Who will be saved?
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
29 Aug 2004
“How many people will go to Heaven?” is usually a question asked by people of faith i.e. believers in the one true God and his judgement on what we do with our lives.
Modern unbelievers are more likely to state that they do not believe in life after death for anyone; while others explain that they do not know what to believe.
Jesus gave an unclear answer about how many will be saved but he did explain that the entry point is narrow. On the other hand there are quite a few Christians who have formed their views on heaven (but not on hell) from the world around us, as well as the bible. So they continue to believe in life after death and come dangerously close to asserting the right of every human being to heaven.
There is nothing in Christian teaching to justify the claim that everyone has a right to life after death, much less an eternity of happiness. In fact I have long suspected that those who believe everyone goes to heaven are very little distance from believing that no one goes to heaven!
While there is an almost universal longing for life after death, the dead are very silent. We believe in life after death because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has told us that is the way things are; i.e. heaven or hell judged on the presence or absence of faith, love or hate in our lives.
The Scriptural images of our union with God in heaven through Jesus Christ (which is beyond our understanding) are quite reassuring and beautiful; life, light, peace, a wedding feast, wine of the Kingdom, the Father’s house, the heavenly Jerusalem, paradise; but there are also New Testament texts explaining Christ’s teaching on hell, on punishment for evil doers.
Catholics do not believe that only Catholics or Christians will be saved, but the Scriptures do not give any warrant for easy reassurances that everyone will be saved. Two basic teachings should always be remembered. The first is that we are sons and daughters of God, and children do have rights. Secondly we must always remember that Jesus told us to call God “father” and God our Father loves us. Therefore we can be sure of love, mercy and justice.
We do not know how many are saved. There is no definitive Catholic teaching that any individual is in hell. God is predictable, reliable, just and loving. He is not out to trick us and send us downstairs unawares.
Neither do I know how God will judge disputed cases, but no one will be damned by God for an accident of birth or a truly innocent mistake. Unbelievers but genuine searchers for truth struggling towards the light in love would have good claims on the Father. Their service of others will be an important criterion of judgement. God is good.
