I received an article sent to me about how archeologists were searching for “mass graves containing hundreds of unbaptized babies and infants buried by the Catholic Church” in Belfast, Ireland. The person who had sent me the article was curious about the many and perhaps bizarre rules of the operating Catholic Church in the past.
Archeologists search for unbaptized babies' grave
The article made it sound like some Catholic families wanted closure as to infants who got dumped outside the gates of the catholic cemetery in unconsecrated ground. Considering the state of decay and the time frame being decades, it is unlikely that any identifiable remains will be uncovered. The real concern I think was that the Catholic cemetery in Belfast wanted some property lines redrawn regarding national conservancy land nearby.
Cemeteries are the only thing left that the RC church has not sold in a big way in their fire sale of schools, churches, hospitals. Their going out of business sale, hiding assets, give a few coins to the Altar Boy Fund is the preoccupation of an aged and literally dying hierarchy. Pass the oxygen mask boys!
This, before the façade of the dead RC church comes crashing down. Nobody, including the paid for media, will be able to mask the presence of and or stench of the big RC corpse rotting away in front of them. My real concern and I do not have prophetic vision is that "What will happen to Christianity?" with the RC church as a permanent side show going out of business permanently?
What does Christianity look like in fifty years with the seeming rise of Islam and the seeming death of the RC church right before our present eyes. What is left of the RC faith? Does it merely look and act like Wall Street after all the assets of the faithful have been completely plundered. These assets are gone.
These now depleted cash assets and more importantly the human faithful assets, are not being taught in Catholc Educaton that used to be taught from kindergarten to University, who used to pray in great beautiful churches and who were once healed in many many Catholic hospitals.
Of course this cemetery story is in Europe. I doubt any American RC cemeteries are likely to be sold for condo foundations but one never knows, does one? This Belfast cemetery story is perhaps a probe or pilot project for the hierarchy to learn more about cemetery property laws in various countries.
Far fetched? Crazy? Kelo vs. City of New London 2005, Supreme Court precedent, that states that private development that creates jobs, taxes and turns around urban decay can be mandated through eminent domain sanctioned by located authorities.
I think the American landscape is ripe in these tragic economic times and with trillions of taxpayers' money more than ready willing and able to replant grandmom and granddad not just in RC cemeteries but secular ones as well in prime downtown real estate locations clogged with those old time cemetery things.
The times they are a changing. Just what American cities need, a new taxpayer financed Football or Baseball Stadium to replace the obsolete ten year old one down the road - and built where some family members had recently been pushing up daisies.
Putting this secular grubby business aside and my cynical spin on things, let us look at the concept of baptism as an entrance requirement to the after life.
Infants in the past who did not make it to a physical baptism missed the boat. Tough luck etc. They could not go to heaven and they could not go to Purgatory or Hell either. Hell and Purgatory were special places that a sinner doing bad things got to go to in the after life. Heaven was for the goody goodies, the ones with a trillion bought and or earned indulgences and or good works and of course having been baptized.
These infants mentioned above could not be buried in the family plot in the consecrated ground of the RC cemetery. Where did their souls go after dying? Let’s invent a mythical place called Limbo to put the kiddies. Anyway, Limbo got decommissioned back around two years ago. Why. I don’t know why. Were they still refusing burial to unbaptized infants? I don’t think so. As far as I know non-catholics can be buried with their spouses and children in Catholic cemeteries these days in the USA.
And where do these unwanted children from the past go if they have been suddenly evicted from the Limbo property? Apparently, theologians say that infants, innocent and unbaptized just get automatically drawn into the Beatific circle of God and his plan for salvation for humankind. This is I think a free “get out of Limbo” card just like the free “get out of hell” card passed out after Vatican II regarding the relaxing of the No Meat on Friday rule.
But don’t hold your breath, Limbo may come back like No Meat on Friday or some other peculiar medieval or superstitious beliefs or rituals like indulgences. With the present regime in Rome and administrating to a very, very, very small practicing flock in Rome, anything is possible considering the fact that the media treats the Bishop of Rome like a rock star. An easy media sound bite – bling!
It is too bad that when the present aged monarch slips and slides over things like anti-Semitism, he seems rather unfocused. Perhaps he is more comfortable counting gelt than souls. That, and figuring out a way to get a bigger cut of all the RC cemetery property on the planet. Somebody has to support RC church institutions, the few that are still left unsold and standing.
P.S. read the fine print on your RC cemetery plot contracts just to be on the safe side of heaven. Don’t be disappointed at the last possible moment.