Catechesis And The Suffering of Souls In Hell
By ARTHUR HIPPLER (Editor’s Note: Arthur Hippler is chairman of the religion department and teaches religion in the Upper School at Providence Academy, Plymouth, Minn.) + + + Just before Easter, we were greeted with “Pope Francis Denies the Existence of Hell!” headlines, followed up by clarifications in much smaller font. Those with long memories will recall that years ago John Paul II captured headlines when, in a Wednesday audience, he said that Hell was a “state” rather than a “place,” that is the “state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy” (July 28, 1999). For many, denying that Hell was a “place” amounted to denying its existence. How can…Continue Reading