Why I Am Not a Catholic, Part 4: Purgatory and the Moment We Die

Why I Am Not a Catholic? · 4

In Part 3, we saw that indulgences can be applied to the dead. That raises a bigger question. What happens to a believer the moment he dies?

First, a word. I am not judging anyone who prays for a loved one who has passed away. That comes from love, and grief is heavy. We are looking at one teaching, and only at what the Church writes down.

What the Church teaches

The Catechism puts it in one sentence.

“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the…