I would think of it rationally:
Why would any god, whom we all regard as compassionate regardless of our POV (well assuming we believe in God) send a baby to hell? Emotions aside, a baby cannot control any of its own actions and without the help of others it simply could not SURVIVE.
And why would this rational, just, and compassionate God, send people to hell simply because they a) never heard of the message of God -or- b) existed before that time? What about every person in North America prior to the spread of missionary activity (Of course with the assumption that the Missionaries were spreading the "True word of God")? Are they all doomed to hell? They may not have had a chance to listen or even become AWARE of the message of God, but if they did and were alive who is to say they wouldn't have been receptive?
THAT is why it makes sense for "babies" to go straight to Heaven simply because they can commit no wrong - which makes them sinless. They just whine, poop, eat....well maybe to some fathers and mothres the whining is enough to be a sin
As for the latter - it makes MORE sense to say "Those who never heard the message of God will have their own judgement as compared with those who were aware of the message" because it is still fair enough to those would never heard the message but STILL could have been receptive.
The definition of "to hear a message" is obviously very vague: I'm sure to some people just hearing "There is a religion called Christianity or Islam or BLA" constitutes "becoming aware of it"; whereas others would think that being aware of the message is actually having the chance to learn and study about it. I'm not here to pick one of the other, but just trying to flesh out my point only a little bit.
I'm not making those rules either - but a just God wouldn't just toss infants and those who were unaware into hell, doctrine or not.
We do agree on one thing - ultimately everything is up to God because he is all powerful, so regardless of what we can argue for hours about...we won't decide who does or doesn't go to hell.
So despite the Pope's comments, I don't think God will change anything simply because the Pope decrees it such. If anything, to me it shows that perhaps the Catholic Religion is the one to be questioned.
Too bad that doesn't prevent people from being "holier than thou" and trying to tell us if we will or won't go to heaven...
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