VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Church has effectively buried the concept of limbo, the place where centuries of tradition and teaching held that babies who die without baptism went.
In a long-awaited document, the Church's International Theological Commission said limbo reflected an "unduly restrictive view of salvation."
The 41-page document was published on Friday by Origins, the documentary service of the U.S.-based Catholic News Service, which is part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Pope Benedict, himself a top theologian who before his election in 2005 expressed doubts about limbo, authorized the publication of the document, called "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptised."
The verdict that limbo could now rest in peace had been expected for years. The document was seen as most likely the final word since limbo was never part of Church doctrine, even though it was taught to Catholics well into the 20th century.
"The conclusion of this study is that there are theological and liturgical reasons to hope that infants who die without baptism may be saved and brought into eternal happiness even if there is not an explicit teaching on this question found in revelation," it said.
"There are reasons to hope that God will save these infants precisely because it was not possible (to baptize them)."...
So.. some focking rule book they live by then if they just choose to change the rules to fit their requirements. This is just why I loath the church, the idea that a 'pure' child is destined to a worse afterlife just because the parents didn't get them dunked in the holy sheep dip. I find the whole idea repugnant.
One of my sisters died at birth. My mother was not allowed to bury her in holy ground (and this is in Ireland). It was only about 10 years ago that they changed this and allowed her to be reburied in the cemetary. You can imagine the emotional trauma of the whole episode. It's about time they started to recognise the implications of their actions, and it's not surprising that people turn their back on religion.
this is why i dislike churches more than i dislike religion. they try to make stuff up themselves. it is bad enough following words in a book but for them to think they can intepret the god they supposedly follow is blasphemous surely. by that logic, any organised religon is blasphemous as they are continually taking the lords name in vain.
I thought it was already well-established that religion is bogus.
Two thoughts do occur, though.
First off, all those unbaptised children that died before Limbo was abolished, what happens to them?
Second, with the concept replacing limbo, let's say some unbaptised person commits a few mortal sins, doesn't repent at all, and dies - does he automatically get salvation because of being unbaptised?
People who are rejected by Hell for being too depraved are turned into a Wingding, and are destined to wander the earth in a state of constant arousal for all eternity.
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