Thank you for your prompt and courteous reply. Do you believe that Novus Ordo people will either be damned or in Purgatory longer than (Traditional) Catholics?
I don't know, if I'm being perfectly honest. I assume by Traditional Catholics you also mean SSPX, etc. who recognise the V2 Popes but resist what Vatican 2 has done to the Church nonetheless. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Certainly the Novus Ordo Church, its lax attitudes, and ecuмenism lead people to modernism, moral relativism and disregarding Catholic dogma, which would then put their souls in grave danger. But just going to Novus Ordo masses and living out a normal Catholic life, unaware of the crisis in the Church and thinking everything's going on fine as before - would that incur such consequences? Obviously praying with and attending mass celebrated by heretics is sinful, and even people who recognise the V2 Popes are well aware the Church is full to the brim with modernist heretics these days, but if someone were to do it blissfully unaware that they were - would it be mortally sinful(it would seem to lack
full culpability)? These are questions I certainly don't have the knowledge to answer, and that I doubt could be definitely answered except by the Pope. And well that's the issue, I believe in this time of Great Apostasy that there is no Pope to do that.
Comparisons could be drawn to Catholics going to mass in dioceses in communion with anti-popes in the past, yet the situation was different as there was always a true Pope present at each of those times.
So in conclusion, although calling it that is inaccurate since nothing I've said is conclusive, I believe that since there is no true Pope or Church to condemn the Novus Ordo Mass or invalidly ordained priests under V2, Catholics would not be guilty of mortally sinning for attending it(as it would not be performed in full knowledge). Therefore they would not be damned for it, and they'd rely on their own faith and works for salvation just as a Traditional Catholic would. As for Penance, I believe Vatican 2 Priests are invalid and therefore their sacraments are too, however Penance can be received in desire so again they would not necessarily be damned for lack of valid Priests. Those are just my rather uneducated opinions though, this crisis is unprecedented and it's hard to compare it to historical events. It takes a greater mind than mine to speak on it.