What happens to babies that have died or aborted?

[EmptyChild]

I wanted to ask a question
what happens to babies that have died before they where baptized or where aborted
do they go to heaven ? or do they go somewhere else
id hate to think there are suffering because of something that wasn’t there fault
i pray for them …

 

[Evania]

I believe that they go to Heaven.

 

[Usige]

The answer from the Church is we don’t know, but can only trust to God’s mercy.

One of the biggest problems I see with the assumption that aborted babies go to Heaven, without fail, is that some women in a crisis pregnancy could see aborting their children as a good thing; a way to spare them from a bad life. While it might be comforting to some to think their child is in Heaven, we simply don’t know.

 

[marymary1975]

We don’t know. We hope that God in his infinite mercy does have a way to save them and we hope that somehow they make it to heaven, but this is something that has not.been revealed to the church so the Church doesn’t know and there is no official teaching on that. We are left to trust Jesus being.a just judge and his infinite.mercy.

 

[bitterhope]

The answer from the Church is we don’t know, but can only trust to God’s mercy.

One of the biggest problems I see with the assumption that aborted babies go to Heaven, without fail, is that some women in a crisis pregnancy could see aborting their children as a good thing; a way to spare them from a bad life. While it might be comforting to some to think their child is in Heaven, we simply don’t know.

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Babies can’t make it into heaven because that would justify murdering them to some women. Well, those same women are murdering them already. If God isn’t merciful enough to allow those murder victims, as well as all other babies, into heaven then those women (or anybody else) never stand a chance at heaven either.

 

[Usige]

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Babies can’t make it into heaven because that would justify murdering them to some women. Well, those same women are murdering them already. If God isn’t merciful enough to allow those murder victims, as well as all other babies, into heaven then those women (or anybody else) never stand a chance at heaven either.

I am talking about pre-canonization. The Church teaches that the only souls we know are in heaven are the canonized saints. We only know they are in the house of God because intercessionary prayers to them resulted in a miracle. Unless someone prays for an unborn child and there is a miraculous outcome we never know that that child is in Heaven.

I have never said that they aren’t in Heaven, but rather I am saying that by insisting that murdered children are in Heaven can give a mother false hope that her child may be better off dead rather than living in poverty. Think of women who suffer from postpartum depression. They have drown their children to send them to a better place. We simply do not know what happens to those who have not been baptized before Death. We cannot insist that they are there, because none of us know God’s plan. We can all hope, but I don’t beleive in giving people assurance of things we cannot know.

 

[littlestsouls2]

They certainly don’t suffer the pains of Hell, so put that out of your mind.

Pope Pius IX (Quanto Conficiamur Moerore): “God… in His supreme goodness and clemency, by no means allows anyone to be punished with eternal punishments who does not have the guilt of voluntary fault.”

 

[bitterhope]

I am talking about pre-canonization. The Church teaches that the only souls we know are in heaven are the canonized saints. We only know they are in the house of God because intercessionary prayers to them resulted in a miracle. Unless someone prays for an unborn child and there is a miraculous outcome we never know that that child is in Heaven.

I have never said that they aren’t in Heaven, but rather I am saying that by insisting that murdered children are in Heaven can give a mother false hope that her child may be better off dead rather than living in poverty. Think of women who suffer from postpartum depression. They have drown their children to send them to a better place. We simply do not know what happens to those who have not been baptized before Death. We cannot insist that they are there, because none of us know God’s plan. We can all hope, but I don’t beleive in giving people assurance of things we cannot know.

You said:

“One of the biggest problems I see with the assumption that aborted babies go to Heaven, without fail, is that some women in a crisis pregnancy could see aborting their children as a good thing; a way to spare them from a bad life. While it might be comforting to some to think their child is in Heaven, we simply don’t know.”

I cannot see how one of the biggest problems with knowing unborn babies make it to heaven has anything at all to do with abortion. That’s like saying one of the biggest problems with knowing someone will go to heaven is it can be used an an excuse for mercy killing. Honestly, I can’t see there being a problem knowing that a God is merciful and loving at all.

This is something I have written to Pope Francis about. The priest at my parish would not bury my twins because they were “never alive to begin with.” They were well past the age of viability and they died due to an infection that the dr should have treated but didn’t until after my babies were dead. My mother’s priest buried the babies for us and has said numerous Masses for our family since then as well. I am waiting on an answer from the pope because I cannot remain Catholic if this is truly what I am supposed to believe. If my babies are not in heaven, I don’t want to be there either. My mom’s priest assures me that they are in heaven because God would not punish them for something beyond their control (being unbaptized–or aborted in other cases), and He is a loving Father so He is even more merciful than we as parents are. Since one priest told me one thing and my pastor has told me something else, I wrote to the pope. First time in my life as a cradle catholic I ever even considered doing that I might add. So, it’s been several months and I continue to wait on Pope Francis to respond. If he actually does respond, I will make my decision to continue with the Church or not. I hope this explains why this issue is so hard to accept. I’ve put up with lots of things at this parish that I KNOW are wrong and smaller things throughout my life in many Catholic Churches I’ve attended. If the way the church believes is really like I’ve encountered here and in this parish, I can’t keep struggling to follow this faith. So yeah, that’s why I hate hearing people say we can’t be sure where babies end up. And I know for a fact I am not the only person who feels this way.

