8.303. Is there a contradiction between the post-Vatican II reinterpretation of the missionary mandate and the traditional doctrine that outside the Church there is no salvation?
Yes. The traditional Catholic Church teaches that the missionary mandate—to preach the Gospel to all nations and convert them to the one true Church—is a divine command given by Christ and essential for the salvation of souls. This mandate is rooted in the doctrine extra Ecclesiam nulla salus (“outside the Church there is no salvation”) and has guided centuries of evangelization and proselytism. In stark contrast, the post-Vatican II counterfeit religion, led by anti-popes such as John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis, has effectively rejected this truth by promoting religious indifferentism, ecumenism, and the idea that all religions are valid paths to God. This undermines the Great Commission and betrays the very identity and mission of the Church.
Instead of preaching conversion, the post-Vatican II hierarchy now celebrates dialogue, fraternity, and religious pluralism. Anti-pope Francis famously declared:
“Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense.”
He has also said,
“We are not living in a Christian world because Christians do not make themselves heard. But let us not speak of proselytism: that is a poisoned word.”
Worse still, he has stated in multiple forums that,
“God wills the diversity of religions.”
And that,
“All religions are paths to God.”
These statements are heretical and diametrically opposed to the Gospel and the constant teaching of the Church.
1. The Missionary Mandate of Christ
Our Lord Jesus Christ explicitly commanded His apostles:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations; baptizing them... teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
“Go ye into the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.”
These words admit of no ambiguity. Evangelization and conversion to the Catholic Church are necessary. The Church has always understood this command not merely to proclaim the Gospel but to win souls for Christ and bring them into the Ark of Salvation, the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.
The Fourth Lateran Council, in 1215, declared:
“There is one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all is saved.”
Pope Pius XI, in 1928, condemned the idea of uniting religions without conversion:
“It is clear that the Apostolic See cannot on any terms take part in [interfaith congresses]; for it is nowise lawful for the true Church of Jesus Christ to take part in assemblies of non-Catholics.”
2. Definitions: Evangelization and Proselytism
The modern confusion is due, in part, to the misuse and distortion of terms:
Evangelization refers to the preaching of the Gospel. It includes the initial proclamation (kerygma), catechesis, and call to repentance and faith in Christ. It is the joyful announcement of salvation.
Proselytism historically meant the active effort to bring someone into the Catholic Church. In Church usage, it never meant coercion. Forceful conversion is contrary to free will and has always been condemned. However, zealous persuasion, discussion, and argumentation aimed at conversion are not only permitted but praiseworthy.
Canon Law (1917) supported this:
“The Church has the right and the duty to preach the Gospel to all peoples and to convert them to the faith.”
Proselytism has always been considered a natural extension of evangelization. The Apostles did both. St. Paul “reasoned with them out of the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2) and tirelessly sought to convert Jews and pagans.
The modern denigration of proselytism is a diabolical inversion.
3. Post-Vatican II Errors: A New Human Fraternity
The counterfeit religion birthed by Vatican II (1962–1965) replaced the Catholic missionary imperative with a false gospel of dialogue. In 1990 John Paul II stated:
“The Church proposes; she imposes nothing.”
In 2019, anti-pope Francis signed the Abu Dhabi Declaration with a Muslim imam, which stated:
“The pluralism and the diversity of religions, color, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom.”
This is a blasphemous statement. God may permit false religions for a time, but He does not will them. To say that false religions are divinely willed is to deny the uniqueness of Christ and the necessity of the Church.
Francis had also said:
“We are all children of God, no matter the religion.”
This contradicts St. John:
“Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.”
The idea that all religions lead to God is condemned by Pope Pius IX in 1864:
“Error #16: “Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation, and arrive at eternal salvation.” — Condemned.”
The Vatican II religion does not preach conversion—it promotes coexistence, mutual admiration, and interreligious ceremonies. It is no longer the Church Militant, but the Church Accommodating.
4. The True Church Converts, Not Coexists
Pope Leo XIII in 1890 wrote:
“To recoil before an enemy, or to keep silence when from all sides such clamors are raised against truth… is the part of a coward. The Church must bear witness to Christ in season and out of season.”
