Questions Answered – October 2025

Unbaptized Infants in Catholic Theology

Question One: Dear Father Cush, I was told that the Catholic Church no longer believes in Limbo since the Second Vatican Council. Is this the case?

Answer: The concept of Limbo has been historically associated with the fate of unbaptized infants and, to some extent, those who lived before the coming of Christ. It is important to understand that Limbo is not an official doctrine of the Catholic Church, but rather a theological hypothesis that emerged over time, particularly in response to the Church’s teachings on original sin and the necessity of baptism for salvation.

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430) is one of the earliest and most influential figures to discuss the fate of unbaptized infants. He taught that original sin (the sin inherited from Adam and Eve) is washed away through baptism. However, he did not specify what happens to those who die without baptism, especially infants. Augustine believed that unbaptized infants would suffer the consequences of original sin, though he did not explicitly teach that they would experience eternal damnation. He suggested that they would not experience the beatific vision of God but might be in a state of natural happiness, separated from the fullness of God’s presence. This idea would later evolve into the concept of Limbo.

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), building upon Augustine’s thoughts, addressed the question more systematically in the Summa theologiae. Aquinas believed that unbaptized infants, while they would not enter heaven, would not experience the punishment of hell either. He argued that they would be in a state of natural happiness, separated from God’s presence, a state which would later be described as Limbo. Summa Theologica, III, Q. 68, A. 9 states: “Infants who die without baptism are excluded from the kingdom of heaven, but not from natural happiness.” Aquinas emphasized that God’s justice and mercy were not in conflict in this case, as the infants did not have the personal sin that would merit eternal punishment, but their state of original sin prevented them from attaining the beatific vision.

The term Limbo itself, meaning “edge” or “border,” was not used by the Church as a formal theological term but emerged as a way to describe the state of unbaptized infants who, due to original sin, could not enter heaven, but also did not deserve the eternal punishment of hell. Over the centuries, Limbo became a common theological explanation for unbaptized infants, especially within scholastic theology. However, Limbo was never dogmatically defined by the Church. Instead, it remained a theological hypothesis proposed by theologians, especially within the context of theological speculation about salvation and original sin.

The Catholic Church has never formally defined Limbo as doctrine, but it has provided guidance on the matter in documents and statements. The Council of Trent (1545–1563), which was convened to address the issue of original sin and the necessity of baptism for salvation, emphasized the importance of baptism in cleansing original sin. However, it did not define the fate of unbaptized infants. The Council of Trent, Session 5, states:  “If anyone says that baptism is optional, that is, not necessary for salvation, let him be anathema.” This emphasizes the necessity of baptism, but it does not address the specific fate of those who die without baptism.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) does not explicitly mention Limbo but teaches that unbaptized infants are entrusted to God’s mercy. The Church does not make definitive statements about their fate, but emphasizes hope in God’s love and mercy. CCC §1261 declares:  “As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God, who desires that all men should be saved, and the tenderness of Jesus toward children, which caused him to say: ‘Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,’ allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism.” Therefore, the Church recognizes the uncertainty of the fate of unbaptized infants but affirms that God’s mercy is not limited by the sacraments.

Pope Benedict XVI (d. 2022), in his teachings, addressed the topic of Limbo with sensitivity to the question of God’s mercy. He did not dogmatically reject the concept but suggested that there is hope for the salvation of unbaptized infants. In a general audience  in 2007, Benedict indicated that the Church’s teaching had evolved in its understanding of the fate of unbaptized infants and emphasized the hope in God’s mercy rather than speculation about Limbo. Benedict’s approach was pastoral, affirming that the Church should not limit God’s saving grace.

While the concept of Limbo was a prevalent theological hypothesis for centuries, recent theological developments have moved away from it, especially in light of the Church’s focus on God’s mercy. Theologians today often suggest that unbaptized infants may be entrusted to God’s mercy, rather than definitively placing them in Limbo. This is consistent with the idea that God desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and that His mercy transcends human understanding.

The Significance of Unleavened Bread

Hi, Father, I have a simple question: Why does the bread used for the Eucharist have to be unleavened in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church?

The unleavened bread used in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church for the Eucharist has both theological and historical reasons, deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and sacramental and liturgical theology.

The requirement for unleavened bread in the Roman Rite of the Eucharist is closely tied to the Passover (Pesach), which was the meal that Jesus celebrated with His disciples at the Last Supper. The Last Supper, in which Jesus instituted the Eucharist, was a Passover meal, and it is in this context that unleavened bread was used.

Exodus 12:15 reads: “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For if anyone eats what is leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” Matthew 26:17 states: “Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?’ ” Mark 14:12 and Luke 22:7 also describe the Unleavened Bread used in the context of the Passover, reinforcing the practice of using unleavened bread during this ritual meal. In these scriptural references, the unleavened bread was a requirement for the Passover meal, which Jesus would have followed at the Last Supper, and this practice was later adopted by the early Christian community in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologiae, also addressed the matter of unleavened bread in the context of the Eucharist, linking it to the Jewish Passover and Christ’s institution of the Eucharist. Summa Theologiae, III, Q. 74, A. 3, states: “It was fitting that Christ should use unleavened bread because, at the time of His Passion, He celebrated the Passover with His disciples. And since the Passover is the type of the Eucharist, it was fitting that unleavened bread, which is characteristic of the Passover, should be used for the Eucharist.”

Aquinas highlights that the unleavened bread used in the Eucharist is a continuation of the Passover meal, which was the occasion when Christ instituted the Eucharist. Since unleavened bread was prescribed in the Passover liturgy, its use in the Eucharist is seen as part of this continuity.

The use of unleavened bread in the Roman Rite is rooted in liturgical tradition and has been preserved over time. The Church’s liturgy maintains a connection with the Passover meal in the Eucharist, and the unleavened bread serves as a symbol of Christ’s purity and sacrifice.

The Roman Missal, the liturgical book that contains the prayers and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass, specifies the use of unleavened bread for the Eucharist in the Roman Rite. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), 321, states: “The bread to be used in the celebration of the Eucharist must be unleavened, made from wheat, and recently made, so that there is no danger of spoiling. It is also important that the bread be in the form of a loaf or a thin host, so that it can be consecrated easily.”

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal underscores the importance of unleavened bread and the continuity of the Eucharist with Christ’s institution of the Passover meal. The unleavened bread represents the purity of Christ, who is sinless, and also signifies His sacrificial death (which occurred during the Passover). The use of unleavened bread in the Roman Rite carries deep theological significance, particularly in how it links the Eucharist to the Paschal Mystery (the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ).

Unleavened bread is often seen as a symbol of Christ’s sinlessness. Leaven, in biblical symbolism, sometimes represents sin or corruption (cf. Matthew 16:6 and 1 Corinthians 5:6–8), whereas unleavened bread represents purity. Therefore, using unleavened bread in the Eucharist reflects the sinlessness of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

The choice of unleavened bread also connects the Eucharist with the Passover, a meal that commemorated the Israelites’ liberation from Egypt. Just as the Passover lamb’s blood saved the Israelites, so too does the Eucharist — the Body and Blood of Christ — bring salvation.

The use of unleavened bread also points to the new covenant established by Christ’s Body, which was offered for the salvation of humanity. This continues the Old Testament practice but fulfills it with the New Covenant in Christ’s blood.

The Church’s teaching on unleavened bread for the Eucharist has been reaffirmed by the Magisterium, as reflected in Sacred Scripture, the teachings of the Church Fathers, and the liturgical practices of the Church. Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003), highlighted the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Church: “The Eucharist is a great mystery in which the faithful are called to participate in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and this participation is always expressed in the use of unleavened bread.”