Where do the souls of unbaptized babies go?

That could reverse centuries of Roman Catholic traditional belief that the souls of unbaptized babies are condemned to eternity in limbo, a place that is neither heaven nor hell, giving rise to the popular usage meaning “in between.” Limbo is not unpleasant, but it is not a seat alongside God.

Who goes to purgatory?

Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.

Where do babies go in Dante’s Inferno?

In the Catholic faith during the Middle Ages, it was believed that babies who died in infancy (Had not committed personal sin), but are not baptized (And are not cleansed of original sin) are sentenced to Limbo, the outermost region of Hell.

Why should babies be baptized?

Because babies are born with original sin, they need baptism to cleanse them, so that they may become adopted sons and daughters of God and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. Children become “holy ones” of the Church and members of the body of Christ only through baptism.

Why are the virtuous pagans in Limbo?

The poets enter the first circle of Hell — Limbo — the place where virtuous pagans reside. Virgil explains that these shades (souls) are only here because they were born without the benefit of Christianity, either due to being born before Christ, or because the soul was an unbaptized child.

What does Dante say about Limbo?

Dante describes Limbo as a gloomy, dimly-lit, wooded place. Looking down into it, Dante describes it as ”Dark and deep and foggy. ”

How did St Augustine believe that sin was transmitted?

St Augustine, who largely devised the theory of original sin, thought that original sin was transmitted from generation to generation through sexual intercourse. Augustine did not say exactly how this happened. He said that it was transmitted by “concupiscence”, when people had sex and conceived a child.

Can a newborn baby be damaged by original sin?

Even a newborn baby who hasn’t done anything at all is damaged by original sin. In traditional Christian teaching, original sin is the result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God when they ate a forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

Is baptism a remedy for the original sin?

And, since the sacrament of baptism is said to be the remedy for the “original sin”, but renders the baptized subject to heaven or Hell, rather than the “limbo” of the unbaptized, recommit the “original sin” to give up heaven to avoid Hell, and go to “limbo”, nonexistence, like, supposedly, the animals do.

Are unbaptized babies denied the beatific vision?

Therefore, the belief that unbaptized babies are denied the beatific vision and sent to a place that’s not quite heaven and not quite hell does not seem to agree with the Church’s current understanding of God’s universal salvific will and mercy. The Church does not accept or officially condemn the theory of Limbo because it is a theological theory.