Newsweek's take on the Limbo Story

I'll just give you the bookends. The article by Matthew Philips begins:

In the world of Vatican reversals, it’s a big one. According to a 41-page report released last week by the Roman Catholic Church’s International Theological Commission, limbo—a celestial middle ground between Heaven and Hell—is no longer necessary. That means that babies who die unbaptized are now free to go to heaven rather than being consigned to limbo, where for the last 800 years they’ve been forced to await the End of Days, unable to share in the beatific vision of God and Jesus Christ with their Roman Catholic brethren.

And here is how it ends:

"With the Vatican report, all those anxieties about babies that have been part of growing up Catholic can finally be put to rest."

Okay, so, this is pretty bad. Now, the mid-section really isn't so bad. But apparently you have to stick the most offensive jabs in the first paragraph (because many people read no farther), and for those who do stick around and read the entirety of the article, you have to end with a snappy dig about "all those anxieties" that are just, golly-gee, "part of growing up Catholic."

Oh, and who is Saint Augustine? "The fifth-century theologian who believed that the souls of the unbaptized went to hell". Why you might ask did St. Augustine believe that? "Since original sin was seen as being indelibly tied to the act of sex, and since babies were the natural result of that act, Augustine reasoned that they must carry sin. Ergo, those who die without having that sin removed must necessarily go to hell."

Goodness! With summaries of Church tradition like that, it's no wonder that we have to fight anti-Catholic prejudice on a daily basis. I wouldn't have much patience for the Church if that's all she really was.