I was surprised to read that Pope Francis began preaching in the New Year, that there is no salvation outside the Church.  It is a traditional belief to be sure, however, given the plethora of religious and spiritual practices in the world today, it seems “risky”, on the part of the Pope, to proclaim this, without making mention of all the other ways, people appear to believe in God.

We know the scripture says, “If you believe in me, you will live”, and “If you die in me, you will rise with me.”…..The “me” is Jesus Christ.  Absolutely, Christ dwells in the believer.  Taking that further, it is understood from the scripture, that the assembly of the believers, forms the body of believers, known as the body of Christ, or the Church.

As Pope Francis’s pre-Christmas message to the Curia, the governing body of the Church revealed, there is great challenge for the Church because of its’ structures. So much so, that many, many, Catholics are not accepting the current Church. This presents a serious dilemma for many Catholics around the globe.

The other issue, and it is a long standing one, is, do people have to be believers, specifically in Christ, to be saved and enter into God’s Glory, at their passing from this world?  If the answer to that question is yes, and is based on the Words from Scripture that I quoted above, then, We, as a Catholic Christian Church, have much evangelization work to be done!  An evangelization, that obviously begins in our Church, if you place much weight in the pre-Christmas address of Pope Francis to the Curia.

 -------------