Some key Magisterial pronouncements on Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus…and a question

I’ve been meaning to present some of the most prime, explicit Magisterial proclamations of the Doctrine/Dogma Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus – outside the Church there is no salvation.  I will do so below, and then present some questions the last of these raise.

First, in 1215 at the Fourth Lateran Council, Pope Innocent III declared the following, as part of the conciliar declarations or formal definitions:

There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all can be saved.

That seems pretty cut and dried, but much would, of course, rest on one’s definition of “outside.”

But moving on, the following was declared by Pope Boniface VIII, that great but horribly mistreated Pontiff, who declared in his Bull Unam Sanctam in 1302:

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.

Alright, that seems even more specific.  Declare, say, define, and pronounce – notice how specific and forceful the language was!  And by “subject to,” one can assume a formal submission to the Church, and the Truth that Church contains, is inherent in that statement.

Finally, we have the following from Pope Eugene IV in the Bull Cantate Domino from 1441:

The most Holy Roman Catholic Church firmly believes, professes, and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics [protestants, modernist former Catholics?]and schismatics [Eastern Orthodox?] , can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into 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.

So, there you have three statements, each more explicit than the last as they proceed in time, defining formal, visible membership in the Catholic Church as being required for salvation.  These statements are marked by their clear and direct language, in contrast to so many pronouncements from the Church in the last 50 years. I also have to note that these statements stand in marked contrast to several statements of the most recent Council, some of which were pointed out in this post from yesterday.  These statements, and dozens of others from various Popes, Saints, Fathers, etc., have led me to believe, very firmly, that formal, visible membership in the Catholic Church is required for salvation, even as much as it pains me to say so, as I am the only Catholic in my family.  But that is the conclusion I have reached.

But what I wanted to discuss was Pope Eugene’s seeming……..rejection?……of baptism by desire (implicitly) or baptism by blood (explicitly).  My understanding had always been that salvation from baptism by desire and/or baptism by blood were probably quite rare, but definitely means of salvation for those outside the Church. I’m not sure how to reconcile these words from Pope Eugene with that….Doctrine?  I always thought they were Doctrines, anyways. I know Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus is a Doctrine, a Dogma even, even though it has only rarely been well taught in this country. And we all likely know that these “hard” beliefs regarding “denial” of salvatio to those outside the Faith have been essentially ignored, if not totally repudiated, by most int he Church since VII.  So, there is much confusion.

I guess one consideration is that a Bull is not as authoritative as a formal conciliar definition made by a Pope. That is about as authoritative as you can get, aside from an Ex Cathedra definition.  But still, I thought Bulls were somewhat more authoritative than encyclicals.  Certainly, that bull Cantate Domino forms part of the Magisterium – I’m not sure how to take it.

Your thoughts?