The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-03-05
A DELICATE TASK,
DR.. Garrigan, Vice-Rector of the
Catholic University Answers
the Question.
ARE CATHOLICS SAVED?
Many Byeways, but One True and
Royal Highway Leading
to Heaven.

The appended passages are from an ex-
ceedingly interesting lecture recently
given before large audience, in Wash
ington, by the Rev. Philip j. Garrigan,
yice-rector of the Catholic University of
America:
I Iconfess at the very outset Of this lec-
ture, ladies and gentlemen, that to an
swer this question satisfactorily-that is,
logically and theologically, is difficult
and delicate task. 1t is difficult because
OF the mystery that surrounds mems
lives and motives, and delicate because it
mainly concerns those who are, externally
at least, outside the Church, but who
have, nevertheless, right to both JUS
tice and charity from us in defining their
relation to that society," outside whose
pale there is no salvation. We freely ad-
NIT that in treating this question, which
is Of the deepest interest, men may 60,
and in fact often have gone, to excess in
argument and Judgment, and have mis-
understood Gods economy in dealing
with His creatures, and have misrepre-
sented religion in its mission to mon.
Moreover, many of those who are not of
our Church nisconceive what we hold in
regard to them, and some Of us, and not
few, are mistaken as to what We are
bound to hold, while many on either side
have no clear conception OF how ths case
stands or how to give an intelligent an
ewer to this imp rtant and oft-repeated
question.
~ X 4 X u:
TIL, general question resolves itself into
these: Has the Catholic Church defined
that outs1de her pale there is no saliva
tion? BY what authority bas she SO de-
fined, and what is the meaning Of the
definition? The Church has constantly
taught from the beginning, that in order
to be saved we must belong to her COM
munion Tbs Fourth Lateran Council,
held in the commencement Of the thir-
teenth century, and Plus TX. in our own
day 1854, in solemn allucution to all
as~emblage of cardinals and bishops from
all parts of the world, have defined that
it is to be held of faith, that outside the
Apostolic Roman Church no one can be
saved Nevertheless, Plus TX. adds.
st is to be held as certain that those
who are ignorant of the Christian religion,
if that ignorance be invincible, are not,
therefore, held to any account of guilt
before the Lord, for it is known to Us
and to you that those who are in invinci-
bic ignorance about our holy religion,
and who carefully observing the natural
law aud it's precepts imprinted in the
hearts of all men by God, and who are
prepared to obey God, leading honest and
upright lives, can obtain eternal life with
the aid OF divine light and grace, for
God, who fully penetrates, examines and
knows the mind, the spirit, the thoughts
and the lives of all men, because OF his
| infinite goodness and mercy, cannot suf-
fer any one to undergo eternal punish
ment who is not guilty of voluntary sin. >
In addition to these explanations Of this
doctrine by the last sanity Pontjff, two
other Popes have condemned the follow
| ing assertions as heretical: "That the
heathen and Jews and heretics receive nc
influence from Christ" And this: 'That
there is no grace given to any one out
side the Church.
Fl X q. x
| Now, we may belong to the Church by
actual and by virtual membership. One
is actually member when he is validity
baptized and living in obedience to its
authority and in the union of its com
|munion-that is, in the enjoyment OF the
Sacraments, the sacred rites, prayers and
privileges Of the household of faith. A
man is virtually a member of the true
Church, even without baptism, when he
| is disposed, ready and anxious to do all
that God requires him to do, even to en-
ter the Church, could he find it, in order
to please God and save his soul
ALI those are outside the Church who,
recognizing the true Church. will not en-
ter it, aud who, through culpable neg
lect, of which God alone knows and
Judges, do not wish to find it, and would
not become 8 member Of it If they did.
This class Of persons is in what we call
bad faith that is, they reject what
they know is right and true; they shut
out divine light from their minds, are
disobedient to the promptings OF guild
ance Of their own consciences, and live in
| resistance to their intellectual conyic-
tions.