Theologians to ask Pope to suspend limbo?

[emad]

Theologians to ask Pope to suspend limbo?
Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:33 AM ET

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Limbo -- the place where the Catholic Church teaches that babies go if they die before being baptized -- may have its days numbered.

According to Italian media reports on Tuesday, an international theological commission will advise Pope Benedict to eliminate the teaching about limbo from the Catholic catechism.

The Catholic Church teaches that babies who die before they can be baptized go to limbo, whose name comes from the Latin for "border" or "edge," because they deserve neither heaven nor hell.

Last October, seven months before he died, Pope John Paul asked the commission to come up with "a more coherent and enlightened way" of describing the fate of such innocents.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2005-11-30T143158Z_01_DIT052305_RTRUKOC_0_US-POPE-LIMBO.xml


HELL WILL FREEZE OVER FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!

[WCGreen]

1. Limbo in Limbo.....

[emad]

2. Vatican puts limbo in a state of, er ... limbo

By DOUG SAUNDERS


In Latin, it means "the lip," and for centuries devout Roman Catholics have tried to avoid thinking about its full meaning: the edge of hell, where those who have died without baptism -- notably babies -- are sent for eternity.

Now it seems that limbo, a place invented in the Middle Ages that soon became a well-known part of the architecture of the cosmos, is about to be struck from the theological blueprints as part of the Vatican's lengthy renovation of its heavenly layout.

Its place, alongside such well-known medieval additions as the gates of heaven, the nine circles of hell, purgatory and the heavenly vestibule, has become increasingly shaky, and yesterday, the Italian media reported that an international commission of high-ranking theologians intends to advise Pope Benedict to banish the notion of limbo from all teachings of the Catholic catechism.

Last October, seven months before he died, Pope John Paul asked the commission to come up with "a more coherent and enlightened way" of describing the fate of such innocent babes.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051130.wxlimbo30/BNStory/International/

[papau]

21. "medieval additions " are no longer needed for teaching concepts - seems

reasonable.

[htuttle]

3. Can the Pope do that?

I would have thought they'd have to ask their god about that first.

:shrug:

[Wickerman]

5. I wondered about that

but this might their, er, saving grace:

Now it seems that limbo, a place invented in the Middle Ages...

[Teaser]

10. If the pope expounds the teaching "ex cathedra"

it is considered infallible church doctrine. Of course, committees of theologians will be assigned to task of scriptural and historical analysis before any new doctrine is formulated. However, the scriptural support for the notion of purgatory/limbo is thin, to say the least, so I wouldn't expect any problem.

[MrBenchley]

4. How low can you go?

I thought they got rid of that a long time ago....

[Ken Burch]

16. If they DO get rid of Limbo

Where will Chubby Checker and Jimmy Cliff go wen they die?

[Teaser]

6. Palpatine will simply send the babies to hell

if he doesn't have a limbo for them.

[emad]

9. Papa Ratzi to create some NEW place where aborted fetuses

go to in his opinion?

[Ken Burch]

22. Actual image of babies in Limbo

[emad]

7. "Divine Comedy" author Dante must be splitting his sides with

laughter and/or turning in his grave....

[FSogol]

8. Didn't they get rid of that in the late 60's

or as George Carlin said, "I hope all those babies got a promotion."

[MindPilot]

11. If this isn't proof that religion is stupid, I dunno what is. n/t

[Zenlitened]

14. Agreed. They all just make shit up as they go along. - n/t

[kurth]

12. So is it "No Vacancy" or just "Closed for Renovation"?

[Warpy]

13. If they drop the shit about unbaptized babies being kept out

of heaven, they will have no real justification for being against abortion.

Think about it, the aim is to get to heaven, right? Well, if those aborted "babies" get a ticket up to heaven, who would deny them that? To force life on them would be to insist they risk hell. Who wants that?

He'll never let go of this one. If he can't punish women for sex, what good is he?

[emad]

15. Limbo in Limbaugh? Limbaugh in Limbo?

?

[Iblis]

17. No really, I'm confused.

I was raised Catholic, and was taught that all of these things--Purgatory in particular--were real places. Now, the Church will decide if Limbo still exists? How can that be? If God created something, either it exists or it doesn't.

I'm no longer in the Church, but stuff like this bothers me. Either God created something, and time will decide when he will announce that Limbo's no longer there, or these are merely creations to fufill some earthly purpose. If the latter is true, where does it stop?

How can you maintain a mystical organization if you change the mythology so radically?

I don't get it.

L

[CatholicEdHead]

18. I believe it had to do with the third world Catholics

and some local customs. It is quite normal to try to change theology to recruit followers.

[Iblis]

19. "Change" theology?

I guess I'm still saying, if God is permanent and unchanging then theology shouldn't change.

Either Purgatory and Limbo always existed or never existed. The only "out" I can think of is that I thought Limbo was just where good people went from the time of The Fall until Jesus died, since they couldn't get into Heaven.

So if these things were a lie, who's not to say the whole system is a lie?

Signed,

Curious

[cinemaactivist]

20. Ha!

What?! If that happens, religion is over. I mean, if one can just change part of a religion, why not just throw it all out the window? Eh, organized religion is opressive anyways. Just my opinion though.

[red dog 1]

23. What will Chubby Checker think?

"Every limbo boy and girl
All around the limbo world
Gonna do the limbo rock
All around the limbo clock

Jack be limbo
Jack be quick
jack go under limbo stick
all around the limbo clock
Hey lets do the limbo rock