Catholic News Service: Closing the doors of limbo: Theologians say it was hypothesis
An international group of Vatican-appointed theologians is about to recommend that the Catholic Church close the doors of limbo forever.
Many Catholics grew up thinking limbo—the place where babies who have died without baptism spend eternity in a state of "natural happiness" but not in the presence of God—was part of Catholic tradition.
Instead, it was a hypothesis—a theory held out as a possible way to balance the Christian belief in the necessity of baptism with belief in God's mercy.
Like hypotheses in any branch of science, a theological hypothesis can be proven wrong or be set aside when it is clear it does not help explain Catholic faith.
Oh, I had not realised they could change the rules at the drop of a mitre like that. This is very encouraging.
Other dodgy hypotheses the church might care to reconsider: papal infallibilty, virgin birth, transubstantiation, heaven, hell, evil, miracles, god.
Actually, the Church can't change things at the drop of a mitre, hence the panel of theologians who examine scripture and Catholic tradition at long length.
Limbo isn't a major teaching for Catholics and this is the first day I've heard it brought up in decades. Its not in the Nicene Creed.
I would be curious to hear the theology on infant death that Protestants all agree on as I don't recall any missionaries discussing that with me.
Actually, you don't need a theology on infant death. In fact, you don't need a theology on anything. Children die; it's very sad. If I were an omnipotent, caring entity, I'd put a stop to it straight away, but the Lord moves in mysterious ways, apparently. Go figure.
(By the way, I might be a despicable heathen, but I'm certainly not a Protestant.)