Fr. Z…

tackles the “Can people not in visible union with the Church be saved?” question. The short answer is “Yes.” Comboxers who dislike the short answer and who feel a strange longing to make sure as few people as possible are saved get upset at Fr. Z, that damned liberal, as well as policing other readers to make sure they do not commit the grave sin of Hope. The curious notion that the sacraments were intended as reducing valves to keep as many people out of heaven as possible is one of the odder quirks of the uber-Traditional subculture. I’ve never understood it.

In case you are interested, I tackled a similar question here, and also received the wrath of folks who can’t stand the idea that God’s mercy might be wider than theirs.