Jesus and the Good Thief: What does "Paradise" refer to?

Jesus and the Good Thief

The Good Thief died before the law of baptism was promulgated (see Mt. 28:19-20). Further, although he died before the law of baptism was promulgated, there's no proof that he went to Heaven without baptism. We believe that he was baptized. The 'paradise' to which Jesus refers in that passage is the Limbo of the Fathers, not Heaven. No one went to Heaven until after the Resurrection. Moreover, the Church teaches that at Jesus’ Resurrection the just were raised to life. This raising to life of the just who died before the Resurrection is mentioned in Matthew 27:52 (and by various Church fathers): “The tombs also were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised”. The Good Thief and other Old Testament saints could have been baptized at that time (and we believe they were). In fact, certain ancient texts, including the Shepherd of Hermas, teach that the just who died before the Resurrection were in fact baptized. However, the dogmatic statements which declare that no one gets to Heaven without baptism concern the period after the Resurrection. Also, Pope Benedict XII solemnly defined that everyone in Heaven from the New Testament period received baptism: https://vaticancatholic.com/pope-benedict-xii-baptism-heaven/ No one gets to Heaven without it.