Dear Ken:

I can try to explain:

There is only one way to reach heaven: through Jesus Christ and His Church (the Catholic Church). This is the dogma of the faith.

But that dogma must be properly understood. Those, THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, who do not know Jesus or His Church, who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, MAY, POSSIBLY, be saved by God's grace and mercy. When God does save a person in this irregular way, He does so THROUGH the Catholic Church and Jesus, though the actual mechanism of how this is done is a mystery.

This doctrine is tied to the principles of the doctrine on mortal sin. No one goes to hell unless he has mortal sin on his soul. If a person is impaired in any way in being able to make a free decision to commit the sin, then the sin may not be counted as mortal even though it is grave.

If a person does not even know that Jesus exists how can he make a profession of faith? There are peoples even today so isolated that they know little to nothing about the outside world and its religions. Are they to go to hell because they are ignorant of Jesus and His Church? God forbid. What kind of cruel God would allow an ignorant person go to hell who is trying to live a good live and to seek God as best as they know how? That is like executing a mentally ill person who cannot understand the crime he has committed.

God will judge those people according to their hearts and will act accordingly.

In the same manner, others who may have literally heard of Jesus and His Church but have not sincerely understood or been convinced may possibly, but we do not know for sure, find salvation if their lack of being convinced is through no fault of their own and is genuine. If they feign ignorance, whoa to them. But only God can know that.

Mortal sin works in a similar way. One may commit a grave sin, but still not have it count to him as mortal because there were some mitigating circumstances that diminishes his ability to make an unimpaired free decision to commit the sin knowing it was grave.

No one goes to hell with eyes closed. One must reject God openly and freely with eyes completely open and with complete understanding of what they are doing.

God may save whom He wishes. He is God. His normal way of salvation is through an open and literal profession of faith in Jesus and being a "card-carrying" member of the Catholic Church. That is the most sure way. But this does not preclude that God may, if He wishes, save others who for some reason, not of their own fault, have not come to a saving faith in Christ and in His Church.

No one is saved through Islam, or Buddhism, or whatever. Those systems of Religion will save no one. Only Christ and His Catholic Church saves. All who come to the Father come through Christ and His Catholic Church. But, there are many doors to the Church. Most of us come through the front door, others come through a side door, and some may come through the basement door. It is God's decision, not ours. The Church only recognizes the possibility.

I hope this helps a little.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary