[Dionysiusdecordealcis]

I do not read him as asserting a certainty. "Hope" was his word. This is very close to von Balthasar's "Dare we hope," which the residual Jansenists at New Oxford Review have calumniously turned into an accusation of "universalism." I see an analogy here in the rush to call Cantalamessa a heretic (and, implicitly, comeing pretty close to calling JPII and Ratzinger the same thing). If for no other reason, the word heretic should be shunned because heresy involves pertinacious holding of error and this matter has yet to be fully clarified, so "pertinacious" is a tad premature.

[gbcdoj]

It's hardly obvious that baptism of desire applies to children whose only desire for baptism is on the part of their parents. Such a theory has never been widely accepted. Or one could refer to the desire of the Church, as Hermann points out above. But these are speculations and not founded in revelation, and it is highly inappropriate to preach or teach them as if they were. The Holy Office warned that theories which would, without danger, allow delay of baptism for little children are "lacking solid foundation" and they remain so today.

Fr. Cantalamessa never qualifies his theory as being only a "hope." His own word for it is "affirmation." The only time "hope" is used is when he quotes the CCC in his clarification. You can't affirm something that you only hope for: this is repugnant to the meanings of "affirmation" and "to affirm."

Nowhere does Father qualify the children to whom he is referring. In fact he also speaks of the victims of abortion, and here there is often no question of desire on the part of the parents, as both acquiesce in the crime. What he says is:

"Children who die without baptism, as well as people who have lived, through no fault of their own, outside the Church, can be saved ... The fate of children who are not baptized is no different from that of the Holy Innocents, which we celebrated just after Christmas. The reason is that God is love and 'wants all to be saved,' and Christ also died for them!"

These words apply equally to every unbaptized child.

No one has used the word "heretic" on the thread, except you. What was said is that Father's "affirmation that unbaptized children will not go to limbo but to heaven" is heretical, and it is.

[sitetest]

Dear Dionysiusdecordealcis,

"This is very close to von Balthasar's 'Dare we hope,' which the residual Jansenists at New Oxford Review have calumniously turned into an accusation of 'universalism.'"

LOL!

I let my NOR subscription lapse a while back.


sitetest