Limbo Rock

I was reading the BBC online news this morning and I learned that the Vatican may review the state of limbo. I've always thought that limbo was a cruel place to send babies who died before baptism.

Now, I should remind my blog readers that I'm not a even an armchair theologist, so my comments about limbo are nothing more than the personal thoughts of someone who thinks about life and death on a daily basis. Perhaps I wouldn't even have written this blog entry if I wasn't in the process of watching the entire Dekalog by Kieslowski this week. In any case, there's not much I really have to say about limbo. It's just that it strikes me as a formidable thing to bring up in a time when grey areas are shunned by the likes of "you're either with us or against us" or small print contracts designed to avoid equivocation.

While I'd like to think of myself as a tolerant person, I also feel that any review of the state of limbo as too little too late from the Roman Catholic church. I seriously doubt that a review of this apparently unofficial Church teaching will draw back the sheep that have strayed away from the flock.

The BBC correspondent says that "some have suggested that the possible change is an attempt by the Vatican to prevent people in developing countries with high infant mortality rates turning to Islam - Muslims believe the souls of stillborn babies go straight to paradise." The report goes on to say that is has already been denied by Catholic theologians, but it does make you wonder how anyone who believes in heaven could think that the soul of an unbaptized infant child who dies before they can walk, talk or lift anything heavier than a few grams can go anywhere but straight to heaven.