Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger: "Purgatory...is the inwardly necessary process of transformation in which a person becomes capable of Christ, capable of God [i.e., capable of full unity with Christ and God] and thus capable of unity with the whole communion of saints."With all due respect to the Cardinal's wishful thinking, there is NO biblical reference to such a spiritual "connecting-flight" to Heaven.
And can you kindly point out anywhere in the scriptures that supports the existance of "Purgatory"? Christ hadn't nor had any of the Apostles commanded such a "necessary process of transformation" for His Salvation.
Who's "authority" shall you abide by -- that of the Catholic Church and the Pope, OR the Holy Bible and Jesus Christ?
May the Lord give you His answer LOUD AND CLEAR...
"Born again" Christians claim as much as the moment that they are "saved". The scandal of the born again hypothesis--which you may or may not subscribe to--is that the "saved" person continues to sin--to offend God and others--until he dies. If you want to swap Scriptures with someone I suggest you look up the "Catholic Answers,"reply but that kind of thing always ends up in a draw, because it results in different interpretations of the same texts. The Scriptures are our great source, but from the same well we always get different tastes.