That’s what I think the purgatory has been (and remain) full of protestant believers. It’s a great irony that many protestants, who don’t believe in purgatory, are going to feel what purgatory means. Because to stay in state of Grace all along your life since the baptism is very difficult. Protestants who commited mortal sins after baptism if they sincerely repent, those post-baptism mortal sins will be forgiven (Acts, 3:19), but without the confession many protestant aren’t informed about restitution for the wrong they have done (penance). If they don’t make restitution of those sins they probably will go to Purgatory to purify themselves and to complete the penitence.
But that’s my opinion. I cannot say this is the Catholic Church teaching.
That’s a comforting thought, but it is not the explicit teaching of the Church. The Church teaches that only those who die in a state of Grace but are guilty of unconfessed
venial sins (which tarnish us, but do not remove us from a state of Grace) are in purgatory.
HOWEVER, the Church teaches that it is
possible for a non-Christian (a person who has not received water Baptism) who leads a morally upright life to yet be saved through something called “invincible ignorance.”
The problem with invincible ignorance is that the Church has absolutely no idea how it works. The Church does not know the criteria that God uses to make this determination. The Church does not know if
many have attained salvation this way, or
few, or even if
ANYBODY ever has (just because it’s
possible doesn’t mean it has actually happened).
But, some folks reason that, if someone can attain salvation who was never actually Baptized, protestants who have received valid Christian Baptism must surely have a better chance of salvation.
The problem is mortal sin. Invincible ignorance applies to those who have lived a morally upright life. The Church doesn’t know exactly what that means, but a person who has committed mortal sin likely falls short of this standard. The Church teaches that a
Catholic who has committed mortal sin (and does not have the Grace of his Christian Baptism renewed by Sacramental Confession) is condemned. If a Baptized
Catholic is condemned by unconfessed mortal sin, how could a Baptized protestant expect any better treatment? Would God be more lenient for those who refused to be part of the Church that Jesus established, and not avail themselves of the forgiveness that Jesus entrusted to the Church (John 20:23)?
Mortal sin is a complex topic. There is no such thing as an offense which is
always mortally sinful.
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal. [1John 5:17]
In order for any wrongdoing to be
mortally sinful, it must be done with full knowledge of the sinful nature of the act, and with complete freewill consent. Some modern theologians believe that it is unlikely for a person of goodwill to commit an offense that rises to this standard. This is probably the biggest debate in modern theological circles. I ran a poll on this Forum a few years ago asking people if they thought it was “easy” or “hard” for a person of goodwill to commit mortal sin, and the overwhelming majority voted that it was easy. In another thread, one respected Forum member seemed to suggest that a person who died even a short time after Confession would be condemned, because s/he would surely slip into mortal sin in just a few hours.
For the sake of Baptized protestants, I hope these people are wrong. I hope that it is “hard” for a person of goodwill to commit an offense that rises to the standard of mortal sin. Alas, the Church has never taught one way or another.
Baptism is a 100% guarantee, and Sacramental Confession is a 100% guarantee. Protestants only have one of these guarantees. Let’s hope that’s enough.
