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One other main theological evolution of the council was its consideration of salvation outside of the Catholic Church. Prior to Vatican II it had long been the position of the Church that participation in the sacrament and belonging to the Catholic communion were essential for salvation. Though the Church still claims it is the medium through which God chose to extend salvation to mankind, it very explicitly suggested that salvation for those not belonging to the Catholic Church was certainly possible. Karl Rahner’s theology of the “Anonymous Christian” was particularly influential in the development of this doctrine.
According to Rahner, it is entirely possible that an individual not belonging to the Church explicitly could be part of the church through the way they live according to their conscience and the demands of natural law. However, Rahner explicitly contends this theory is only applicable in cases where an individual is ignorant of the Gospel, not in cases where it is merely rejected. This approach is known as Constitutive Inclusivism. It states Christ and the Church are necessary for salvation, but asserts the possibility of God saving someone who does not belong to the Church.<ref>For more on Karl Rahner’s "Anonymous Christian" see: Kilby, Karen. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415259657/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415259657&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=0d088c2e3ed6d290f974ef0915bd33e5 Karl Rahner: Theology and Philosophy ] </i>. (London: Routledge, 2004).</ref>
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