The Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory

The Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory: Why It Is Theologically Erroneous In Roman Catholic theology, there exists the doctrine of Purgatory (Purgatorium): an intermediate state after death in which souls are “purified” through punitive suffering before entering Paradise. The Orthodox Church rejects this doctrine not out of hostility, but because it has no foundation either in Holy Scripture or in the Patristic Tradition, and because it distorts fundamental truths concerning salvation. ⸻ 1. Purgatory Does Not Exist in Holy Scripture There is no clear reference in the New Testament to a “place of purifying punishment.” The main passage cited by Catholics (2 Maccabees 12:45) does not belong to the Hebrew canon of the Old Testament, nor was it ever used dogmatically by the ancient Church. Christ speaks plainly: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46) He makes no mention of a third, intermediate state of punitive “purification.” ⸻ 2. It Turns Salvation into a Legal Transaction Purgatory is based on the logic that: • guilt is forgiven, • but a remaining “penalty” must still be paid. This introduces a legalistic concept of salvation that is foreign to the Orthodox experience. In Orthodoxy: Christ does not pay penalties — He heals the human person. Salvation is not a judicial settlement, but the restoration of the relationship with God. ⸻ 3. It Distorts the Meaning of Repentance In Purgatory, purification takes place after death through suffering. In Orthodox Tradition: • purification occurs here and now, through repentance, confession, ascetic struggle, and Holy Communion. After death: “It is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) There is no second “pedagogical punishment.” ⸻ 4. It Creates Fear Instead of Hope Purgatory cultivates: • fear of future suffering, • anxiety over expiation, • and historically even led to the commercialization of indulgences. The Orthodox Church, by contrast, speaks of: • hope in the mercy of God, • prayer for the departed, • and trust in His loving-kindness — not in mechanisms of punishment. ⸻ 5. The Fathers of the Church Did Not Teach Purgatory None of the great Fathers of the Church: • St. John Chrysostom • St. Basil the Great • St. Gregory the Theologian ever spoke of a place of punitive purification. They speak of: • the toll houses (as a spiritual struggle), • a temporary state of awaiting judgment, • prayer on behalf of the departed, but not of an institutionalized post-mortem purgatorial fire. ⸻ ❖ Conclusion Purgatory: • is not biblical, • is not patristic, • is not therapeutic, • and distorts the evangelical message of salvation. The Orthodox Church accepts repentance — it places it in its proper context: in this life, where the human person is called to be healed, to love, and to be united with Christ.