The truth about Dante and purgatory

I enjoyed reading Mike Aquilina’s cover story in the July 12 issue about how Dante did not invent purgatory, but rather supported Catholic teaching poetically. Citing Jewish thought, Church Fathers and Pope Gregory the Great, and ending with “What do Catholics believe about purgatory” citing the Catechism, were home runs.

— Deacon Serj Harutunian, St. James the Less Church, La Crescenta