Eloquent words of worldly wisdom deprive the Cross of Christ of its power (1 Cor 1:17).
For were the truth of salvation knowable by natural reason then the availability of the good of supernatural beatitude (in whose possession salvation consists) could be naturally known and would be man’s natural end.
If the availability of the good of supernatural beatitude were knowable to natural reason God would owe it to his own justice to endow man with the means to attain this end and those means would not be gratuitous.
In fact, because the good of supernatural beatitude entails participation in the Divine Nature man would by nature enjoy the right to participate in the Divine Nature, to ‘make himself like the Most High’ (Isaiah 14:14).
This is not the Gospel but the recapitulation of the rebellion of Lucifer. Thus a truth (or truths) knowable by natural reason cannot be the sufficient matter of a saving act of faith and he who supposes it (they) could be cannot be saved.
In this order of providence it does not suffice that the act of faith render the object of supernatural beatitude the object of hope and love to the individual it must also cause him to adhere to Jesus of Nazareth, alone by adherence to Whom is fallen man rendered acceptable to God.
Faith is the assent of the intellect to truth received by hearing from an external source.
Implicit faith is the virtual assent of the intellect to truth logically entailed by another truth itself received by hearing from an external source and assented to.
Only faith in Jesus Christ and in the one who sent Him for our salvation can save.
Implicit faith can only save if the truth received by hearing from an external source and assented to logically entails faith in Jesus Christ and in the one who sent Him for our salvation.
Prior to the completion of the atonement faith in the Divine Redeemer whom God would send but has not yet sent logically entailed faith in Jesus of Nazareth (because He is the Divine Redeemer and all other claimants were excluded by the assertion that God has not yet sent Him).
After the completion of the atonement faith in the Divine Redeemer whom God would send but has not yet sent logically entails the rejection of Jesus of Nazareth.
Faith in a Divine Redeemer whom God at some time has or will send has never entailed faith in Jesus of Nazareth (because it does not and never has excluded other alleged Divine Redeemers) and so it does not and has never saved.
For it is written Matthew 24:24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” From which it follows that the elect do not believe in false messiahs.
And in another place (John 8:24) “I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I AM HE.”
Laodicea 
November 25, 2013 at 2:52 am
Why does implicit faith not apply to those who lived after Christ, but had not heard of Christ?
November 25, 2013 at 7:17 am
Because there is nothing you can believe after Christ’s death that implies belief in Christ.
November 26, 2013 at 3:43 pm
Could we put it like this: He who believed in the Saviour whom God would sent was by that very fact believing in Jesus Christ, but he who believes in any Saviour whom God may have sent is not believing in anyone at all. The latter ‘belief’ is a readiness to believe, not an act of faith.
November 27, 2013 at 5:38 pm
But then how do we interpret this text, is not association with the paschal mystery a part-taking of certain merits?
“Non-Christians, by God’s gracious initiative, when they are faithful to their own consciences, can live “justified by the grace of God”, and thus be “associated to the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ”. But due to the sacramental dimension of sanctifying grace, God’s working in them tends to produce signs and rites, sacred expressions which in turn bring others to a communitarian experience of journeying towards God. While these lack the meaning and efficacy of the sacraments instituted by Christ, they can be channels which the Holy Spirit raises up in order to liberate non-Christians from atheistic immanentism or from purely individual religious experiences. The same Spirit everywhere brings forth various forms of practical wisdom which help people to bear suffering and to live in greater peace and harmony. As Christians, we can also benefit from these treasures built up over many centuries, which can help us better to live our own beliefs.” Evangelii Gaudium 254.
Now there is no one who would be completely faithful to conscience, but still why there is not faith in Jesus Christ that would render possibility to live justified by grace of God and association with paschal mystery? This does not imply salvation, but still, what is actually going on in this paragraph?
December 1, 2013 at 9:52 pm
If we were to take the Pope’s words literally here, we would be saying that somebody could be justified by their works if their actions are faithful to their consciences. There is no mention at all here about the “faith without which it is impossible to please God.” Not to mention such questions as the number of works which would be necessary in order to earn one’s justification? How many works performed in accordance with one’s conscience would be sufficient to be associated with the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ? Would it need one act performed in accordance with conscience to cancel out each sin?
This is not a Catholic soteriology. We are saved by the gratuitous gift of faith working through love: not by faith alone and most certainly not by works alone.
November 27, 2013 at 6:43 pm
Well, it would imply salvation, since anyone who dies in a state of grace is saved.
I think we just have to reject this paragraph. That is legitimate since the statement is not expressed in a binding way. It is not said to be something that Catholics must believe; it is not said to be something that the word of God has made known to us. The footnote that Pope Francis gives is only to a document of the International Theological Commission, which has no magisterial authority.
I think we should pray that this paragraph is rectified before the document is published in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, as Pope John Paul II’s claim in Evangelium Vitae that the souls of aborted children are in heaven was removed from the official version in AAS.