In Catholic teachings,what is the place where souls go to be punished before going to heaven?

Answer 1

Yahoo answers?

Answer 2

Hello. Catholics believe in purgatory, but as a Christian and as a Protestant the scriptures do NOT support the notion of such. If there had been a purgatory, it would've been in the teachings and letters of Paul the Apostle. Also other apostles would have spoke of it in the scriptures that are actually CANONICAL. Every person has only two places to which to go finally: heaven or hell. There is no purgatory, middle area, or the like. Now prior to Jesus' death on the cross and subsequent ascenscion by the glory of the Father, the righteous souls were in paradise... a separated area from those suffering in hell. After Jesus arose, He took all the saints of God were in paradise to be WITH HIM in heaven. Those who joined Jesus went to be with Him in heaven for eternity and are in bliss. The Word says some of those brought out from paradise went and spread the word to those in the area. So friend, do know the truth and one day we will meet in heaven. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

There is no place souls go to be punished. Purgatory is a place where the saved who are not fully purified go to be purified before coming into God's presence, since the Bible tells us nothing unclean can come into His presence. Protestant tradition tells us that Jesus "covers over" our sin, essentially smuggling us into heaven while we are still unclean, like "dunghills covered with snow". The teaching of the original Christian Church however has always been that Jesus doesn't just "cover over" our uncleanliness, but removes it, so that we don't enter heaven "disguised" as pure, but actually pure!
.

Answer 4

Purgatory

Answer 5

Some souls go to Purgatory for a time of purification, not punishment.

Answer 6

You are thinking of purgatory. Growing up Catholic, I was taught that purgatory was like hell, except you knew you would get out eventually. Sounds like purification by punishment to me, Catechumen. :) The idea was, if you died without having all your venial (minor) sins forgiven, you had to be pay for them in purgatory to be made fit for heaven. Of course, if you died with a mortal (really bad, like murder) sin unforgiven, you'd go to hell.

Limbo, as answered by chdoctor, is not the same as purgatory. It is for souls of babies who died without being baptized, and therefore could not enter heaven. That was described to me as being like heaven, except that God is not there. Kind of an oxymoron, really.

Anyway, not being Catholic anymore, I have learned that these places are neither biblical nor necessary. The bible says we don't go to hell because our sins or to heaven because of our good works.

Our salvation depends totally on our faith in Jesus Christ. See John 3:16, among others.

Answer 7

Souls get punished by being sent to Hell for committing evil or unkindness.
Souls who have not committed enough good works or who have made sins of omission (didn't take the opportunity to do good) go to Purgatory until they are redeemed by prayer.
Souls of those unbaptized or innocent go to Limbo.

Answer 8

I think you mean Purgatory. But souls are not "punished" there.

Are you perfect now? Most people would say no.

Will you be perfect in heaven? Most people believe yes.

Purgatory (or purgation) is the process of God's love changing our imperfect selves into perfect beings.

Depending on the amount of change needed by different people this can be an easy or slightly harder process.

Everyone in purgatory is on their way to heaven.

I don't think Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a very hard time of it.

With love in Christ.

Answer 9

Do you mean Purgatory, during which those who die in a state of grace yet are not quite perfect are cleansed because nothing unclean can enter Heaven?

Answer 10

It used to be Purgatory as revealed from the book Tobit. However, the Catholic hierarchy no longer preaches that doctrine.

Answer 11

Purgatory or Limbo