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Who is believed to enter purgatory according to Roman Catholic doctrine?

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Anastasis (Christ ascending from hell), apse fresco, c. 1320; in the Church of the Holy Saviour at the Monastery of the Chora (now the Kariye Museum), Istanbul. — purgatory *Anastasis* (Christ ascending from hell), apse fresco, c. 1320; in the Church of the Holy Saviour at the Monastery of the Chora (now the Kariye Museum), Istanbul.

According to Roman Catholic doctrine, purgatory is the state or process of purification for the souls of those who die in a state of grace but are not yet fully prepared for heaven.1

It is a fundamental tenet of this belief that the question of salvation or damnation is settled at the moment of death; therefore, only those who are already destined for salvation enter purgatory. These souls are assured of their eventual entry into heaven and willingly undergo this purification to prepare for the beatific vision.23

In contrast, those who die unrepentant of mortal sin—which represents a deliberate turning away from God—are believed to descend immediately into hell. While venial sins weaken a person's union with God, they do not block the inflow of sanctifying grace in the same way as mortal sins, and it is the purification from such remaining effects of sin that is addressed in the purgatorial process.45