luther1I’ve heard it said many times: The Catholic Church believes everyone else is going to hell.  Unfortunately many Protestants are more than happy to return this supposed favor.  However, the Catholic Church does not teach that all Protestants are going to hell.  Nor does she teach that all non-Christians are going to hell.  Regarding other Christians the Catechism says:

"However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers …. All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church." (#818).

and

"Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity." (#819).

So, the Catholic Church recognizes that many in other churches, by their baptism, are rightly called Christians.  These communities have elements of the Truth and God can use them as a means of salvation.

The Catholic Church even recognizes that non-Christians who have not heard the Gospel may be saved as well:

"Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation" (847).

Of course, the Catholic Church has (fortunately) not embraced the heresy of the modernist ecumenical movement which seeks to blend religions and offend no one.  The Catholic Faith is the beginning and end of all interfaith and interchurch discussions and there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church.  The grace of non-Catholic communities is bound to their communion (however imperfect) and shared beliefs with the see of Rome.  Again the catechism says:

"For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God." (#816).

So, the Catholic Church doesn’t believe all non-Catholics are hellbound.  Those who legitimately don’t know the necessity of joining the Catholic Church and don’t reject her can be saved even while in their own communities.  Yet, this salvation and grace come from the Catholic Church and does not negate missionary activity towards Protestants and non-Christians.  Above all, we must remember that the Catholic Church often tells us who is in heaven (the Saints), but isn’t in the business of telling us who is in hell.  That’s God’s call.

Image from: CGFA (Obviously, I enhanced the photo).