Limbo in Limbo

[bironic]

Under the advisement of a committee of theologians, the Pope is considering abolishing the concept of limbo. (Full story.)

I ask out of curiosity and a sort of amused incredulity: How can this be done? Are they going to deny, after 2,000 years of Christian religious and literary tradition, that limbo ever existed? How do they claim the authority to declare this? Is the proposal most likely to be dropped?

...Maddy?

Edited: Right, sorry, Limbo doth not equal Purgatory. Fixed now.

Comments

Re: Dante and Judgment

[maddy-harrigan.livejournal.com]

Re-posting my comment below, so that any replies to this one don't end up separating two parts of the same train of thought.


And yet people, at their deaths, are at different stages along that journey - my sister Grace described salvation as "at that moment of claro visio, if ANYTHING in your soul flickers with joy at the sight of God, you're okay," and then goes on to mention that since people are, at their deaths, at different stages of preparation for the terrifying experience of looking Goodness straight in the face, something like Purgatory must exist, to continue that process. However, the Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard seems to suggest otherwise - the workers arriving at the 11th hour receive the same wages as the ones arriving at the 1st; the vineyard-owner makes no distinction.

That was probably a bit more than you bargained for, but this question has been on my mind lately. I'm still looking for the perfect, neat factor that will bring it all together into a gorgeous cohesive theory.