nothing less than complete separation from God. For if any are quarrelsome and will not obediently accept what has now been decreed, they but kick against the pricks, and injure their own souls in their fighting against Christ. And in taking pleasure at the insults which are offered to the Church, they clearly shew themselves to be of those who madly make war upon piety, and are therefore to be regarded as in the same category with the heretics of old times, and their companions and brethren in ungodliness.
(The Seventh Ecumenical Council [The Second Council of Nice], “The Letter of the Synod to the Emperor and Empress;” trans. NPNF2, 14:573-574.) See also: ccel.org.
The Second Vatican Council.
Pope Paul VI, The Second Vatican Council (1964 A.D.), Unitatis Redintegratio:
Our thoughts turn first to those Christians who make open confession of Jesus Christ as God and Lord and as the sole Mediator between God and men, to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are aware indeed that there exist considerable divergences from the doctrine of the Catholic Church concerning Christ Himself, the Word of God made flesh, the work of redemption, and consequently, concerning the mystery and ministry of the Church, and the role of Mary in the plan of salvation. But we rejoice to see that our separated brethren look to Christ as the source and center of Church unity. Their longing for union with Christ inspires them to seek an ever closer unity, and also to bear witness to their faith among the peoples of the earth.
(Paul VI, The Second Vatican Council, Unitatis Redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism) [November 21, 1964], 20; trans. Council Daybook: Vatican II: Session 3, ed. Floyd Anderson, [Washington, D.C.: National Catholic Welfare Conference, 1965], p. 350. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Rev. James J. O’Connor, Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: +Leo A Posley, D.D., Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend.) See also: vatican.va.
Pope Paul VI, The Second Vatican Council (1964 A.D.), Unitatis Redintegratio:
It follows that the separated Churches (cf. Conc. Lateranense IV (1215) Constitutio IV: Mansi 22, 990; Conc. Lugdunense II (1274), Professio fidei Michaelis Palaeologi: Mansi 24, 71 E; Conc. Florentinum, Sess. VI (1439), Definitio Laetentur caeli: Mansi 31, 1026 E.) and communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fulness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church.
(Paul VI, The Second Vatican Council, Unitatis Redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism) [November 21, 1964], 3; trans. Council Daybook: Vatican II: Session 3, ed. Floyd Anderson, [Washington, D.C.: National Catholic Welfare Conference, 1965], p. 344. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Rev. James J. O’Connor, Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: +Leo A Posley, D.D., Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend.) See also: vatican.va.
Pope Paul VI, The Second Vatican Council (1964 A.D.), Lumen Gentium:
Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are related in various ways to the people of God. In the first place we must recall the people to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh (cf. Rom. 9, 4-5). On account of their fathers this people remains most dear to God, for God does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues (cf. Rom. 11, 28-29). But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Mohammedans, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind. Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things (cf. Acts 17, 25-28), and as Saviour wills that all men be saved (cf. I Tim. 2, 4). Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel. She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life. But often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator. Or some there are who, living and dying in this world without God, are exposed to final despair. Wherefore to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all of these, and mindful of the command of the Lord, “Preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16, 16), the Church fosters the missions with care and attention.
(Paul VI, The Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium (Constitution on the Church) [November 21, 1964], 16; trans. Council Daybook: Vatican II: Session 3, ed. Floyd Anderson, [Washington, D.C.: National Catholic Welfare Conference, 1965], pp. 315-316. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Rev. James J. O’Connor, Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: +Leo A Posley, D.D., Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend.) See also: vatican.va.
Note: While I (as a Protestant) deeply appreciate the ecumenical efforts and Church reformation of the Second Vatican Council (particularly regarding the relationship between Rome, the East and the Protestant Churches) this is, in my opinion, going much too far.
καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν ~ Soli Deo Gloria
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