Quote Originally Posted by Banquo's Ghost
I imagine the protestants have some heretical ideas on this () but the catholic tradition was no - still subject to original sin, such people could not enter heaven but would go to a place known as Limbo - jolly pleasant, a bit like the local country club, but not the full paradise deal.

Under the current Holy Father, there's a debate going on about the actual nature of limbo and indeed its very existence as a separate state from paradise.
The old dogma, afaik, was that the souls of those not baptized reside in limbo until judgement day, where they too will be judged. Dante (considering the time frame it's reasonable to assume he followed the dogma at the time) mentions that JC took some 'worthy' souls out of limbo to heaven around the time of his 'death'.

Now, personally, from reading the bible (when I was a kid...) I gathered that no one would be judged until judgement day. A certain pope tried to make this dogma, but he was accused of heresy (and might even have burned for it) if I'm not mistaken.

This is one of the most difficult and controversial questions in christianity.