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Hi Mary Lee,
Limbo was never a teaching of the Church. It was simply popular theological
opinion that was promulgated. It was never a doctrine held by universal
Magisterium.
The Church entrusts the souls of un-baptized children to the Mercy of
God who desires all to be saved.
Additionally, the Church has always recognized that other kinds of
baptisms besides the normative form of water baptism.
- Those who have been
martyred for the faith prior to baptism received their baptism in their
martyrdom. That is call baptism of blood.
- There are those who die as
catechumens awaiting baptism. These people are presumed to have been
baptized by desire.
- Then there are those Christians who don’t know
of the necessity of baptism. In this case, it may be supposed that if
they understood the necessity of baptism, they would receive it.
See CCC
1257 to 1261
Finally, as it relates to those who through not fault of their own, never
heard or understood the Gospel (and along with it, the need to be baptized):
The Church entrusts these folks to the mercy of God, knowing that He desires
all men to be saved. The Church acknowledges that She is limited to preach
the gospel and baptize; hence fulfilling the great commission.
However, God’s grace is not subject to the same limitations He puts
on His Church.
Therefore God can save whom He wants, when He wants, and where He wants.
It is important to realize that the Church has never officially taught
that particular person is in Hell. While we know Sacred Scripture teaches
many will go there, it is not for the Church to pronounce who those people
are.
John
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