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Show AFTER DEATH. Replyingto a correspondent who asks, "What is the Catholic idea and belief with reference to the future, after death, of non-Catholics, such as V (several specifically named individuals), 'the Bombay Bom-bay Examiner answers : We do not profess to know the future fate of any man except by forming a judgment from his manifested man-ifested conduct. According to our theological principles, prin-ciples, every man who dies in what we call a "state of grace" is saved, and every man who dies "out of the state of grace" is lost. In speaking with outsiders, out-siders, it will be enough to explain the "state of grace" as a state of friendship with God, implying a good life according to the man's lights, and either freedom from grievous sin or else sincere repentance. This rule applies not only to Catholics, but also to non-Catholics, so far as they are sincere in their convictions, and fail to realize the claims of the Church and their duty of joining it. These being our principles, their application depends on a question of fact. Do the various persons enumerated enumer-ated answer to the above description? If so. we may assume that they will be saved, through God's Iiccepting their good faith and their good intentions. This is all we can say on this subject. Apropos of this question of the salvation of non-Catholics, non-Catholics, it is to be remarked that the more extended ex-tended becomes the knowledge of Catholic doctrines among those outside the Church and missions to non-Catholics are certainly disseminating those doctrines doc-trines very widely the less likely is the plea of "invincible "in-vincible ignorance" to be valid. Most educated non-Catholics, non-Catholics, it would seem reasonable to suppose, must nowadays entertain at least a doubt as to the fact of their sect's being the true Church of Christ, and another doubt whether the genuinely true Church be not that of Rome. Ave Maria. |