Catholic teaching on purgatory was officially proclaimed as dogma in 1438. This means that, until that year—in fact, for more than a millennium—belief in the doctrine was not required. Today, however, it has assumed an immense importance, in that it actually completes the final justification of the Catholic. Despite the hope of some, the Church has not reversed its teaching: “Purgatory is a defined doctrine of the Catholic faith. As a Catholic you must believe in it.”2 Purgatory is a temporary but