Carol, You are entitled to your opinion, as are we all.
The Bible does not contain either the word “purgatory,” or the concept of purgatory, nor does it teach that the souls of those who have died are purified in purgatory.
The ancient Pagan Greeks believed in Limbo and in purgatory.
What the Catholic (NAB) Bible teaches about sin and death contradicts the doctrine of purgatory.
The Catholic NAB Bible teaches that only faith in the shed blood of Jesus purifies a person from sin. It says that “the blood of God’s Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin” and that “Jesus Christ freed us from our sins by his blood.” (1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, New American Bible), and that Jesus gave “His life as a ransom for many” to pay for their sins. (Matthew 20:28, NAB).
Purgatory is defined in Catholic teaching as the state, place, or condition where the souls of those who die atone for their unforgiven sins and are purified, never a place where they remain permanently.
* According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this purification is needed “to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” The Catechism adds that “the tradition of the Church . . . speaks of a cleansing fire,”
This is not a Scriptural teaching. Purgatory is never taught in the Bible.
Influenced by Greek philosophy, Clement of Alexandria asserted that the dead could be cleansed of sin by a purifying fire.
Pope Gregory the Great stressed that belief in "the fire of purgatory" was not allowed to be questioned, according to "The History of Christian Doctrines." This reference work adds that Gregory, who was pope from 590 to 604 A.D., “is usually called ‘the inventor of purgatory.’”
The Catholic Church defined its official teaching of purgatory at the councils of Lyons in 1274 A.D., in Florence in 1439 A.D. and reaffirmed it at the Council of Trent in 1547 A.D.
Carol Kelly wrote:
I don’t like to disagree but I believe Stephen Hawking suffered his Hell right here on earth. Surely he has a permanent residence in purgatory.