Every missionary saint—St. Francis Xavier, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Patrick, St. Boniface—sought to convert souls, not dialogue with false religions. They knew that eternal souls were at stake.
St. Francis Xavier lamented:
“Many people here are not becoming Christians because there is nobody to make them Christians.”
Compare this to modern Novus Ordo “missionaries” who provide food, education, and medicine but avoid preaching the Gospel for fear of being “intolerant.”
5. The False Religion Contradicts the Great Commission
The Great Commission is not optional. It is a divine command. The traditional Church does not dialogue with error—it exposes and converts it.
The Vatican II religion, by contrast:
Teaches that all religions can be paths to God
Condemns proselytism
Rejects the necessity of the Catholic Church
Accepts false religions as “expressions of the divine”
These are marks not of the Catholic Church but of apostasy. The true Church alone has the fullness of truth, and it is her duty to bring all men into union with Christ.
Pope Pius XII warned in Mystici Corporis (1943):
“Only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith.”
The post-Vatican II apostates no longer even seek to fulfill this.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Post-Vatican II Position | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Commission | Mandate to preach, convert, baptize, and teach all nations (Mt 28:19–20) | Redefined as dialogue and mutual enrichment | Missionary zeal replaced by tolerance and ambiguity |
| Evangelization | Includes preaching, catechesis, and conversion | Reduced to witnessing without calling for conversion | Faith becomes subjective and optional |
| Proselytism | Historically a virtuous effort to convert souls | Denounced as “solemn nonsense” and harmful | Modernists falsely equate proselytism with coercion |
| Religious Pluralism | False religions are errors to be rejected | False religions are “willed by God” and lead to Him | Contradicts Catholic dogma and the First Commandment |
| Salvation Outside the Church | No salvation outside the Church (extra Ecclesiam nulla salus) | Implicit salvation presumed for all religions | Destroys urgency of conversion and missionary work |
| Church’s Role | Exclusive ark of salvation, calling all to conversion | One path among many; focus on fraternity and peace | Church loses identity and divine mission |
Summary:
The post-Vatican II counterfeit religion has dramatically undermined the Catholic Church’s missionary identity by redefining its divine mandate. Christ's explicit command in the Gospels to “go and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and to “preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) has been replaced by a vague concept of “dialogue” and human fraternity. Instead of converting souls to the one true Church, the modern Novus Ordo religion encourages mutual appreciation and coexistence with false religions—something utterly condemned by the Catholic Church throughout history.
The traditional Church always understood evangelization and proselytism to be essential components of the Great Commission. Evangelization is the proclamation of the Gospel; proselytism is the effort to bring non-Catholics into the Church. Contrary to the slander of modernists, proselytism never meant coercion—it meant the loving and reasoned attempt to save souls by introducing them to the true Faith. Canon Law, papal teaching, and the lives of the saints all support this understanding.
However, anti-pope Francis has mocked this sacred duty by calling proselytism “solemn nonsense” and teaching that “all religions are paths to God.” These statements not only contradict Scripture but also defy infallible dogmas such as extra Ecclesiam nulla salus—that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church. The Abu Dhabi Declaration signed by Francis, which claims that the “diversity of religions is willed by God,” is a blasphemy against the uniqueness of Christ and the Church He founded. Such heretical positions align not with Catholicism, but with Freemasonry and modernist religious indifferentism.
By abandoning the supernatural end of man—union with God in Heaven through the Church—the Novus Ordo promotes a new religion focused on earthly peace, coexistence, and social progress. The Church is no longer seen as the ark of salvation but as one of many equal partners in an interfaith global fraternity. This betrayal of the Church’s identity not only denies Christ but leaves souls in darkness.
In contrast, the true Catholic Church, faithful to Christ’s command, continues to preach the Gospel, teach the truth, and call all men—whether pagan, Jew, Muslim, Protestant, or atheist—to enter the one Ark of Salvation. Saints like Francis Xavier, Boniface, and Patrick did not dialogue—they converted. They understood the eternal stakes and gave their lives for souls.
Faithful Catholics today must reject the false teachings of the Vatican II sect and continue the missionary mandate of Christ. Evangelization and proselytism are both necessary. The Church must preach, teach, and convert—without apology, without compromise, and without fear.