Limbo is the nether region where, according to Roman Catholic tradition, unbaptized babies go after death. It's a pleasant enough place, though devoid of the bliss of God's presence.
The Catechism (CCC 1261) also reminds us that we entrust our children who have died without Baptism to the mercy of God. Indeed, we have funeral rites specifically for children. We are reminded that the great mercy of God desires that all men be saved.
In the fifth century, St. Augustine declared that all unbaptized babies went to hell upon death. By the Middle Ages, the idea was softened to suggest a less-severe fate, limbo. Never part of formal doctrine because it does not appear in Scripture, limbo was removed from the Catholic Catechism 15 years ago.
Church doctrine now states that unbaptized babies can go to heaven instead of getting stuck somewhere between heaven and hell. If limbo doesn't exist, what happened to everyone who was supposed to have been there already? They've probably been in heaven all this time, but no one knows for sure.
The Limbo of Infants (Latin limbus infantium or limbus puerorum) is the hypothetical permanent status of the unbaptised who die in infancy, too young to have committed actual sins, but not having been freed from original sin.
As stated in the rite for Pastoral Care of the Sick, “sacraments are celebrated for the living, not the dead... the dead are effectively helped by the prayers of the living” (Pastoral Care of the Sick, para. 224). This means that a person who has died is not capable of receiving the sacrament of baptism.
Many families are concerned about what has happened to their baby's soul if the child was not baptised before death. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1261 states, “As regards to children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them.
However, God holds individuals accountable only for personal sin and not for Adam's transgression (see Articles of Faith 1:2). Because young children are sinless before God, they have no cause to repent or to be baptized.
Because of the mystery involved, the celebration of funeral rites for an unbaptized child usually requires the permission of the local bishop who considers the pastoral circumstances involved (see Canon 1183.2 of the Code of Canon Law). These rites are usually done more for the sake of the living than for the dead.
Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated. The baptisms of those to be received into the Catholic Church from other Christian communities are held to be valid if administered using the Trinitarian formula. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: 1256.
Reverence for the Unborn Deceased
It's a time when many grieving parents and loved ones will rely on their faith and the support of their Church. For this reason, Catholic Cemeteries and Funeral Homes provides a traditional burial for babies who die in pregnancy or at birth, and care and compassion for their parents.
In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and separately caused by the operation of the Holy Spirit, and it is not caused by baptism in water.
Denominations and religious groups opposed to infant baptism
Several nontrinitarian religious groups also oppose infant baptism, including Oneness Pentecostals, Christadelphians, Jehovah's Witnesses, United Church of God, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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. Jesus said that the kingdom of God also belongs to children (see Mt 18:4; Mk 10:14).
While most U.S. adults believe in heaven, there is disagreement about who can go there. Among all Americans, about four-in-ten (39%) say that people who do not believe in God can go to heaven, while roughly a third (32%) say that nonbelievers cannot enter heaven. (Again, 27% do not believe in heaven at all.)
But, if you are already a Christian, then there is no need for you to be baptized again in order to receive the Holy Spirit – you already have the Spirit! And if this is true of you today, I rejoice in the mercy and grace that God has lavished on you in Jesus Christ.
Many Catholic cemeteries have special sections especially for miscarried babies under 20 weeks gestation, and that is the option we chose. Babies over 20 weeks are considered stillbirths, not miscarriages, and are usually buried in a section of the cemetery reserved for infants and children.
Yes, although the Catholic party must first obtain a “dispensation” from her bishop. The Church teaches that the marriage of a Catholic to someone who is not a baptized Christian is impeded (blocked) by “disparity of cult”—that is, the difference in their religious backgrounds.
Who can be baptized for the dead? Any member of the Church who is at least 12 years old may be baptized for the dead. Young men must hold the priesthood. Most importantly, everyone who enters the house of the Lord must be worthy.
She wrote, accurately, that Protestants who don't baptize infants consider this an “ordinance” and not a “sacrament,” so that the ceremony symbolizes the individual's new life in Christ with personal profession of faith.
Infant Baptism has been practiced since apostolic times. Infants need to be baptized because through this Sacrament, they are freed from Original Sin and are welcomed into the community of the Church, where they have access to the fullness of the means of salvation.
Most nearly all scholars believe that John the Baptist performed a baptism on Jesus, and view it as a historical event to which a high degree of certainty can be assigned.
There are two nonsurgical treatments: expectant management (letting the tissue pass on its own) and medication. The third treatment is a surgical procedure called dilation and curettage (also known as D&C or suction curettage).
for a Safe Delivery
O great Saint Gerard, beloved servant of Jesus Christ, perfect imitator of thy meek and humble Savior, and devoted child of the Mother of God, enkindle within my heart one spark of that heavenly fire of charity which glowed in thee and made thee a seraph of love.