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All right... a few more moments to think (hopefully) and to type.

First of all: forgive me for saying so, but those (including the OP) who are attempting to argue against the Catholic Church (and the doctrine of Purgatory, in particular) have shown some rather... imperfect understanding of the doctrine itself. I don’t think it’s asking too much for critics to *understand* the *actual* doctrine, as the Catholic Church actually teaches it (e.g. one commenter confused it with Limbo, another claimed that it’s a substitute for Hell, and the confusions go from there), before presuming to attack it. Otherwise, they will be fighting a phantom enemy, and they will leave the real doctrine untouched.

Let me summarize, as best I can, the actual doctrine of Purgatory (especially since some of the critics declined to read the long quotes which did a more fulsome job):

Purgatory is the temporary state of being (though some translations may have slight differences in that word) in which those who are saved (i.e. die without being in a state of unrepented mortal sin), if they are still impure in any way (either through any lingering attachment to sin, or due to any temporal punishment which has not yet been satisfied, etc.), are purified... after which they enter Heaven straight-away.

Purgatory is not a substitute for Hell; those who are damned, are damned, and they never see or experience Purgatory at all.

Purgatory is not limbo; the former is a solemn truth of the Catholic Faith whic describes the state of being of those who are saved, but are not yet fully clean, while the second was a mere hypothesis about the fate of those who died in a state of original sin (i.e. unbaptized), but without personal, actual sin.

I won’t even dignify some of the more shallow anti-Catholic canards (e.g. Purgatory = money-making scheme, etc.) with an answer, save to say that such play-ground taunts could easily be turned back on their makers (with equal illogic). E.g. “The Bible is simply a money-making scam used to (a) get $$$ as the best-seller of the world, and (b) get gullible Christians to “tithe” on their income to their pastor/worship-leader/favourite televangelist, etc.” I trust we can keep the discourse above such cheap nonsense as that, what?

I’ll reply to a few of the other posts, in a moment.

Purgatory tells us Christ could not complete His work..that we need to finish it.. it gives comfort to those that tell "little white lies" or have their palms read.. or that were disrespectful to their parents or that cursed .. ..it tells people that the Holiness of God is not so offended by "small" offenses and He will allow you to pay for them yourself.. you do not need Christ for that ..what a comfort to those that love their sin...

Can you tell me what Christ accomplished on the cross?? Were any saved? Or did Christ make heaven a possibility for men again ??