We recently published several posts explaining that the SSPX is in schism and has placed itself outside full communion with the Catholic Church. By rejecting the authority of the Supreme Pontiff, the successor of St. Peter, they are endangering their souls through continued disobedience to the Church Christ established.
The SSPX has often emphasized the Catholic teaching that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church and that Catholics must remain obedient to the Pope. Yet, by separating themselves from the authority of the Holy Father, they have placed themselves in direct contradiction to those very principles.
Our purpose in addressing this issue is not to condemn them, rather out of concern for their souls. We raised the Church’s teaching because we sincerely desire that they return to full communion with the Catholic Church. However, our comments have also led to some confusion. Some have asked, “What about Protestants? Are you saying that everyone who is not Catholic is automatically condemned?”
That is an important question. In this article, we want to clarify what the Catholic Church actually means when it teaches that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church and specifically why we applied that teaching to the SSPX.
Christ Founded Only One Church
First, we must understand that Jesus founded only one Church. Scripture describes that Church as His one Body and His one Bride. If we belong to Christ’s Church, we belong to Him as members of His Body. Conversely, to separate oneself from His Church is, in some sense, to separate oneself from Him.
For this reason, Scripture repeatedly warns against schism and division within the Church. The New Testament condemns those who reject the Church’s authority or refuse to remain united with the apostolic faith. One of the earliest examples is the first-century heresy of the Judaizers, who opposed the teaching and authority of the apostles.
Now consider what it means to leave the Church that Jesus Christ established and join another religion or denomination. If Christ founded one Church, how can deliberately leaving that Church be spiritually insignificant? How can someone knowingly separate himself from the Church Christ founded and still believe that such a decision has no consequences?
At this point, many people ask some important questions like: Are you saying that everyone outside the Catholic Church cannot be saved? What about Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and members of other religions? What about those who sincerely love Jesus? What about those who have experienced a genuine conversion to Christ and would willingly give their lives for Him? These are important questions, and they deserve a careful answer.
The Church as Noah’s Ark
From the earliest centuries of Christianity, the Church Fathers consistently taught that salvation is found in the Church Christ established. They often compared the Church to Noah’s Ark, a vessel established by God to carry His people safely to salvation. Imagine the Church as a great ship sailing from earth to heaven. Christ Himself established that ship and invites everyone to remain aboard it.
Now imagine that, after many centuries, some passengers become dissatisfied with the way things are being done aboard the ship. Rather than working for reform from within, they decide to leave. They gather whatever they can carry, climb into lifeboats, and set out on their own course toward heaven.
Before long, those in the lifeboats begin to disagree with one another. Instead of remaining united, they divide again and again. Some break away into smaller lifeboats, then those lifeboats divide into even smaller ones. Eventually, there are hundreds, even thousands of separate boats, all attempting to navigate their own course toward heaven.
Could some of those passengers still reach their destination? Yes. But the journey is far more difficult apart from the ship that Christ established. While they may still be heading in the right direction, they no longer possess the fullness of what Christ entrusted to His Church. The farther a lifeboat drifts from the original ship, the more it tends to lose. Its resources become fewer, its guidance becomes less certain, and more of the original faith is left behind. This helps explain why groups that are further removed from the Catholic Church such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and others, often hold doctrines that differ dramatically from what Christ taught through His Church.
The Catholic Church teaches that it possesses the fullness of the means of salvation and therefore offers the surest, straightest, and most complete path to Christ. The further one moves away from the Church Christ established, the more difficult the journey can become. However, the Catholic Church has never taught that every person outside her visible boundaries is automatically condemned. That has never been the Church’s teaching, and it is not her teaching today. In fact, the Church condemned the error of Feeneyism, which held that every person who is not visibly Catholic is necessarily lost.The Church teaches that people may be united to Christ and, in certain ways, connected to His Church through Baptism and other means known to God.
Can Someone Outside the Catholic Church Be Saved?
In addition, the Church teaches that a person who is invincibly ignorant, someone who, through no fault of his own, does not know the fullness of the Catholic faith and has had no reasonable opportunity to discover it, may still be saved. If such a person sincerely seeks God, strives to follow the truth as he knows it, and would have embraced the fullness of the faith had it been made known to him, the Church teaches that salvation is possible.
