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Pope explains why he is ditching limbo
Last updated at 13:52pm on 06.10.06
Pope Benedict XVI will today announce the scrapping of a centuries old Roman Catholic belief that of limbo.
According to church teachings the souls of unbaptised children who die enter this state between Heaven and Hell.
All this week thirty senior church figures have been attending a meeting at the Vatican of the International Theological Commission led by cardinal William Levada.
Cardinal Levada is head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and the commission has been meeting on and off since called by the late Pope John Paul II.
His successor Pope Benedict is known not to be in favour of the concept which has been part of Catholic teachings since the Middle Ages.
In 1984 when Pope Benedict was Cardinal Joseph Raztinger he was asked his views on limbo and said: "It is a theological hypothesis. It is linked to the cause of original sin but many babies die because they are victims."
Vatican insiders aid yesterday that the commission and the Pope will report back the fact that even if not baptised "all children go to heaven."
The Catholic Church is aware of the fact that Muslims believe that all children go to Heaven and given the current tense state with Islam will draw on this fact when it issues its conclusions on Friday.
Although there is no basis for it in Scripture the traditional answer is Limbo, from the Latin limbus, meaning a hem, edge or boundary.
It is described as the temporary resting place of "the souls of good persons who died before the resurrection of Jesus" (limbus patrum) and the permanent home in the afterlife of "the unbaptised who die in infancy without having been freed from original sin" (limbus infantium).
The most recent Catholic teaching on limbo dates back to 1905 when Pope Pius X stated:"Children who die without being baptised go to limbo, where they don't enjoy God, but don't suffer either, because whilst carrying the original sin they don't deserve paradise but neither do they deserve Hell or purgatory."
In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance limbo was great focus for writers and artists.
Dante in the Inferno described it as the "first circle of Hell" while painters such as Giotti used it for several of their works.
Reader views (4)
I am quite disturbed by this development from a purely theological consideration. While I respect the Ordinary Magisterium of the Church, I am anticipating endless discussions concerning the justification for this change. I am looking forward to a very thorough theological and exegetical exposition in justification of this modification and its implication to the infallibility of the Church in matters of faith and morals. Still, I trust in the Holy Spirit to preserve the Church from teaching errors and in the Promise of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with his Church and the grace of the Father to teach us the truth. May the Most Blessed Trinity preserve our Church and His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI from unholy error. Amen
- Natz Rp, Philippines
The Pope announcing that limbo does not exist will be a bad move. Limbo does exist and has been talked about by Catholic saints and Popes. Children unbaptised will go to limbo and the Pope and a bunch of post-Vatican II theologians thinking otherwise is not going to change the fact. Are they trying to change the 2000 year old traditions and beliefs of the Roman Catholic church?This places the grave danger of Catholics trusting in Pope Benedict XVl 's views and not baptising their babies in time. Is the Pope trying to say that children are not born with original sin? That's WRONG!
- Lolita Bhatt, USA
An unbaptised child dies early and is denied heaven. Why should it suffer the guilt of others?
- John.Todd, London
Phew, for a moment I thought he'd given up on limbo dancing. Keep it up your Holiness and you'll live to be a 100.
The concept of original sin should be an anathema to all reasonable people and it is right that it be ditched. But it should have been done centuries ago. I would go along with Jean Jacques Rousseau who believed that all children are born in pure innocence and it is only society that constrains and shackles their freedoms.
- Dhanraj, Basildon, Essex
