So, let me get this straight....If "limbo" is dropped from Catholic theology, that means that the Catholic Church has been in error about this teaching for some 7+ centuries....Which prompts the question: what else does the church teach that's in error?
Apparently, either you have never erred, or you are a complete skeptic.
-A8
Ask a Protestant.
It can't be dropped, because it was never officially picked up. Catholics have always been free to believe in it or not believe in it as they saw fit. If the Church ever rules one way or the other, it would settle the question, not change it's mind.
You don't have the story straight. The limbo of the infants has been a theological speculation for seven centuries. It has never been regarded as a dogmatic teaching of the Church.
I don't blame you for asking a question like that, since the whole thing could be pretty perplexing (not to mention annoying) (or even offensive) to folks who are trying to sort out what the Church actually teaches on Divine authority.
Here's the thing. Some things are certainly and infallibly true (e.g. Jesus is God.) These are dogmas. All Christians must believe this.
Some things follow on the basis of strict logic (e.g. Mary is the mother of Jesus, therefore she can be called the mother of God.)
Some things are certain and reasonable inferences, and therefore also doctrines (e.g. the Bible says, God abhors the shedding of innocent blood. But what if you kill a bunch of innocent people by suffocation? No blood shed, so it's okey-dokey? No--- because we can reasonably infer that what God abhors is murder by any means.)
Some things are common pious beliefs (e.g. every person has a guardian angel.) But it's not a defined doctrine. Some things are theological speculations (the four properties of the transformed human body after the resurrection: agility, impassibility, clarity, and subtility.) I like that one a lot, in fact, but it's just a hypothesis.
People WILL speculate about stuff like this. You can't stop them. It's the way people are.
But if you want the straight scoop on what's a TRUTH OF THE FAITH, you get that from the authoritative sources: the Ecumenical Council documents, the consensus of Patristic teachings, the infallible statements of Popes (which are extremely rare), and the Catechism.
You can Google the Catechism ---- it's searchable. I have it in my Favorites
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
So, speaking for myself, I'm finding it harder and harder to use ignorance as an excuse.... 8-P
But the Church was right for the first 13 centuries and will be so from here on. A trifle in eternity.
You didn't read the article. It was never a defined dogma, just a theory. The Immaculate Conception was a widely-believed hypothesis until it was infallibly defined as dogma.
I was never taught that the concept of "limbo" was a guaranteed truth. It was always "debated".