"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13).
Several sources in the secular press have suggested that the Catholic Church recently tossed out an article of faith known as "Limbo." In actuality, Limbus Infantium (Limbo of Infants) has never been more than a theological hypothesis regarding the fate of infants who die without baptism.
The theory of Limbo presumes a state of happiness after death that excludes face to face fellowship with God. Although free from personal sin, these souls lack sanctifying grace, which is necessary for salvation. Beginning sometime during the Middle Ages, Limbo became a commonly accepted belief, but at no time has it ever entered the deposit of faith as definitive Magisterial teaching.
Confusion in the press has arisen since the release of a new document by The International Theological Commission (ITC); The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized on April 20. Undoubtedly, notions of a U-turn in Catholic doctrine are not issued from sources that have actually read the document, or have a clear understanding of definitive Catholic teaching and doctrinal development. (Note: Documents of the ITC are not considered official expressions of the Magisterium, but only serve in an advisory role). The document supports prayerful hope for infants who die without baptism to enter Heaven, but also does not preclude the theological possibility of Limbo.
Parents who have experienced the loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death suffer tremendously, so there is a real pastoral need to address this issue. Placing hope and trust in the mercy of God for the salvation of these children is reasonable. The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes no mention of Limbo, but does explain that "the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God" and "allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children that have died without baptism" (CCC, n. 1261).
On this subject, it is of great concern that the Church today reflect upon the fate of the innocent lost through abortion, in-vitro fertilization and the many forms of implantation-preventing contraception. By these means, countless lives are ended after barely having had a chance to begin. In the hope of shedding light on a very sensitive issue, the ITC carefully prepared this document, originally commissioned under Pope John Paul II.
It is important to clarify that hope for the unbaptized does not in any way abolish the reality of original sin, or render the sacrament of baptism unnecessary for infants. On the contrary, Christian parents should do everything in their power to ensure that children receive baptism as soon as possible after birth. This is a serious obligation with very grave implications.
Hope for infants who do not receive baptism lies hidden in the infinite mercy and omnipotence of God, who is never bound by ordinary means of salvation: "God has bound salvation to the sacrament of baptism, but he Himself is not bound by His sacraments" (CCC, n. 1257). The ways of God are far above and beyond limitation.
Other means of baptism recognized by the Church include the baptism of blood and the baptism of desire. Martyrdom is an example of salvation received through baptism of blood, whereby one dies for his faith without having received sacramental baptism. In the baptism of desire, one can receive salvation through an explicit desire for baptism, repentance and charity expressed before death.
Perhaps in some mysterious way, the souls of infants participate to an extent in these forms of baptism, though were unable to express free will in life. It would also seem reasonable to imagine that others in the mystical Body of Christ or guardian angels somehow intercede with desire on behalf of unbaptized infants. Parents and godparents do so for living infants in sacramental baptism.
In 23 years of OB nursing, I have yet to find words to express the deep sorrow felt by everyone in the delivery room when a baby is stillborn. I have yet to understand why things like this happen. Looking into the angelic little faces of these children, one mourns alongside parents and holds onto hope in the mercy of God, never losing the sense of mystery in faith:
"I carried you in hope the long nine months of my term…You came. You did not cry. You did not breathe. We had not expected this…They will say that you did not live, register you as stillborn. But you lived for me all that time in the dark chamber of my womb. When I think of you now, perfect in your little death, I know that for me you are born still. I shall carry you with me forever, my child. You were always mine, and you are mine now. Death and life are the same mysteries" (from "Stillborn," by L. Clark, 1981). Natalie Kigerl is a parishioner at St. Mary Church, Palmdale, and a professed member of the Order of Secular Discalced Carmelites in Alhambra. She currently works as a registered nurse in the OB/GYN department at Kaiser Permanente, and volunteers nursing and ultrasound services at a pro-life center affiliated with the Right to Life League of Southern California.
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