One of the many abuses that have arisen from the misinterpretation of the decrees of the second Vatican council is the worrying, but not surprising, extent of many modern Catholics’ lack of respect and appreciation for key Catholic theology. The wonderful dogma created by divine instruction has not deserted us, for it remains in the Catholic catechism. Yet more shockingly, a lazy minority of ‘liberal’ Catholic priests has decided that certain vital Catholic doctrines are not cosy enough to inflict on the faithful — deciding instead, for instance, to dilute their homilies to flaky anecdotal stand-up routines. ‘False ecumenism’, the sermonising of indifferentism and enforced Christian ‘unity’, have shattered many Catholics’ illusions. Hence so many young Catholics are abandoning the ‘modern’ practices, which are failing our generation, and are embracing ‘old-fashioned’ tradition. One of the many casualties of thirty-odd years of the aforementioned theological tom-foolery has been the doctrine of purgatory. Rather than let these wonderful doctrines desert us, let them serve as a cup of cool water does to a throat parched by modern distraction.

The Jewish, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths have always exclaimed the notion of a form of purification after death. Today Orthodox Jews, for instance, engage in a mourner’s Qaddish for eleven months after a loved one’s death for the purposes of purification. A statement of Jewish belief, and that praying for the dead was an early custom, is found in 2 Maccabees 12:39–45, where the notion of expiation postmortem is implied. Here, Judas Maccabees, commander of the forces of Israel, orders prayers for those slain at war:

And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten … And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection.

It was not until the sixteenth century that Protestant ‘reformers’ questioned the doctrine on the basis that the term ‘purgatory’ does not appear in scriptural texts — nor does Holy Trinity for that matter! It was at this point that the doctrine was standardised (having been formulated by the council of Florence) during the Church of Rome’s finest hour, namely the council of Trent in the sixteenth century.

The essence of purgatory is both crucial and simple. The Church states that some die with faults for which there was no adequate repentance on earth. The doctrinal basis of purgatory is principally composed of three points: that purification postmortem exists, involving pain of some form, which can be aided by the prayers of the faithful. Evidently, anyone who comes before the high altar of God must be sublimely pure,² thus the Church teaches that for all un-repented venial sins, the soul must suffer the repayment of temporal punishment.

All Christians agree that paradise is not a place for those burdened by the stain of sin. However Catholics maintain that a regio expiationis (place of expiation) exists to facilitate the purification of the deceased’s sinful souls, with the assistance of the living through prayer. It is therefore important to point out that the Church holds no jurisdiction over the souls in purgatory, but only those on earth. Prayers for the dead in a Church that does not accept purgatory are theologically confused — why pray for those who are already in the presence of God? Having sought eternal salvation, why do they require sincere petitions? This black or white stance is a hugely fallible — who could say that if they were to perish this very moment that they would be pure enough to be received into paradise? Protestants are endlessly stressing the sinful nature of mankind, however this mindset is rather difficult to couple with a rejection of a purgatorial state. Can these sinful creatures’ souls merely pass directly into paradise upon death without some intermediate state? As the Vatican ‘heavy weight’ Cardinal Josef Ratzinger has stated: “the reformation refuses to accept purgatory, and consequently it also rejects prayers for the departed.”

Purgatory is an intermediary other world in both time and space, in which the trial to be served may be hastened by the intercessory prayers of the Church militant, principally through the holy sacrifice of the mass; as St Jerome stated, “the souls in purgatory are relieved when the sacrifice is being offered on their behalf.” Quotidian prayers are offered to assist the Holy Souls in purgatory, such as when the priest in the (Traditional) mass interrupts the canon (eucharist, in the alternative New mass) to read the diptychs, “Memento etiam, Domine famulorum, famularumque tuarum” (Be mindful also, O Lord, of thy servants and handmaids … who have gone before us).

