Did Jesus Create Purgatory Via the Cross?

No, man’s sinfulness—and specifically his need to detach from his attachments to sin—is responsible for the creation of Purgatory, which God justly instituted for the remission of the temporal punishment due to man’s sins (see CCC 1471-73). Indeed, prior to Jesus’ Incarnation, the reality of Purgatory is testified to in the Old Testament.

For more on this topic, please see our tracts on “The Roots of Purgatory,” “Purgatory” and “Myths about Indulgences.”