Some people misunderstand this teaching and conclude that the Catholic Church believes anyone outside the Church will be saved. That is not what the Church teaches. The Church continues to proclaim that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone and through the Church He established. This has been the consistent teaching of the Church throughout her history and is reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council.
For that reason, belonging to the Catholic Church remains of the greatest importance. At the same time, the Church recognizes that, in certain circumstances, it is possible for those who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church to be saved. Ultimately, if anyone is saved, it is always through the grace of Jesus Christ and through His Church.
Why the SSPX is Different
The Church also teaches that those who knowingly reject the Catholic Church after recognizing it as the Church founded by Christ place their souls in grave spiritual danger. This principle applies more directly to individuals such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, who knew the claims of the Catholic Church yet chose to separate from her. Their situation is very different from that of someone who has never known the Catholic faith or has never had the opportunity to understand its claims. At the same time, the Church does not judge the eternal destiny of any individual. The Church has never claimed to know who is in heaven or who is in hell. That judgment belongs to God alone.
For those who possess a fuller knowledge of the Catholic faith such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, or, in this case, the SSPX, the situation is different. The SSPX teaches that the Catholic Church is the true Church established by Christ. They also teach that Catholics must remain in submission to the Supreme Pontiff. Yet they continue to reject the authority of the Pope while justifying their disobedience.
This is why we applied the Church’s teaching on “no salvation outside the Church” to the SSPX in our recent social media posts. The SSPX itself frequently emphasizes that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church and that Catholics must be obedient to the Pope. The concern is that the SSPX professes these principles while, at the same time, refusing submission to the very authority they acknowledge Christ established. Deliberately rejecting the authority of the Church after recognizing it as the Church founded by Christ places a person in grave spiritual danger.
This places them in a much more serious spiritual situation because they are knowingly rejecting the authority of the Church Christ established and entrusted with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Rather than returning to full communion, they attempt to justify their schism by arguing that their separation is necessary or justified.
This pattern is not new. It is the same argument made throughout history by those who have separated themselves from the Catholic Church. Martin Luther, John Calvin, The Eastern Orthodox likewise justify their separation. In every age, those who have entered into schism have believed they were right and that the Catholic Church was wrong. The SSPX is making the same fundamental claim. Like every schismatic movement throughout history, it argues that its separation from the Church is justified.
Likewise, many Protestant leaders including Martin Luther, John Calvin, John MacArthur, and others have argued that the Pope and the Catholic Church are the ones who have departed from the true faith. The Eastern Orthodox likewise maintain that Rome is in error. Now the SSPX is making a similar claim by asserting that the Pope has departed from the Catholic faith and that their disobedience is therefore justified.
That should give members of the SSPX serious pause. Throughout history, those who have separated from the Catholic Church have consistently justified their separation by claiming that the Church, not they, had departed from the truth. The SSPX is following that same pattern.
That is a spiritually dangerous position to embrace. It reflects the temptation to place one’s own judgment above the authority Christ entrusted to His Church. Like the Pharisees, it is possible to become convinced that we see clearly while remaining spiritually blind. That is why humility, obedience, and continual self-examination are essential in the Christian life.
Directed Toward the SSPX
For that reason, the statement that “there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church” was directed specifically to the SSPX because they recognize the Catholic Church as the Church founded by Christ, understand the authority of the Pope, and yet continue to reject that authority. Their situation is fundamentally different from someone who has never known the Catholic faith or has never had the opportunity to embrace it.
Ironically, the SSPX often criticizes liberals and modernists for rejecting the Church’s authority and refusing to submit to the Magisterium. Yet by refusing submission to the Supreme Pontiff themselves, they fall into the very error they condemn. Although the issues differ, the underlying principle is the same: placing one’s own judgment above the authority Christ entrusted to His Church. That is why we urge members of the SSPX to prayerfully reconsider their position. Our concern is not to condemn them, but to encourage them to return to full communion with the Church Christ established for the salvation of souls.
