Limbo
May it rest in peace.
Limbo had a nice, 800-year run, said Ian Fisher in The New York Times, but the final curtain is about to come down. After a recent review by a panel of leading Catholic theologians, the Vatican is moving to delete limbo as one of the realms of the afterlife. Limbo was never an official church teaching; it was invented by St. Thomas Aquinas and other medieval Catholic theologians as a destination for babies who died before they were baptized and cleansed of original sin. Rather than go to hell, Aquinas theorized, such babies—and worthy pagans and Jews—would go to a waiting room in the afterlife where no one suffered, but where God was not present. Today, though, limbo has fallen out of favor as an
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Fit for a king: must-visit palaces around the UK
The Week Recommends Our pick of the nation’s most magnificent residences for nobles and royals
-
Is Andy Burnham making a bid to replace Keir Starmer?
Today's Big Question Mayor of Manchester on manoeuvres but faces a number of obstacles before he can even run
-
Christian Brückner: why prime suspect in Madeleine McCann case can refuse Met interview
The Explainer International letter of request rejected by 49-year-old convicted rapist as he prepares to walk free