The third society of the other world not only holds logical strength, it is firmly rooted in scripture: nothing unclean shall enter paradise (Revelation 21:27); an intermediate state of purification (Matthew 5:26, Luke 12:58–59); extra suffering occurs before final salvation (2 Samuel 12:14, Colossians 1:24) ... to reference but a few instances.

Faith in purgatory is a belief in immortality, something happens to an individual between death and resurrection. This transitional ‘other’ world is a place neither of one extreme, nor the another, yet skewed towards the divine warmth of paradise, within sight of the eternal bliss to come. This comes contrary to the interpretations often inspired by artistic depictions for example, that somehow purgatory is a mere ‘suburb’ of hell. Likewise on a similar note, the Church does not hold that ‘material’ fire is the mode of cleansing the imperfections that shield the soul from God (though it may well be!) This misconception has been propagated by numerous key theological figures on countless occasions, Gregory the Great announcing, “that the pain [due to purgatorial fire] be more intolerable than anyone can suffer in this life” (Ps. 3 poenit., no.1). Similarly those wailing faces with which we are so familiar from mediaeval depictions are pictured symbolically engulfed with fire, denoting the suppressed fire-torn souls’ inability to see God’s face through the ensuing chaos. The exact mode of purification is not essential, but the degree of suffering remains the greatest mystery; we would require but a glimpse of the magnificence of God to appreciate the scale of suffering the souls must undertake in order to become worthy of their heavenly reception.

Purgatory and hell are places for souls who have sinned to differing extents and who face differing fates — hell for those who had incurred the wrath of God through his total rejection, and purgatory for those bearing the burden of their tarnished souls, and seeking absolution. Dante’s Divine Comedy is perhaps the most famous artistic depiction of purgatory. He describes (9.75–76) the narrow “crevice” that leads to purgatory (see also Luke 13:24), much in contrast to the broad gate leading to hell described by Matthew (7:13): “enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.”

Purgatory is a doctrine of accountability, as is the Catholic view on justification (the process of being made pure before God), and other Catholic practices such as the sacrament of confession. Catholics believe that true faith will be expressed in an individual’s works, or ‘way of life’. These good works are God’s gift of grace in us, and therefore Catholics say that they are ‘justified’ by works (solo gratia), and not faith alone. This is a teaching of free-will; we choose to carry God into our daily lives through acts, since we are equally capable of rejecting him. Justification by faith alone (solo fide), a Protestant teaching, is I believe, an honorable but potentially dangerous one in isolation since it denies self-responsibility. For instance, it is known that Myra Hindley became a devout Catholic in her later years. Working on the Protestant solo fide teaching, she was justified simply through her newly found faith, even though she was implicated in horrendous acts of evil. This is precisely why purgatory makes sense, an individual must become righteous, through some suffering (or acceptance of responsibility) and not simply declared righteous by showing strong faith in isolation. Hindley and others alike are certainly forgiven by the Church, but this does not mean that they have fully paid for their crimes in the eyes of God. Sin is not an ‘all or nothing’ issue; upon death no individual can be classified as ‘all evil’ or ‘all pure’ (save for a few extreme exceptions) — we all require differing degrees of absolution, and hence suffering.

The month of November is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Souls undergoing sanctification. The second of November is set aside to commemorate all the faithful departed (All Souls), having been initiated by St Odilo (962–1049). Previous to this, the particular dates varied throughout the Christian world. Throughout November, the bond uniting the living, the dead, and God are meditated upon by the faithful.

To conclude I wish to provide you with a rather mundane event which reminds me of purgatory, and continues to capture its core meaning. I recall as a small boy whilst in a shop accidentally breaking an ornament. I was quickly forgiven for my mishap and showed an element of remorse — however (and this is the crux), the price still had to be paid for the damage (which involved an degree of sacrifice, albeit financial!)

May we always remember the dead in our prayers, as one day we will join with them, and also require the petitions of the living

Fidelium animae per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace. Amen.