| Pope Says, Purgatory Offers People Eventual Entry into Heaven |
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) Purgatory offers people who remain imperfect after their death a possibility for eventual entry into heaven, Pope John Paul II said. "Before we enter into God's kingdom, every trace of sin within us must be eliminated, every imperfection in our soul must be corrected," the pope said at his Aug. 4 general audience. "This is exactly what takes place in purgatory." As is his custom, Pope John Paul delivered his entire catechesis in Italian, then gave synopses of it in several languages. His remarks were part of a series of audience talks on God. The pope noted that in his two preceding audience talks, he had explained Catholic teaching on heaven and hell, "the alternatives ... from which people can chose: either to live eternally with the Lord or to remain far from his presence." He called purgatory "the process of purification for those who die in the love of God but are not completely imbued with that love." The pope said purgatory "is not a place" but "a condition" in which "those who are in a state of purification participate already in the love of Christ, who frees them from their imperfections." After sinning in life, upon death "a human being has no chance to choose anew," Pope John Paul said. "He cannot recover in purgatory what he has lost in life. "At the same time, though," the pope said, "the church remains in solidarity with him." He recalled the church teaching that the duration and intensity of individuals' sufferings in purgatory can be lessened "through prayers and works of love." The pope also pointed out that "in the New Testament, Christ is presented as an intercessor" on sinners' behalf, who extends "an offer of mercy along with inevitable judgment for those who refuse the love and pardon of the Father." Pope John Paul added that "the offer of mercy does not exclude the duty to present ourselves pure and whole before God." |
