God is God. If He wants to do secret and hidden things concerning "secret and hidden members" and their salvation - that is really His business, not ours (before someone jumps all over me, I am only using those terms because we lack the definitive theological precision as ruled on by he highest authority concerning this topic - all the nuances, etc.)

Yes. This is how I understand it as well.

God will always provide the necessary graces for those whom He knows will be saved.

They must enter the Church (in some way) before death, but the answer to how is still in the speculative stages.

(remember I linked you this already: https://archive.org/details/necessityofchurc0000king)
In there you can see clearly that there has been "development of doctrine" on this point and this was ongoing right through Vatican II.

No one should be called "heretic" for holding the same opinions that were tolerated by the Church for centuries w/o being officially condemned.
Neither should one be called "heretic" for choosing NOT to hold those opinions (not saying you did either of those).

It is similar to what happened between the Molinists and Thomists concerning the debate on grace.

The Pope simply said (paraphrasing), "You cannot call each other heretics, both opinions may be tolerated". and he left it at that.

The problem we keep encountering is displayed by what this whole thread has devolved into - the secret and hidden judgments of God and we are, "not allowed to proceed further."

God is God. If He wants to do secret and hidden things concerning "secret and hidden members" and their salvation - that is really His business, not ours (before someone jumps all over me, I am only using those terms because we lack the definitive theological precision as ruled on by he highest authority concerning this topic - all the nuances, etc.)

We will not unravel all the answers to these questions because;

A) Even if we think we have found the definitive answer on all these things - we have no Pope to decide on it, so it still remains just an opinion.
B) Even if we did have a Pope he could just do what he did with the debate on grace and tell us all to "let it alone".

It will always be the true teaching to be saved one must, repent and believe in the Gospel, be baptized and hold/live the faith - and there is, "no salvation outside the Church."

One cannot be obligated to hold these speculative opinions under penalty of the censure of heresy.
Neither can one be obligated to shun them as if they were already condemned.

Anything past that is God's wheelhouse and we will just have to wait for eternity to learn a little more.

There is no contradiction in God, but man is full of and prone to contradiction.

Man rushes to judgement, chops and hacks at his fellows, shows little to no mercy, and thinks himself wise all the while.

Saying that Jews, Hindus, Muslims, etc. can be saved as Jews Hindus, Muslims, etc. in their false religions is heretical. It is contrary to Dogma (the teaching of Eugene IV at Florence, as one example)

 ^^This is what the majority of trads and trad clerics do. That is the major issue here

Yes, it has to do with "invincible ignorance." St. Thomas says,

217. Third, he shows their worth in that they, having not the law, are a law to themselves....

The gentiles (those outside) "having not the law," meaning they are IGNORANT of the divine law, are a "law to themselves," meaning they follow the natural law illumined by divine light of grace. They are "invincibly ignorant" of the divine laws given to the Israelites because they were not given those laws. They lived in China or the New World or whatever.

And they are only culpable for that which they know. They are not culpable for those things that they cannot know are morally wrong. Why? Again, because they are "invincibly ignorant." What they know is what God Himself has shown them.

That doesn't mean that they don't do things that are objectively offensive to God. They almost certainly do. But they don't know any better. The natural law is a very minimalistic set of moral precepts. But if they keep those minimal precepts, then God is happy with them because they are IGNORANT of the full set of moral precepts, the divine law.

Don't worry, the barbarian hordes are not going to overrun the Pearly Gates. Most people do not keep the natural law. Most people (Catholics included) only keep the divine law because they are afraid of going to Hell.

No, I am not confused. But you are.

Pius IX said:

"There are, of course, those who are struggling with invincible ignorance about our most holy religion. Sincerely observing the natural law and its precepts inscribed by God on all hearts and ready to obey God, they live honest lives and are able to attain eternal life by the efficacious virtue of divine light and grace. Because God knows, searches and clearly understands the minds, hearts, thoughts, and nature of all, his supreme kindness and clemency do not permit anyone at all who is not guilty of deliberate sin to suffer eternal punishments."

You said: "There is NO ONE who DIES invincibly ignorant of the Faith, who lived a life in accordance with the natural law.  This is heresy.

You directly contradict what Pius IX said. You are saying that Pius IX taught heresy. Are you sure you want to say that?

Chapter 3 On faith
Since human beings are totally dependent on God as their creator and lord, and created reason is completely subject to uncreated truth, we are obliged to yield to God the revealer full submission of intellect and will by faith.
This faith, which is the beginning of human salvation, the catholic church professes to be
a supernatural virtue,
by means of which,
with the grace of God inspiring and assisting us,
we believe to be true what He has revealed,
not because we perceive its intrinsic truth by the natural light of reason,
but because of the authority of God himself, who makes the revelation and can neither deceive nor be deceived.
Faith, declares the Apostle, is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen [17].
Nevertheless, in order that the submission of our faith should be in accordance with reason, it was God’s will that there should be linked to the internal assistance of the holy Spirit external indications of his revelation, that is to say divine acts, and
first and foremost miracles and prophecies,
which clearly demonstrating as they do the omnipotence and infinite knowledge of God, are
the most certain signs of revelation and are
suited to the understanding of all.
Hence
Moses
and the prophets,
and especially Christ our lord himself,
worked many absolutely clear miracles and delivered prophecies;
while of the apostles we read:
And they went forth and preached every, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it [18] . Again it is written:
We have the prophetic word made more sure; you will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place [19] .
Now,
although the assent of faith is by no means a blind movement of the mind,
yet no one can accept the gospel preaching
in the way that is necessary for achieving salvation
without the inspiration and illumination of the holy Spirit,
who gives to all facility in accepting and believing the truth [20] .
And so faith in itself,
even though it may not work through charity,
is a gift of God,
and its operation is a work belonging to the order of salvation,
in that a person yields true obedience to God himself when he accepts and collaborates with his grace which he could have rejected.
Wherefore, by divine and catholic faith all those things are to be believed
which are contained in the word of God as found in scripture and tradition,
and which are proposed by the church as matters to be believed as divinely revealed,
whether by her solemn judgment
or in her ordinary and universal magisterium.
Since, then, without faith it is impossible to please God [21] and reach the fellowship of his sons and daughters, it follows that
no one can ever achieve justification without it,
neither can anyone attain eternal life unless he or she perseveres in it to the end.
So that we could fulfil our duty of embracing the true faith and of persevering unwaveringly in it, God, through his only begotten Son,
founded the church,
and he endowed his institution with clear notes to the end that she might be recognised by all as the guardian and teacher of the revealed word.
To the catholic church alone belong all those things, so many and so marvellous, which have been divinely ordained to make for the manifest credibility of the christian faith.