What happens to unbaptized infants, and does the catechism's limbo of the innocents apply?
A viewer asks how Robert sees the traditional limbo of the innocents in light of the millions of aborted babies and catechism paragraph 1261.
Answer
The catechism, paragraph 1261, says that as regards children who have died without baptism, the church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, and allows us to hope that there is a way of salvation for them. So notice the wording, entrust them to the mercy of God; it is not a doctrine, it is speculation, because the fate of unbaptized infants has not been revealed to the church for some reason. Paragraph 1257 says the church knows of no means other than baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude, but adds that God has bound salvation to the sacrament of baptism, though He Himself is not bound by His sacraments. There is no law behind God; He can save outside of baptism, He is just not bound to. Maybe God has not revealed this precisely so we do not become careless about seeking baptism for people, thinking He will find another way. But when we tie together everything Scripture says, that God desires all men to be saved, that Pius IX said even a man who never heard of the church can be saved by obeying the law written on his heart, and that Jesus said let the children come to Me, it seems those aborted babies are on the plus side. The ones I feel sorry for are the ones who aborted them, because those babies will be raised as adults and will judge their mothers and the abortionists.