official catholic church teaching is that noncatholics and unbaptized infants go to hell

I'll preface this by saying I went to Catholic school (though I am an atheist) and was taught that all Christians, Jews, Muslims and those who are ignorant of the Church, including kids who die before Baptism, go to Heaven. I like to play devil's advocate (and Catholic, harhar) whenever a theological question comes up, so this will be a fun exercise for me. I would like to state, before I do anything else, that my opponent must defend that official Church teaching is that all non-Catholics, including the unbaptized, go to hell. First I'd like to clarify what "authoritative" means in terms of Catholicism. The Pope may define doctrine of the Church when speaking "ex cathedra". The definition my opponent gave for authoritative basically is the exact same thing-- . .. when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, (the Bishop of Rome) defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church. (wikipedia)The actual teaching authority is called, in Catholicism, "magestirium". The authority is vested in the Pope and the council of Bishops when in communion with him. A critical point of magestirium When the Pope calls a convention of Bishops and, working with them, defines church doctrine, that is as authoritative as the Pope speaking ex cathedra. Sources and definitions- . http://en.wikipedia.org...http://en.wikipedia.org...http://www.newadvent.org...So what has the Church said so far, authoritatively, about who gets past the great pearly gates? Well, as my opponent points out, the Cante Dominio (Papal Bull of Eugene IV, so it is ex cathedra and is therefore authoritative) clearly states that --"It 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. ". http://catholicism.org...--only Catholics go to heaven (I think my opponent could have picked better quotes! ). Even if a man sheds his blood for Christ he may not be saved lest he remain "in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church. " That was the deal in 1441, what have they said since? Well in 1964, some good ol' reform came to the Church. The Council was convened by the Pope and made in union with the council of Bishops, and has the same authority as the Cante Dominio (and since the Church is infallible, the Church follows Vatican 2 at this point). What did we hear from Vatican 2? "The Catholic Church professes that it is the one, holy catholic and apostolic Church of Christ; this it does not and could not deny. But in its Constitution the Church now solemnly acknowledges that the Holy Ghost is truly active in the churches and communities separated from itself. To these other Christian Churches the Catholic Church is bound in many ways: through reverence for God's word in the Scriptures; through the fact of baptism; through other sacraments which they recognize. " 5. The non-Christian may not be blamed for his ignorance of Christ and his Church; salvation is open to him also, if he seeks God sincerely and if he follows the commands of his conscience, for through this means the Holy Ghost acts upon all men; this divine action is not confined within the limited boundaries of the visible Church. "And. .. "The children who are born into these Communities and who grow up believing in Christ cannot be accused of the sin involved in the separation, and the Catholic Church embraces upon them as brothers, with respect and affection. For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect. . .. it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church. ""The brethren divided from us also use many liturgical actions of the Christian religion. These most certainly can truly engender a life of grace in ways that vary according to the condition of each Church or Community. These liturgical actions must be regarded as capable of giving access to the community of salvation. ". http://www.religioustolerance.org...In plain English Vatican 2 states that those who are ignorant may be saved and that those who are non-Catholic Christians may be saved as well. Whether or not, this was a "political statement" as my opponent conjectures, it is undeniably authoritative Church teaching. It is official Church doctrine and states, explicitly, that non-Catholics and even non-Christians may be saved! On the condition of ignorance, non-Christians may be saved! How awesome is that? I could make a much larger case in defense of the point Vatican 2 may include Muslims and Jews among those who are saved as well, but I think the point stands that, according to the Catholic Church today, anyone who is ignorant of the Church (including those who know of and do not understand it) can be saved if they act as God wishes. I am not sure how much of a case I can make specifically for children who are yet to be baptised without making a counter argument. I researched and found the Vatican website's paper on the Church's position on pre-Baptismal death. My opponent may read it himself, as may the viewers. I will point out that even before Vatican 2 unofficial Church teaching was that Limbo was where unborn and unbaptized infants went; since they had done no wrong but had not been cleansed of original sin they could not be damned to Hell nor admitted to Heaven. The Church ostensibly has no official position on infant death; I see no evidence to support they would be damned to hell. I will leave that to pro to prove more fully. . http://www.vatican.va... TL,DR- I think I have made a strong case that non-Catholics may be saved (which is authortative Church teaching) and I will leave it to Pro to really prove that infants go to Hell as the Church does not have a strong position on the issue. In any case I look forward to the rest of this debate.