![]() Thus, Benedict's document was promulgated. In the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, many prominent theologians saw the need to weigh in on the concept of limbo and address many of the unsettling questions surrounding it. Part of the reward of going to Heaven for those who enter the glory of God is having all these matters made clear. They ask, "Where is the love? What about those millions of poor souls who have been murdered through abortion in their mother's wombs? Did not Jesus die to redeem especially the most vulnerable of souls?"Īgain, the Church has never officially made any doctrinal pronouncements regarding limbo, so a Catholic is free to speculate. Augustine's assignment of all the unbaptized to an upper chamber of Hell is harsh and confusing. Although these infants are punished in hell, they will suffer only the "mildest condemnation" ( "mitissima poena"), "the lightest punishment of all", for there are diverse punishments in proportion to the guilt of the sinner.įor contemporary Catholics, St. If he condemns unbaptised children to hell, it is because they are sinners. Why are little children brought to the baptismal font, especially infants in danger of death, if not to assure them entrance into the Kingdom of God? Why are they subjected to exorcisms and exsufflations if they do not have to be delivered from the devil? Why are they born again if they do not need to be made new? Liturgical practice confirms the Church's belief that all inherit Adam's sin and must be transferred "from the power of darkness into the kingdom of light." ( Col 1:13) There is only one baptism, the same for infants and adults, and it is for the forgiveness of sins. Augustine speculated that "infants who die without Baptism are consigned to hell."Ĭountering Pelagius' denial of Original Sin, Augustine writes: 354–430) was an opponent of Pelagius and his heretical theology. Despite his unexcelled brilliance in explaining many profound theological concepts, St. Pelagius denied that anyone inherited Original Sin at birth, so no infant had any need for the sacrament of baptism. Pelagius reasoned that since infants had neither Original Sin nor any personal sins, they had no need at all to be baptized. ![]() ( Photo: Flicker/Roman Catholic archdiocese of Boston) A.D. 344–418), who taught that there was no such thing as Original Sin. This was, in large part, in response to Pelagius (c. They defined it as an upper chamber of Hell, a place where all the unbaptized go: all those who died before, during or just after birth, including those who, through no fault of their own, died without the grace of baptism.ĭigging a little deeper, despite its nebulous nature, the concept of limbo got loads of traction from theologians. In the Pastįor many centuries, Catholic theologians have speculated about limbo. Thankfully, many now dismiss the idea of limbo altogether, if they think about it at all, and realize that God sent His Son into the world to redeem humanity - not to condemn to limbo all those who die before birth or are killed through abortion. Individuals like me, who had family members die at birth, welcomed this beautifully written study. ![]() This document ended the idle speculations. The Church has never officially made any doctrinal pronouncements regarding limbo. Under his approval, a commission of theologians produced The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized. To them, this place was basically a "Hell light."īut in 2007, but Pope Benedict XVI came to the rescue. And its occupants were denied ever seeing God. Many mistakenly think that limbo is part of Purgatory - or even just a different name for it. To add to the confusion, Sacred Scripture does not mention limbo even once.Īs I heard it bantered about in my youth, limbo was said to be in an upper chamber of Hell, without the sulfur and brimstone. The second definition, the one being addressed here, is "the permanent place or state of those unbaptized children and others who, dying without grievous personal sin, are excluded from the beatific vision on account of original sin." The first is called the limbo of the patriarchs. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes it as "the temporary place or state of the souls of the just who, although purified from sin, were excluded from the beatific vision until Christ's triumphant ascension into Heaven." But even after understanding it, I argue that we should do away with it altogether.įor the sake of clarity, there are two theological definitions for limbo. Most Catholics, including clerics, have never had a clear understanding of it. Despite being a hot topic going back to the early Church, the theological opinions regarding limbo have never been confirmed as official Church doctrine.
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