Purgatory commonly refers to a doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church, which posits that those who die in a state of grace undergo a purification in order to achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven.[1] This purification of the elect is entirely different from the punishment of the damned in hell.[2] The Catholic doctrine holds that the souls in purgatory undergo temporal punishment due to venial sins or as satisfaction due to their transgressions,[3] and that they can be aided by the prayer and sufferings of the faithful and the Sacrifice of the Mass.[4] Hence central to the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory is prayer for the dead. The main Protestant belief is of an instantaneous and painless event, glorification, by which the Holy Spirit regenerates those whose sins have been forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. Certain Islamic and Jewish beliefs are sometimes interpreted to be similar or equivalent to purgatory. The word Purgatory, just as the word Trinity, does not appear in the Bible, nor is the concept spelled out in detail. Scripture verses cited in support of a period of purgation after death and/or the efficacy of prayers for the dead include Dan 12:10;[5] Zech 13:9;[6] Mal 3:2-3;[7] 2 Mac 12:42-45;[8] Matthew 5:26;[9] Lk 12:47-48;[10] Lk 12:58-59;[11] 1 Cor 3:13-15;[12]; 2 Timothy 1:16-18[13] Apoc 21:27[14] and others. The extent to which these passages refer to a state of purgation remains subject to interpretation. This is my view. Thanks to Wikipedia.com