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I went to an all girl Catholic School. We were taught that unbaptized babies went to limbo which was a short term penalty..the result of original sin. It never made sense to me. They could never be guilty of anything and God would not punish anyone for someone else's sin.

They also taught us that Jews could not get into heaven because they were not baptized.....And that we shouldn't be dating Jews or Protestants. We were the only true religion!!!

Occasionally, I got kicked out of these Religion classes....like when I protested that being Catholic was not sufficient reason to vote for Kennedy!! They said being Catholic meant he was "better than everyone else". I remember my Dad telling me about Joe Kennedy and telling me "Don't believe everything you read".

I can relate to what you were taught re unbaptized babies going to limbo. Yes, the nuns taught this along with everything else we were required to believe as Catholics. I do not remember limbo, for one, as being separated from the other teaching. It was not presented as a "theory" to be believed or not.

I don't recall the teaching of whether Jews could enter heaven but I don't doubt you at all.

I came home from grade school one day in a very sad state. We were told in religion class that those who were not baptized could not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Thanks, sister. You made my day. My Dad, whom I loved so much, was a Protestant, and I was just told that he was not going through those pearly gates when he died.

I don't recall what plans the Catholic Church had for him at that point, but he would not be with God!

For anyone who chooses to excuse or deny the pain caused (and believe me, I know those who suffered other pain and humiliation), by passing it off as "that's the way the nun's could be"...well, all I can say is, those people are the ones with the closed, trapped minds. They will somehow, somewhere find any excuse because their conscience will not allow them to have an independent thought on this subject.

Whatever the nuns taught in their schools was the responsibility of the Church. The nuns shouldn't be the only fall guys for what was permitted, sanctioned.

My parents said they were taught the same thing...with the Baltimore Catechism as their guide.
They believed if it was in the BC - it must be catholic teaching.
That is too bad because a big mistake was made regarding this teaching.
While it was an issue discussed, debated, pondered over...it was never officially defined by the Church as true doctrine- and the Baltimore Catechism does not qualify as being authoritative.
It is a similar situation when you look back at the first centuries and their debate over the Trinity. It was debated - it was discussed for a few centuries before the Church finalized the official doctrine of what the Trinity is - and what it isn't.

Unlike "limbo" - the issue of purgatory does belong to official Church teaching, and the Church does point to scriptural basis - and also Tradition (Early Church Fathers) for support.

I'm encouraged to learn that "limbo" never really was and officially accepted doctrine - and never will be.

I went to a co-ed Catholic school and I remember in fourth garde, Sister Colette drew a picture on the board of a very large ocean liner and a tiny little rowboat. She said that the baptized Catholics were all aboard the large ship, sailing to our eternal reward of heaven. All non-catholics were in the tiny boats. It was theoretically possible for them to make it to heaven, but not likely.