The meaning of Limbo in common speech is rather different from its original religious use. As has been noted, limbo is distinct from purgatory (where you remain while in the process of "washing away your sins" on the way to heaven). Limbo, rather, is a place for the souls of those who are not qualified for either heaven or hell. The canonical example is if an infant dies before becoming able to distinguish between right and wrong - they are destined neither for eternal reward or eternal punishment.So to take the metaphor strictly, "in limbo" means "neither in one place nor the other"; a somewhat indeterminate fate. I'm sure I've seen examples where the idea is of waiting for a decision from beyond one's control. The phrase "currently in limbo" would not sound wrong, while in the religious sense, limbo is an eternal state. I'd say that modern usage has moved on from the original sense, and now comfortably accommodates a broader meaning.Limbo is a place which was later developed by catholics (not the Catholic religion itself), it is thought to be the place for the souls to wander in, for the souls which don't qualify for either hell or heaven.A state of uncertainty, a place or state of restraint or confinement, a place or state of neglect or oblivion, an intermediate or transitional place or state.
Purgatory is, according to Roman Catholic teachings, the state or place of purification or temporary punishment by which those who die with non-mortal sins and so in the state of grace are made ready for theBeatific Vision in Heaven. Only one who dies in the state of grace can be in Purgatory, and therefore no one who is in Purgatory will remain there forever or go to Hell. This theological notion has ancient roots and is well-attested in early Christian literature, but the poetic conception of Purgatory as a geographically existing place is largely the creation of medieval Christian piety and imagination.
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