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Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5) The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: CCC 1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation (cf. Jn 3:5). He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them (cf. Mt 28:19-20). Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament (cf. Mk 16:16). God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments. This means that God has promised to act through the Sacraments, but He is not limited by the Sacraments. Normative (not absolute) necessity The Church teaches that the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist are "necessary for salvation". But this must be understood not an absolute necessity, but as a normative necessity. This means that Baptism is the normative (normal) way to receive sanctifying grace from God (establishing a saving relationship) and receiving the Eucharist is a normative way to grow in sanctifying grace. Possibility of salvation for non-baptized believers in Christ "Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience." - Lumen gentium, 16 It is possible for someone to hear evidence for the importance of Baptism, but, through no fault of their own, to believe baptism is not necessary. Thus they would still be "invincibly ignorant" and could be saved. According to Catholic moral theology, God does not hold people responsible for an erroneous conscience (ignorance/error about what is sinful), provided that ignorance is not culpable (i.e. not due to their own fault, neglect, or deliberate fostering). God is the only one who can accurately judge whether a particular person is ignorant of the Gospel "through no fault of their own", is "sincerely seeking" Him, and is "striving by their deeds to do His will" according to the dictates of their conscience", etc. Nonetheless I think it is clear that a large number of Protestants (who did not get baptized due to erroneous teaching) still sincerely followed the Lord according to their conscience, and died in a saving relationship with Him. Example of Scott Hahn The Catechism teaches what the actual interior state would need to be to be excluded from salvation for refusing to become Catholic: CCC 846 “Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.” One example of a person who reached this point of "knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary..." while studying the Catholic Church was Scott Hahn. Early on in his investigation, he had promised his wife that he would not convert before 1990. Then in 1986, he told his wife: "Ever since I began going to Mass at the University, I have ached, ached to receive the Lord in the Eucharist. And now I am so convicted of the truth of the Catholic Church that if I did not join the Church and receive the Lord in this way, I believe I'll be disobeying the Lord." - Scott & Kimberly Hahn, Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism, p. 93. Kimberly realized she should not hold him to his earlier promise, and Scott entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 1986. God holds each person accountable based on the evidence and graces they have been given. Further Resources Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism has more teaching on Protestantism and its salvific elements. See my recent comment Catholic teaching on Protestantism.
God's desire Vatican II addressed the question of salvation for non-Catholic Christians and also non-believers by first citing two Scripture passages that reveal God's desire for the salvation of every human being: "Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things (cf. Acts 17:25-28), and as Saviour wills that all men be saved (cf.1 Tim 2:4). - Lumen gentium, 16. Possibility of salvation The same document teaches the possibility of salvation for theists and non-Catholic Christians: "Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life." - Lumen gentium, 16 It is possible for someone to know about the Catholic Church, hear evidence for Catholic claims and teachings, but, through no fault of their own, to judge the evidence provided to be insufficient (i.e. "not enough") to warrant belief. Thus they would still be "invincibly ignorant" and could be saved. According to Catholic moral theology, God does not hold people responsible for an erroneous conscience (ignorance/error about what is sinful), provided that ignorance is not culpable (i.e. not due to their own fault, neglect, or deliberate fostering). God is the only one who can accurately judge whether a particular person is ignorant of the Gospel "through no fault of their own", is "sincerely seeking" Him, and is "striving by their deeds to do His will" according to the dictates of their conscience", etc. Nonetheless I think it is clear that a large number of Protestants (who did not become Catholic for one reason or another) still sincerely followed the Lord according to their conscience, and died in a saving relationship with Him. The Catechism teaches what the actual interior state would need to be to be excluded from salvation for refusing to become Catholic: CCC 846 “Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.” Example of Scott Hahn One example of a person who reached this point of "knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary..." while studying the Catholic Church was Scott Hahn. Early on in his investigation, he had promised his wife that he would not convert before 1990. Then in 1986, he told his wife: "Ever since I began going to Mass at the University, I have ached, ached to receive the Lord in the Eucharist. And now I am so convicted of the truth of the Catholic Church that if I did not join the Church and receive the Lord in this way, I believe I'll be disobeying the Lord." - Scott & Kimberly Hahn, Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism, p. 93. Kimberly realized she should not hold him to his earlier promise, and Scott entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 1986. God holds each person accountable based on the evidence and graces they have been given. Further Resources Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism has more teaching on Protestantism and its salvific elements. See my recent comment Catholic teaching on Protestantism