Is only Rome right?

[Denise]

By Father Rocky Hoffman *

I would like some information about being a Catholic and a question my daughter has, are all churches the same? Do we have to be Catholic to get into heaven? Can a person pick any denomination even though they were baptized a Catholic? What can a person do if they are going to a church and the priest really isn't a good preacher – can they go to a different denomination and find a good preacher at another church?

You ask a litany of short and clear questions and you deserve a litany of short and clear answers. But the questions you ask are really big questions and defy simple answers.

To the first: “are all Churches the same.” Yes and no. In the sense that most people understand the term “church” the answer is “no, all churches are not the same.” The Catholic Church is different from protestant denominations which are different from Jewish synagogues which are different from Muslim mosques. In the sense that there is “only one true Church” then the answer is “Yes.” In essence the Roman Catholic Church and all other “true” Churches (i.e. the Orthodox churches) are the same in so far as they share the same faith, the same sacraments, the same canon of sacred scripture, and the same apostolic succession. The only difference is the recognition of the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome.

Question two: “Do we have to be Catholic to get into heaven?” Again, the answer is yes and no, and depends on what you mean by Catholic. What can be stated with certainty is that anyone who is ultimately saved is saved through the merits of Christ which come to us through His one true Church, which subsists in the Roman Catholic Church. The noble pagan who knows nothing of Jesus Christ or his Church, who nevertheless tries to live his life in accord with the first principle of moral behavior, that is do good and avoid evil, can be saved by the merits of Christ and the grace of God.

Third question: “Can a person pick any denomination even though they were baptized Catholic?” Can? Or should? Certainly anyone can because everyone is free. However free a person might be to choose his or her actions, he is not free to choose the consequences. I can state with reasonable certainty that “if you were baptized a Catholic, you are supposed to remain a Catholic.” What we positively need to avoid is the error of indifferentism, specifically condemned by the Bishops of the United States as early as the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1866. That error proposes that one religion is just as good as another so long as you are honest and just with your neighbor.

And the final question you ask is: “What can a person do if they are going to a church and the priest really isn't a good preacher – can they go to a different denomination and find a good preacher at another church?” Catholics are always free to attend Mass wherever they want, so long as it’s a Catholic Mass. Attending services at an evangelical Church on Sunday morning, because you prefer the vibe and energy of the entire experience, and the dynamic preaching of the minister, does not excuse you from the serious obligation of attending Mass. You are free to attend Mass in any parish you wish. However, the pastor of the parish where you actually reside, continues to have responsibility for the care of the souls within his territorial jurisdiction (cf. Canon 518.)

You may find it helpful to reflect on John Paul II’s response to a similar question posed to him in his book “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” (Knopf, 1994): “People are saved through the Church, they are saved in the Church, but they always are saved by the grace of Christ. Besides formal membership in the Church, the sphere of salvation can also include other forms of relation to the Church. … This is the authentic meaning of the well-known statement “Outside the Church there is no salvation.”

Finally, let me offer a piece of pastoral advice to those who are less than enthusiastic with the Roman Catholic experience in their parish: the solution is not to fix the parish, the solution is for the person to fix himself and the shortcut to get there is the practice of generous sacrifice for God and for others expressed through frequent prayer, sacrifice, confession, and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.


* Father Rocky Hoffman is a nationally known radio priest and a widely sought inspirational speaker and retreat leader. He has been instrumental in the founding of several private Catholic academies and preparatory schools nationwide. Currently he serves as Senior Director of Mission, Programming, and Development for Relevant Radio. Ordained to the priesthood by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1992, Fr. Rocky is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and holds an MBA degree earned at the University of Notre Dame and a doctorate in Catholic canon law earned at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He is an avid waterskier and snowskier, as well as an accomplished jazz pianist.