Tiny babies go to heaven
The week's news at a glance.
Rome
The Vatican has all but abolished the concept of limbo. Medieval theologians conceived of limbo as a place just short of heaven, where infant souls whose original sin hadn’t been washed away with holy water could dwell. A papal investigation that ended last week now finds that unbaptized babies might go straight to heaven. The International Theological Commission said that while it doesn’t have “sure knowledge,” it saw grounds for hope. “Grace has priority over sin,” the commission said, “and the exclusion of innocent babies from heaven does not seem to reflect Christ’s special love for the little ones.” Limbo was never part of official Catholic dogma. Before he became pope, then Cardinal Josef Ratzinger said he was inclined to “let it drop.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Week contest: Flight fraud
Puzzles and Quizzes
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?
Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts