What happens to infants who die without being baptized?
The Church entrusts infants who die without baptism to the infinite mercy of God, who desires all people to be saved. In funeral liturgies for unbaptized infants, the Church prays with great confidence in God's tender love. While baptism remains the necessary ordinary sacrament revealed by Christ, Jesus displayed boundless tenderness toward little children, saying: 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 19:14). There is strong hope that God provides a way of salvation for them.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1261
- Matthew 19:14
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.