The Catechism is a doctrinal document (note the introduction to every Catechism has an Apostolic Constitution called
Fidei Depositum).
You need to normalize that quote you pulled with the rest of the document to understand Catholic doctrine. Read this:
Catechism of the Catholic Church - PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 9 PARAGRAPH 3
"Outside the Church there is no salvation"
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. 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.
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: 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 they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.
"Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."
Catholics teach that paragraph 841, which you quoted, is based on Christ coming not to damn but to save mankind.
But they state in the catechism that there is no salvation outside of Christ and His Church. Us
Protestant Christians baptized with the Triune baptismal formula qualify as saved in their view though they maintain we are in an imperfect relationship with the Catholic Church.
Look at the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions Nostra Aetate:
Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-christian religions - Nostra Aetate
No recognition of Muhammad, the Qur'an, the correctness of what Muhammad taught, or any assertion that what "Muslims" believe today is necessarily identical with what Muhammad taught. It is recognized that there is some truth among Muslims, but there is no recognition given of any specific revelation except to the Jews and Christians.
So, as becomes clear in other Church documents, whatever truth there may be in what Muslims believe must come either from the universal truths that God has always made accessible to the minds and hearts of all people or else by transmission from the special divine revelation granted to the pre-Christian Jews and Christians.
Many Protestants wonder what the future holds; however. Given the Catholic Church's doctrine of "living teaching authority of the Catholic Church" (which the vast majority of Protestants do not accept instead holding to sola scriptura), will the Catholic Church at some point believe they have the authority to impart salvation to Muslims and do so in a manner reminiscent of how they teach they can impart salvation through their sacraments?
This would certainly be in direct opposition to scripture resulting in Muslims being deceived by the Catholic Church that they don't have to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved... that a Catholic Church decree is good enough and they can keep on being Muslims. But, as I said, that's just speculation at this point.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican City: Liguori Publications, 1994) says this: The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims./QUOTE]
