Hi. When I was a baby I was officially baptized and confirmed as a Ukranian Byzantine Catholic. But we moved when I was just a baby still and I have grown up with the Roman Catholic Church with the Roman Catholic Church's teachings. There are no Byzantine Churches for over 60 miles of where I live. I know that the Roman Catholic Church believes in Purgatory. I was wondering, what is the Byzantine Catholic Churches' teachings on Purgatory? Do they officially believe in it or not? And do they look at it in the same respect as the Roman Catholic Church?

GV,

Welcome home and to the Forum. The short answer is that Eastern Catholics view the concept of purgation in the afterlife from a different perspective than do Latin Catholics. We (at least most of us - because Heaven forbid that we all agree on anything ) do not subscribe to a place of fire that exists for some period of time which has a proportional relationship to the magnitude of our sinfulness at death.

Three excellent threads that discuss Eastern Catholic, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, and Latin Catholic viewpoints on Purgatory are at:

Byzantine Catholic Purgatory?

Intermediate State

Purgatory, What Is It?

I think that, in reading through these, you'll find the answers that you're seeking. If not, they may engender more questions.

Many years,

Neil, a bit taken aback by the post editing message "Sit tight ... we are taking you back to Purgatory" - so that's what this place is

Thanks for the info and the welcome! It's been about a year now since I've been to a Byzantine service. That was around Christmas last year when my family and me went to visit our relatives, where there are tons of Byzantine and Roman Catholic Churches. I'm really interesting in the similarities and differences between the two. Hopefully I will find all the answers to my questions here.