Do babies who die without baptism go to "limbo"?
Thursday, August 4, 2005 All who die in
unrepentant mortal sin and in original sin go immediately to hell. There
is a writing of Pius VI (1775-1799), where he condemns 85 propositions
of the heretical council of Pistoia and its bishop.
One of these propositions rejected "as a Pelagian fable
the existence of the place (usually called the children's limbo) in
which the souls of those dying in original sin are punished by the pain
of loss without any pain of fire."
So in a sort of indirect way, it seems that the Pope
would say that, well, yes, there is a place of loss for those who die in
original sin without baptism (yes, guys, that’s how real original sin is
and how real its consequences are); but that there is a punishment of
both loss and of fire for those who die in actual mortal sin. But this
would be by deduction, and we can’t really say the Pope exactly put it
that way.
It would be a heresy to say there were a third place
between the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal damnation. (It's humorous to
see how the pagans, like today's contemporary leftist media, approach
the questions of faith - such as the eternal destiny of souls - when
they themselves have no faith. Let's pray for them.)
St. Augustine, in his anti-Pelagian discourses, states
that such infants “receive the least of punishments.”
The document of Pius VI in 1794 is called Auctorem Fidei.
- A far better investigation into the whole question of
limbo can be found in this superb article by Brian Harrison here:
http://www.seattlecatholic.com/a051207.html. I differ with him in his clear
assertions as regard what the Magisterium may and may not say infallibly on this
matter: I think that's for the Magisterium itself to determine, not for any of
us the faithful. The profitable aspect of the article is the historical work
regarding which things were said and with what authority throughout the history
of the Church on the question of "limbo." |
