Does Purgatory Exist?

Quoted below is The Council of Trent's first decree concerning purgatory [1]:

CONCERNING PURGATORY

FIRST DECREE

Began on the third, and terminated on the fourth, day of December, MDLXIII., being the ninth and last under the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IV.

Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has, from the sacred writings and the ancient tradition of the Fathers, taught, in sacred councils, and very recently in this oecumenical Synod, that there is a Purgatory, and that the souls there detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar; the holy Synod enjoins on bishops that they diligently endeavour that the sound doctrine concerning Purgatory, transmitted by the holy Fathers and sacred councils, be believed, maintained, taught, and every where proclaimed by the faithful of Christ. But let the more difficult and subtle questions, and which tend not to edification, and from which for the most part there is no increase of piety, be excluded from popular discourses before the uneducated multitude. In like manner, such things as are uncertain, or which labour under an appearance of error, let them not allow to be made public and treated of. While those things which tend to a certain kind of curiosity or superstition, or which savour of filthy lucre, let them prohibit as scandals and stumbling-blocks of the faithful. But let the bishops take care, that the suffrages of the faithful who are living, to wit the sacrifices of masses, prayers, alms, and other works of piety, which have been wont to be performed by the faithful for the other faithful departed, be piously and devoutly performed, in accordance with the institutes of the church; and that whatsoever is due on their behalf, from the endowments of testators, or in other way, be discharged, not in a perfunctory manner, but diligently and accurately, by the priests and ministers of the church, and others who are bound to render this (service).

If Purgatory is truly a place God created, then there should be no fear that people talk about it and question it.  Yet, the Catholic Church wants to silence this discussion by these words from the passage quoted above [2]:

But let the more difficult and subtle questions, and which tend not to edification, and from which for the most part there is no increase of piety, be excluded from popular discourses before the uneducated multitude. In like manner, such things as are uncertain, or which labour under an appearance of error, let them not allow to be made public and treated of. 

That is just the first decree.  It goes on and on.  Scrolling further down one reads this, quoted in part [3]:

ON REFORMATION

EIGHTH DECREE

CHAPTER I.

Cardinals and all Prelates of the churches shall be content with modest furniture and a frugal table: they shall not enrich their relatives or domestics out of the property of the Church.

One can easily doubt that every single Cardinal and all the Prelates (including the ancient "holy fathers") are (were) honestly and truly satisfied with "modest furniture and a frugal table" with no desire whatsoever and resisting all temptations to have nicer furnishings and better tables.

There is a strong likelihood that clerical modesty and frugality are mere theoretical constructs with little basis in reality.  One only needs to look at the opulence displayed at the palazzo in Castel Gandolfo [4] for confirmation.

Perhaps the Holy Spirit did instruct the Catholic Church to decree the existence of Purgatory, in order to cleanse the sins of the clerics, because their hypocrisies cannot be washed clean by the Blood of Christ even though priests say something like this at every Mass: "...This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for many so that sins may be forgiven..."  Apparently, the Blood of Christ not enough to cleanse sins in this life.  There has to be a backup called Purgatory in the next, according to the Catholic Church.

If one still has questions about the existence of Purgatory, there is an article on it entitled "3 Sobering Visions of Purgatory from the Saints" that one can read. [5]  Of these three alleged visions, this comment by Maria Faustyna Kowalska is most astonishing [6]:

“I saw Our Lady visiting the souls in purgatory. The souls call her ‘The Star of the Sea.’ She brings them refreshment. I wanted to talk with them some more, but my guardian angel beckoned me to leave. We went out of that prison of suffering. [I heard an interior voice, which said] ‘My mercy does not want this, but justice demands it. Since that time I am in closer communion with the suffering souls.’” (Diary of St. Faustina 20)

Maria Faustyna Kowalska stated that the Mother of God brought "refreshment" to souls in Purgatory.  She did not say what kind of "refreshment" the Blessed Virgin Mary brought.  Do souls which are spirits need refreshment?  Can they consume refreshment like those who are still living?  Are souls in Purgatory not supposed to suffer in order that "justice" be served?  If so, why would the Blessed Mother bring "refreshment" to alleviate the suffering of souls in Purgatory?  Would that not be considered as an obstruction of Divine Justice?  If not, then that would mean that Divine Love can overcome Divine Justice which would eliminate the need for Purgatory.  Incidentally, is it not St. Faustina who spoke of Divine Mercy?  Why then did it occur to her that during her purgatorial vision she heard "justice demands it"?  Which is true: Divine Mercy or Divine Justice?

Both Maria Faustyna Kowalska and Lidwina of Schiedam mentioned in the article cited above heard from their respective guardian angel.  Fast forward to today, to the angel seer of the present, Lorna Byrne who, on a You Tube video that took place in the Czech Republic, said that God had never shown her Purgatory and that perhaps it did not exist.  She also filled in a lot more detail which is better watched and listened to [7] than reading about them here.

In conclusion, this blogger prefers to believe Lorna Byrne than the saints in the article cited who spoke of Purgatory, but then the Truth is for God to know and not this blogger to conclude.



[1] http://www.thecounciloftrent.com/ch25.htm
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3859590/See-Pope-lives-just-not-one-Luxurious-Papal-apartments-opened-public-time-Francis-refused-stay-plush.html
[5] https://aleteia.org/2013/11/01/3-sobering-visions-of-purgatory-from-the-saints/
[6] Ibid.
[7] https://youtu.be/gRfJR_p3rlg?list=PLlZR1Ck-Cr0wwxA1WzZebqRaLcIp68t-e&t=4659