The Seriousness of Schism
While we can never know with certainty who is in heaven or who is in hell, that judgment belongs to God alone, the Church has always taught that schism and rejection of the Church’s authority are matters of the utmost gravity. To die separated from the Church through deliberate schism places a person in grave spiritual danger. That is why we are so concerned about the SSPX and why we continue to pray for their full reconciliation with the Catholic Church.
On the Day of Judgment, our opinions and personal justifications will not matter. We will not be able to stand before Christ and claim that the Church He founded was wrong. Jesus entrusted His Church to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, promising that He would lead her into all truth. Scripture calls the Church “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).
Throughout history, many groups have separated themselves from the Catholic Church, including the Orthodox, the Old Catholics, the Polish National Catholics, Protestant communities, and, more recently, the SSPX. Yet there remains only one Church that traces her visible unity continuously to Christ and the apostles. Christ established one Church and entrusted Peter and his successors with a unique role in preserving its unity and guarding the faith.
For that reason, Catholics cannot accept the claim that the Pope, the Holy See, or the Catholic Church has fallen into schism. Christ promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. He also prayed specifically for Peter, saying:
“I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:32)
The Church, the papacy, and the office entrusted to Peter remain under the guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit until the end of time.
The Saints Teach us Holiness, Not Rebellion
You may not agree with every decision made by individual bishops, priests, or even the Pope. I certainly have concerns about some things as well. However, disagreement with particular decisions does not justify schism. Nor does it justify knowingly separating yourself from the Church Christ established. To do so places your soul in grave spiritual danger.
That is why we lovingly invite everyone who has become involved with the SSPX to return to full communion with the Catholic Church. We pray especially for those who have been sincerely confused, who are hearing conflicting arguments, or who have been scandalized by genuine problems within the Church.
I have spoken publicly about many of the issues that concern me within the Church, and I believe there are times when respectful criticism is both necessary and appropriate. However, none of those concerns justify separating ourselves from the Church Christ founded. Some point to confusion in the Church today, controversial public figures, or decisions they believe are harmful and conclude that the Church has lost its way. But if that reasoning were sufficient to justify leaving the Church, then Christians should have followed Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation.
Luther correctly identified many real abuses within the Church of his day. There is no denying that corruption existed, even among bishops and popes. Yet the solution was never to abandon the Church. History provides another model. The saints lived through many of the same scandals, corruption, and moral failures. They witnessed abuses that were often far worse than those we see today. Yet they did not respond by creating a new church or separating themselves from the one Christ established.
Instead, they responded with greater prayer, deeper fasting, lives of heroic holiness, and unwavering fidelity to the Church. They became instruments of authentic reform, not by leaving the Church, but by helping renew her from within. St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, St. Francis de Sales, and countless other saints lived through periods of great corruption and confusion within the Church. Yet they did not abandon the Church Christ established. Instead, they helped reform her from within through lives of extraordinary holiness.
It is easy to become angry when we see sin, corruption, or injustice within the Church. It is understandable to be frustrated when those who do wrong seem to go unpunished while others suffer unfairly. But if that frustration turns into rebellion against the Church Christ founded, we have taken a dangerous path. The saints faced many of the same trials. Padre Pio was forbidden to celebrate public Mass for a time. St. John of the Cross was imprisoned for months because of his efforts to reform the Carmelite Order. Yet neither responded by leaving the Church. They responded with greater prayer, deeper fasting, humility, and perseverance. In time, God used their holiness to bring about authentic reform. That is the way of the saints. They answered corruption with holiness, error with truth, and division with fidelity. Schism, however, has always followed a different path.
Can we be troubled by problems within the Church? Absolutely. Can we wish that certain decisions had been made differently? Certainly. But none of those concerns justify separating ourselves from the Church Christ established. The choice is ultimately one of communion. Either we remain united to the successor of St. Peter, or we separate ourselves from that communion.
We continue to pray for everyone in the SSPX who is struggling with these questions. Our sincere hope is that they will return to full communion with the Catholic Church and place their trust in Christ’s promises that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church and that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide her into all truth.
