In January of this year the International Theological Commission, which advises the Holy See on matters of doctrine, published a statement entitled:  “The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized.”  The subject was reported several weeks ago in The Tablet, but after having studied the document, this gives me an opportunity to use it as a moment of teaching for our Diocese. 

The issue is of particular relevance because of the large number of children today who are not being baptized.  In our own Diocese, infant baptisms over the last ten years have declined dramatically. Some parents who are not practicing the faith are not having their children baptized.  There are also the unfortunate new technologies that produce embryos in-vitro, which are destroyed.  There is the issue of frozen embryos and the issue of partial-birth abortion and all abortions in which fetuses are killed without the opportunity for baptism.  So, it is particularly important that our faith keep up with the reality in which we live.

Salvation, or the hope of seeing God for all eternity, is the basic tenet of our faith, however it is hardly understood properly.  The scriptures certainly affirm that God wills all people to be saved through Jesus Christ and that human sinfulness, which we describe as Original Sin, necessitates the saving by Christ.  At the same time, baptism is the ordinary means of obtaining salvation in Jesus Christ, but also it is secondary to God’s absolute desire to save all human beings through Jesus Christ. 

The great encyclical of Pope John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, makes it very clear that all who are saved are saved through Jesus Christ, even those who have no knowledge of Him.  Through the history of the Church, the teaching of scripture has been elaborated on and taught.  One of the problems that people face and encounter is the death of children who die without baptism.  Our understanding of what happens to these children has developed over time as theology studies the eternal realities, which are difficult for human beings to understand.  The existence of Limbo has never been an official doctrine of the Church; it is what has been called a theological opinion.  The International Theological Commission, although it does not represent the teaching authority of the Church,  has recommended to the Holy See that this be redefined in light of our new understanding, through the First and Second Vatican Councils, of the necessity of baptism and openness of salvation to all people of good will.

There are certain theological principles which must be used in seeking to discern God’s ways, as theology is the science of trying to understand God. First, it is clear that there is a universal salvific will of God which is realized through the mediation of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  No one is saved apart from Christ, and the grace of the Holy Spirit should be at work in their lives.  Second, the universality of sin and the need for salvation are clear.  All human beings have inherited Original Sin and therefore are in need of salvation that comes through Christ.  Third, there is a necessity for the Church.  It was established by Christ as the historical point of mediation for the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Whoever is saved in some way has a relationship to Jesus Christ and of His Church.  There is certainly a necessity for sacramental baptism because this is the way we are conformed to Christ. Yet the Church has never taught the absolute necessity of sacramental baptism for salvation.  Remember the other types of baptism, such as the baptism of desire for those who wish to be baptized but never had the opportunity.  Finally, there is a theology of hope that needs to be developed.  Hope is based on an understanding of the communion that exists with the saints, those in heaven, those who await union with God, and us here on earth, which is commonly called the Communion of Saints.  We cannot exclude those infants that have not been baptized, nor un-baptized persons, from this communion.

The reasons for hope in revisiting this doctrine basically stem from a better understanding of God’s merciful love.  This understanding is based on the scriptures themselves.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in treating the issue of infants who die without baptism, states that “the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved” (1Tim 2:4) shows the love and mercy of God in a unique way.  This love of God certainly extends today to those unfortunate children who are killed through abortion and other means.  It is also clear that parents who neglect the baptism of their children endanger their own salvation, but perhaps not of their innocent children.  There is also an understanding of that fundamental unity and solidarity of Christ and the whole human race.  No one is untouched by the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption, which followed it.  Christ’s solidarity is an absolute priority over sin, and even the unborn are in solidarity with Christ, and thus salvation always comes through Christ.

Recently, we saw that liturgical prayers for un-baptized infants were inserted for the first time in the New Roman Missal, published several decades ago. The Church commends them to the mercy of God and this allows us to hope that in some way salvation of children without baptism is assured.  In general, the theology of hope allows us all to look forward to the joy of the beatific vision that is the vision of God which we enjoy after we leave this world.  Hope sustains us.

Our contemporary world calls for the real necessity for an updated teaching of the Church on the fate of unborn children.  Two recent events in our country perhaps illustrate this.  Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court made a significant decision correcting the course of a very erratic part of the abortion law.  For the first time since Roe v. Wade the court has upheld the law banning a specific and particularly terrible means of abortion that is partial-birth abortion. These are late-term abortions where the child is killed by tearing off limbs, injecting digozin to have a fetal heart attack, while the child is still in the womb.  Other times its skull is crushed as the child is being born.  The fact is that these are viable fetuses and could live outside the womb.  Fortunately, this heinous method of abortion is not the most common, but the fact is all abortions kill unborn life.  The Supreme Court decision is a cause for renewed hope because States will have the ability to limit late-term abortions, which will decrease somewhat the number of abortions performed in our nation.

In our own State of New York we are facing a terrible danger resulting from a proposed law coming directly from our chief executive, Governor Eliot Spitzer.  The new proposal is called:  “Reproductive Life and Privacy Protection Act.” It is in effect a law which will prohibit the State from enacting any restrictions on abortion.  It is a direct response to the recent Supreme Court decision.  The bill would establish a fundamental right of privacy, with a right to choose or reject contraception.  The bill will also insure abortions being legal throughout the whole nine months of pregnancy.  The bill also allows post-viability abortions to be performed on an outpatient basis in clinics and the bill will remove New York’s abortion-related laws from the criminal code.  The bill also will repeal the requirement of the current law that says that only doctors can perform abortions, and most importantly the bill seeks to eliminate conscience protection in the current law.  That is, every institution licensed or funded by the State, including religious hospitals, agencies and schools, would have to provide abortion facilities.  Finally, the bill will suppress laws which will recognize the unborn child as a victim of crimes.  This truly is a radical bill and one which we must oppose as Catholics.

The protection of unborn life in our world today is truly an exercise of “putting out into the deep.”  From all sides, unborn life is being threatened, but it is because we are people of hope that we know we can turn the tide on a society that has lost its moral compass when it comes to protecting unborn life.  An increased understanding of the mercy of God helps us to find the place in God’s mercy for the unborn, but also for those who are ignorant of what they do. It is truly a work of prayer and advocacy that we must pursue.  We must change minds and hearts, but we also must change laws that do not reflect the justice of God.