I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in His only Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. **He descended in Hell. ** On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. He will come again to judge the living and dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.
The Church teaches that the word used for Hell, Hades, was actually the place of the dead, not the place of eternal damnation. This is where all who died awaited Jesus’ act of redemption, and where He appeared to them and presented them with their choice – to follow Him and enter heaven, or to deny Him and enter hell.
