[armydoc]

You are a Catholic bishop to know that?

I am not a Catholic bishop. Then again, neither are you, as far as I know. What's your point?

The purgatorial suffering is not paying for any sin.

"It must be emphasized that the primary reason for temporal punishment is to make satisfaction for sin. The Council of Trent emphasizes that the penitents should keep in mind that “the satisfaction imposed by them is meant not merely as a safeguard for the new life and as a remedy to weakness, but also as vindicatory (i.e. avenging) punishment for former sins.” (Council of Trent, Session 14, Chapter 8). The penitent must “fully satisfy the justice of God.” Satisfaction (or penance) is an act of the penitent “by which he makes certain reparation to the justice of God for his sins” (See The Catechism off St. Pius X, questions 105,118)"

from http://www.justforcatholics.org/a166.htm

Take a look at the bolded sections above. Make satisfaction for sin. Punishment for former sins. Reparation to the justice of God for sins. All of these could be said of Christ's work. So, let Christ pay the price (through an indulgence) or pay it yourself through suffering. Equally efficacious. Blasphemous and nauseating.

[annalex]

I am not a bishop but I know Catholic theology because I love Catholic Church, which I trust for my salvation. You display a superficial knowledge and no desire to increase it.

The penitent indeed satisfies the demands of justice through the purgatorial punishment, but nowhere does it say that he does so outside of the grace of Christ and the boundless merit of the sacrifice of the Cross. If there had been no Cross, there would be no Purgatory. See Col 1:24 again. Also see, from my #9 here:

"Don’t indulgences duplicate or even negate the work of Christ?"

Despite the biblical underpinnings of indulgences, some are sharply critical of them and insist the doctrine supplants the work of Christ and turns us into our own saviors. This objection results from confusion about the nature of indulgences and about how Christ’s work is applied to us.

Indulgences apply only to temporal penalties, not to eternal ones. The Bible indicates that these penalties may remain after a sin has been forgiven and that God lessens these penalties as rewards to those who have pleased him. Since the Bible indicates this, Christ’s work cannot be said to have been supplanted by indulgences.

The merits of Christ, since they are infinite, comprise most of those in the treasury of merits. By applying these to believers, the Church acts as Christ’s servant in the application of what he has done for us, and we know from Scripture that Christ’s work is applied to us over time and not in one big lump (Phil. 2:12, 1 Pet. 1:9).