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Catholics no longer "in limbo" about LIMBO!
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Posted by: eagle4him
Catholic Church buries limbo after centuries
Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:21pm ET
by Philip Pullella
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)."
The Church teaches that baptism removes original sin which stains all souls since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden.
"NO NEGATION OF BAPTISM"
The document stressed that its conclusions should not be interpreted as questioning original sin or "used to negate the necessity of baptism or delay the conferral of the sacrament". Limbo, which comes from the Latin word meaning "border" or "edge", was considered by medieval theologians to be a state or place reserved for the unbaptized dead, including good people who lived before the coming of Christ.
"People find it increasingly difficult to accept that God is just and merciful if he excludes infants, who have no personal sins, from eternal happiness, whether they are Christian or non-Christian," the document said.
It said the study was made all the more pressing because "the number of nonbaptised infants has grown considerably, and therefore the reflection on the possibility of salvation for these infants has become urgent".
The commission's conclusions had been widely expected.
In writings before his election as Pope in 2005, the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made it clear he believed the concept of limbo should be abandoned because it was "only a theological hypothesis" and "never a defined truth of faith". In the Divine Comedy, Dante placed virtuous pagans and great classical philosophers, including Plato and Socrates, in limbo. The Catholic Church's official catechism, issued in 1992 after decades of work, dropped the mention of limbo.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Posted by: MarkSentMe
It's a start. 
I never was comfortable with the belief that unbaptized babies and children who died would go to hell. It doesn't mesh with Scripture where Jesus says,"Let the children come to me."
Posted by: BrendaMagana
Thanks be to God this rather long standing issue has been clarified. I heartily welcome the development.
It is a step in the right direction- a pointer to the teachings as given to us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Posted by: Frederik
Great, now where limbo's gone they can also deal with issues such as:
-praying to saints
-Mary worship
-the eucharist
-priests forgiving sins
-salvation through grace and not through works
-the infallability of the pope
...
Posted by: BrendaMagana
Lord of the Vineyard, please continue working on the catholic church and directing their paths.
I thank You for the changes they recently made.
In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen