False dichotomy. In his case, the purification occurred when he believed in Jesus, expressed remorse for his sins, and did the good work of defending the innocent and rebuking the guilty. He died a good Catholic death.
I wonder, really I do, that catholics are unable to see they are a religion of working your way to salvation, especially evident when they post assertions like, “and did the good work”. You really believe you earn some of the means to Heavenly life through your works somehow causing God to owe you Salvation becvause you ‘did the good work’? ... And the catholic mind will twist that question to fit the specious religion which is a Christian look-a-like but not Christianity.
No, it is not a “false dichotomy” at all. It is a relevant question that SHOULD be answerable by those who imagined the whole concept of purgatory from the start. How many years have they had to develop it???
Look, I appreciate the dilemma faithful Catholics find themselves in when they try to step up and defend the various and sundry unscriptural doctrines developed over the ccenturies. Do you, can you, admit that on this subject particularly the magesterium dropped the ball and could have worked a little harder on the details rather than leaving it up to the individual to figure it out for themselves?