The following contains the official standing of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the authority of their Pope and salvation. This is a peculiar doctrine that one must obey the Pope or be condemned since most the Catholics that I know are partially ecumenical claiming to accept most sects of Christendom. The thoughts of some Roman Catholics are very welcome here. The necessity of following the Roman Pope is found under “Unam Sanctam” of the Catholic Encyclopedia. Unam Sanctam means “the One Holy” and refers to the Roman Pontiff. The following are the official doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church concerning the supremacy of the Pope and sealed by Pope Boniface VIII.
“The Bull lays down dogmatic propositions on the unity of the Church, the necessity of belonging to it for eternal salvation, the position of the pope as supreme head of the Church, and the duty thence arising of submission to the pope in order to belong to the Church and thus to attain salvation.”
“First, the unity of the Church and its necessity for salvation are declared and established by various passages from the Bible and by reference to the one Ark of the Flood, and to the seamless garment of Christ. The pope then affirms that, as the unity of the body of the Church so is the unity of its head established in Peter and his successors. Consequently, all who wish to belong to the fold of Christ are placed under the dominion of Peter and his successors.“
Quotes from the Bull, which is the Official Papal Affirmation presented in the Catholic Encyclopedia,:
“Now, therefore, we declare, say, determine and pronounce that for every human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff…”
“It is here stated that for salvation it is necessary that every human creature be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff.“
Referring to the last quote,
“This definition, the meaning and importance of which are clearly evident from the connection with the first part on the necessity of the one Church for salvation, and on the pope as the one supreme head of the Church, expresses the necessity for everyone who wishes to attain salvation of belonging to the Church, and therefore of being subject to the authority of the pope in all religious matters. This has been the constant teaching of the Church, and it was declared in the same sense by the Fifth Ecumenical Council of the Lateran, in 1516:…‘That it is of the necessity of salvation for all Christ’s faithful to be subject to the Roman pontiff.’” (Kirsch, J.P. (1912). Unam Sanctam. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved November 13, 2012 from New Advent: newadvent.org/cathen/15126a.htm)
Seeing God's Breath 
Why not ask why Unam Sanctam teaches that those who do not follow the Pope go to Hell? Is everyone who does not follow the Pope in Hell before the documents of the Second Vatican was written in 1964? Does the Catholic Church oppose Boniface VIII’s declarations today?
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Scott…consult post Vatican 2 sources before putting something on the site like this.
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SOrry – here’s the primary source
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
In regards to whether it’s a contradiction or not it depends on who one speaks with.
Those that are in schism with the Catholic church – some Eastern Orthodox and ultra traditionalist would say no.
Context naturally is everything. When Unam Sanctam was written there wasn’t any options besides- Schismatic(Greek Orthodox), Jews, Pagans & Muslims or Heretics. The last classification didn’t know of individuals or communions who believe in the Tri-une God and didn’t belong to either the Orthodox or Catholic communions.
SInce that time there was defined material and formal heretics. The first are those through no fault of their own were born into christian communities outside the formal boundaries of the Catholic church.
The latter are reserved for those that were professing Catholics, but now reject it.
But even then it’s not a condemation to hell, only God does that, your simply outside the church.
And I agree with you check my sources because I don’t have any offical authority within the church.
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Interesting, I appreciate the impute. I have to look into your sources. Is this a contradiction to Unam Sanctam?
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“I would love to get the thoughts and interpretations of some Catholics”
Formally belonging to the Church and formally being subject to the Roman Pontiff are normative rather than absolute necessities.
This was determined back in the 3rd century. If a Protestant or Orthodox member chose to become Catholic their marriage and their baptism is considered to be valid by the Catholic church. Hence they are informal members of the church.
Formal membership:
“Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given to the Church together with her entire organization, and who by the bonds constituted by the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government, and communion are joined in the visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops” (Lumen Gentium 14, Catechism of the Catholic Church 837).”
Informal membership:
“The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter” (Lumen Gentium 15). Those “who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church” (Unitatis Redintegratio 3; CCC 838).
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You are right about faiths being intolerant and I would add exclusive. I consider my faith to be so in some ways, as are any who hold to any specific practices for entrance into the community and into Heaven. Jesus did say that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes unto the Father except by Him.”
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Seems kind of intolerant doesn’t it? But now go and look at Islam, Jewdaism and most other religions. It is the total belief of a religion that their way is the true and one and only way. Therefore a religion, because it holds this complete view of its correctness, has the right to communicate that. Anyone else has the right to reject or accept it.
It is in the ability to accept that view and to be tolerant of it that makes for a better society. After all, if a Catholic or a Muslim or anyone else didn’t 110% believe their religion is the one way only, they wouldn’t do it.
There once lived a Japanese peot who said: “There are many ways that lead to the mountain, but from the top, the moon looks the same.”
Apt, isn’t it?
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