THE CASE OF THE HYPOTHETICAL CATECHUMENS
An actual letter sent to Adam S. Miller, Founder and Director of Tower of David Ministry, and Mr. Miller's response based on: Magisterial statements, Sacred Scripture and Right Reason.
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Dear Adam:
Thank you for the information, it was very helpful. I agree EENS (Outside the Church there is no salvation) is de fide and I believe it as I must. Please, however, answer the following Hypothetical situation.
A catechumen is driving to Church to be baptized but:
1) he is killed in a car accident in front of the Church before he
receives Baptism by Water;
2) she is attacked by a bunch of Prots who demand she abjure the Faith
and deny the Mass. She refuses and she is killed while saying a Rosary.
Will either or both go to Heaven(purgatory) or Hell?
For me this is the last piece of the controversy.
Please accept my thanks in advance in Christo et Maria,
SMC
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Dear SMC,
Thank you for your willingness to "dig deeper" into this matter.
First, let's make it clear that the Church does not base her faith, her teachings on speculative scenarios. Thus, neither should the faithful.
Second, it should be made clear from the outset that if in your mind you will still allow for possible exceptions (narrow and restricted as they may be) to what the Church has solemnly defined as to the necessity of baptism for salvation until hypothetical situations such as this are resolved in your own mind, then it means that YOUR mind, YOUR understanding is your final authority, and not the Magisterium. Whereas faith is defined as the submission of the will and intellect to God revealing and the Church proposing. And what the Church has infallibly proposed on this matter precludes any exceptions to the necessity of water baptism and being within the Church for salvation.
Nevertheless, I will provide for you a few ways to resolve a situation which appears to work contrary to both God's justice and mercy -if they are not saved.
First, we will look again at the dogmas of no salvation and the necessity of Baptism. Second, we will look at how some of God's attributes apply to your hypothetical situation and how another dogma of the Church helps to resolve this apparent difficulty. Read carefully and prayerfully.