Elaine,

Thanks for the question.

Purgatory is a reality. Purgatory is not something that the Church can eliminate.

However, here in lies the confusion.

1. Over the passed few decades members of the clergy or 'teachers' have so de-emphasized purgatory that folks have gotten the wrong idea.
   
   
2. Heretics in the Church have spread such dribble.

Here are the facts. The Catholic Church has always taught that there is purification after death for those who are not fully sanctified and yet who die in a state of grace. Later, led by the Holy Spirit, the Church formalized this belief into the doctrine of Purgatory.

Now this doctrine in actually pretty bare bones.

1) Purgatory exists for those who die in a state of grace, but not having been fully cleansed from the effects of sin.
2) It involves suffering.
3) Those in heaven or on earth can pray for those in purgatory.
4) Those in Purgatory can pray for us on earth.

Now, through out the ages this simple doctrine has been explained in different ways. There are two models used.

1. The punishment model: As in we go to Purgatory to "pay for our sins". This model has been the most prevalent and often misunderstood by poorly educated Catholics and especially Protestants.
   
   
2. The healing model. I prefer this method of explanation because it eliminates confusion about who paid for our sins. Christ paid for our sins. Yet when we sin, we harm our own souls as well as break our relationship with God. When we repent (normally through confession) we are forgiven and our relationship is restored. But the damage we've inflicted on our souls must also be healed. That can either happen during our earthly lives, as we allow God's grace to work in us, or it is completed in Purgatory. So the suffering experienced in Purgatory is really healing pain, or growing pain.

Both models usually use fire as an illustration of suffering. But in actuality it is the Love of God which the Bible describes as a "burning fire" which cleanses us from out sins.

No, it's not true (though see my qualifier).

Official Church teaching has not changed and isn't going to.

First, what, fundamentally, do we believe about purgatory? We believe that it is a state in which we are cleansed from our sins, and that those in purgatory can be helped by our prayers. That, in sum total, is
what we must believe about purgatory. This is dogmatic teaching and cannot change. Everything else is speculation.

It is possible that someone is getting purgatory confused with limbo. Limbo was speculative theology and was never official doctrine. The Church has in fact been revisiting limbo with a view toward eliminating it; there was a moment not too many months ago when Pope Benedict had the opportunity to act in that regard, but opted not to do so just yet.

Limbo is the teaching that babies who die unbaptized necessarily are consigned to the highest level of Hell, a place of natural happiness without torment or pain. The reason for this is because theologically, baptism cleanses us from our sins, grants us divine life, and establishes us in a right relationship with God. Without baptism, formally speaking, we cannot be saved. However, it is possible for the desire for baptism to count as baptism, the classic example is the catechumen (non-baptized person studying for the faith towards entering the church) who dies before he has a chance to be baptize. The church believes he intended to be baptized, and planned to do so, so that "counts" as baptism. A similar argument can be made for infants whose parents had every intention of baptizing them.

Even the catechism published a decade ago refused to acknowledge limbo, saying about unbaptized infants that the Church commends them to the mercy of God.

Hope this helps.

Eric Ewanco

Hi Elaine,

It is Limbo that the Church is studying. Limbo was never more than a theological opinion, but was taught widely. Purgatory is scriptural and also defined doctrine, so no change will come there.

Mary Ann