Farewell to Limbo

Maybe. An international theological commission is reportedly slated to advise Pope Benedict to abolish the notion of limbo - that place which is neither heaven nor hell, but has souls waiting in, well, limbo. Before his death, Pope John Paul asked the commission to consider the sticky issue of limbo, requesting "a more coherent and enlightened way" of describing the fate of innocents. I realize this is not the appropriate reaction, but I was highly amused after seeing this article. Limbo is officialy designated for the poor souls of infants who die before being baptized, or the poor souls of others who die without grievous personal sin. They are not admitted to heaven, as they have never been forgiven for the original sin. This got me wondering - just what constitutes grievous personal sin anyway? Catholics are supposed to go to confession, reasonably often, to own up to their sins. Even if we don't murder, rape, or pillage, we still commit sins. I would hope that normal everyday type of sins are not considered grievous, otherwise the poor souls of an awful lot of us are condemned to hell. Surely the poor soul of the Sherpa that lives on top of a mountain in Tibet and has never heard of Catholicism gets to go to limbo. I am showing my religious ignorance here, but I would bet the fate of such souls differs, depending on who is pondering the notion. Thanks to the teachings of the church, some people probably believe that unconfessed normal everyday sins are a direct passage to hell. This begs more questions....If limbo disappears, what happens to all the poor souls that are already there? And while I'm asking, isn't it up to "God" to decide where all the poor souls go? I really had no idea such a decision could be made by a committee. I can't wait to see what they have come up with.