Does the Catholic Church believe in the modern concept of the 'Secret Rapture'?
No. The popular 19th-century theory of a 'secret rapture' (where believers disappear silently years before a separate public return of Christ) was invented in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and is unknown to historic Christianity. Catholic eschatology teaches a single, glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ (the Parousia). At His return, the dead will be raised, the final judgment will occur, and all history will be brought to fulfillment. First Thessalonians 4 describes the faithful meeting the returning King in the clouds to escort Him into His kingdom.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 675-677
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1001
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.