Can non-Christians who do not know the Gospel be saved?
Yes, through the mercy of Jesus Christ and His Church. The Second Vatican Council taught in Lumen Gentium (no. 16) that 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 known through the dictates of their conscience, can attain eternal salvation. All salvation comes through Jesus Christ, but God can apply the saving grace of Christ's cross in ways known only to Himself.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 846-848
- 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.