 

[oceansenora]

God bless your two babies. There was another thread that relates to miscarried babies and it seems that other priests supported the burying of these babies. But please have mercy on your priest – he is probably just trying to make sure he follows the rules, of which there are many. Maybe he was mixing it up with the rule that a priest cannot baptized the deceased (whether babies or adults). The presence of Jesus is the reason for being at Mass so please don’t let the decisions of a priest keep you away from our loving Jesus.

There was a Catholic mystic named Maria Simma who had many souls from purgatory appear to her. She asked them many questions. She asked them about miscarried and aborted babies and was told that they do go to heaven but that on the way there, they have to briefly stop at another place (I presume for spiritual development). This place was beautiful and much better than Earth – almost like heaven except it lacked the Beatific Vision. Simma, who was obedient to her bishop, says it is very easy to bump these babies right into heaven . . . a few prayers and a Mass said for them. Sounds like you already did this for your children.

There is a retired banker named Marvin Besteman (see link) who says he visited heaven and saw millions of unborn babies there. Also, there is a little boy named Colton Burpo who supposedly saw heaven. The book Heaven is for Real, describes how his little sister (who was miscarried as a baby) came up and hugged him in heaven.

 

[oceansenora]

I forgot to include a link to the thread that relates: link here

 

[jmjZelie]

You said:

“One of the biggest problems I see with the assumption that aborted babies go to Heaven, without fail, is that some women in a crisis pregnancy could see aborting their children as a good thing; a way to spare them from a bad life. While it might be comforting to some to think their child is in Heaven, we simply don’t know.”

I cannot see how one of the biggest problems with knowing unborn babies make it to heaven has anything at all to do with abortion. That’s like saying one of the biggest problems with knowing someone will go to heaven is it can be used an an excuse for mercy killing. Honestly, I can’t see there being a problem knowing that a God is merciful and loving at all.

This is something I have written to Pope Francis about. The priest at my parish would not bury my twins because they were “never alive to begin with.” They were well past the age of viability and they died due to an infection that the dr should have treated but didn’t until after my babies were dead. My mother’s priest buried the babies for us and has said numerous Masses for our family since then as well. I am waiting on an answer from the pope because I cannot remain Catholic if this is truly what I am supposed to believe. If my babies are not in heaven, I don’t want to be there either. My mom’s priest assures me that they are in heaven because God would not punish them for something beyond their control (being unbaptized–or aborted in other cases), and He is a loving Father so He is even more merciful than we as parents are. Since one priest told me one thing and my pastor has told me something else, I wrote to the pope. First time in my life as a cradle catholic I ever even considered doing that I might add. So, it’s been several months and I continue to wait on Pope Francis to respond. If he actually does respond, I will make my decision to continue with the Church or not. I hope this explains why this issue is so hard to accept. I’ve put up with lots of things at this parish that I KNOW are wrong and smaller things throughout my life in many Catholic Churches I’ve attended. If the way the church believes is really like I’ve encountered here and in this parish, I can’t keep struggling to follow this faith. So yeah, that’s why I hate hearing people say we can’t be sure where babies end up. And I know for a fact I am not the only person who feels this way.

Hi bitterhope. I have struggled with this question , too. The two answers I have seen that have been put forth by Catholic theologians were that either the babies might go to a place of perfect natural happiness called Limbo where they experience as much happiness as is possible but do not behold the Beatific Vision, OR they do in fact enter Heaven and behold the Beatific Vision and they are the most powerful intercessors their parents could ever hope to have. Both of those perspectives were supported by sound Catholic theology. So, despite not knowing which is there reality for our little lost babies, I find both explanations to be very comforting, because neither involves our babies being consigned to the hell of the damned. Our babies never got the opportunity to choose either for God or against Him. It is heartless to tell grieving parents that their babies’s souls are lost forever, especially since the Church Herself has given conditional baptism to parents of babies who are lost in utero.

Please don’t abandon your Catholic faith because of heartless and untrue statements from your pastor. Your babies were alive and deserved a funeral. You were right to request that of the Church. I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[bitterhope]

I should probably clarify. I will continue raising my children catholic because that is a vow I took when I married and again at their baptisms. I don’t break vows regardless if personal feelings or desires. However, I can’t consider myself Catholic if I’m expected to believe the things I have recently been told and also shown in the catechism as true catholic beliefs. This is not the only issue, but this is the only deal breaker I guess you could say. I completely embrace the teachings on family planning, marriage, the Eucharist, etc, but I cannot accept that God is so heartless that we as a people cannot be 100% positive babies go home to Him. If I as an imperfect human mom have more compassion than that, how I accept God is a loving Heavenly Father that wants what’s best for me, but NOT what’s best for babies? We even celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents. This is not the only time this topic has come up and each time it does people quote the catechism showing that baptism is necessary and unbaptized people go to Hell. And it’s not unusual for those threads to be closed and posts deleted, but usually not the ones that quote the catechism. So, if my children aren’t in Heaven, I don’t wish to be either. My living children will be raised Catholic and most likely will never know I wish I wasn’t. There are other issues too, but nothing that would make me give up the Church except this. Most other things are just people related so they don’t mean much to me. But if God is that cruel too it’s pointless to struggle to hold on to Heaven.