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M.M.Snyder
COMMUNION AND HOLY ANGELS
COMMUNION AND HOLY ANGELS
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The, Eucharist Non Catholics and Hope
LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME
Prior to April 2007, many Catholics had probably never heard of the International Theological Commission (ITC), a group of thirty theologians from around the world chosen by the Pope as a kind of advisory committee. But the most recent document by the ITC, published with papal approval on April 19, 2007, got a lot of attention--as well it should. Its subject is a tender one: "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized." To Catholic parents who have lost a child to miscarriage, stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or some other tragedy prior to baptism, such hope is a healing balm for a wounded heart.
Interest in this recent document is understandable, and most people have learned of it through the news media. While many articles written since the document's publication summarize its contents accurately, many do not. A Google news search reveals headlines such as, "Pope Changes Church Teaching on Limbo," and "The Church Abandons Limbo." Such headlines can easily give the impression that 1) Limbo was a defined doctrine of the Church, and 2) the Pope has the authority to change--even to reverse--defined doctrine. A May 4 Washington Post article by Alan Cooperman included the statement "limbo is a 'problematic' concept that Catholics are free to reject."
These characterizations notwithstanding, the ITC makes no rulings (and does not have the authority to do so). "The Hope of Salvation" in fact reiterates and builds upon the Catholic tradition. It neither categorically rejects Limbo nor denies the necessity of baptism. Rather, it offers reasons to hope that God may provide a way of salvation to those little ones whose lives ended before baptism was possible.
LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME
Prior to April 2007, many Catholics had probably never heard of the International Theological Commission (ITC), a group of thirty theologians from around the world chosen by the Pope as a kind of advisory committee. But the most recent document by the ITC, published with papal approval on April 19, 2007, got a lot of attention--as well it should. Its subject is a tender one: "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized." To Catholic parents who have lost a child to miscarriage, stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or some other tragedy prior to baptism, such hope is a healing balm for a wounded heart.
Interest in this recent document is understandable, and most people have learned of it through the news media. While many articles written since the document's publication summarize its contents accurately, many do not. A Google news search reveals headlines such as, "Pope Changes Church Teaching on Limbo," and "The Church Abandons Limbo." Such headlines can easily give the impression that 1) Limbo was a defined doctrine of the Church, and 2) the Pope has the authority to change--even to reverse--defined doctrine. A May 4 Washington Post article by Alan Cooperman included the statement "limbo is a 'problematic' concept that Catholics are free to reject."
These characterizations notwithstanding, the ITC makes no rulings (and does not have the authority to do so). "The Hope of Salvation" in fact reiterates and builds upon the Catholic tradition. It neither categorically rejects Limbo nor denies the necessity of baptism. Rather, it offers reasons to hope that God may provide a way of salvation to those little ones whose lives ended before baptism was possible.
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