Thus, in Buddhism, this is accomplished by re-incarnation of a soul and a perishable "self" (ego). In Islam, God determines how long will the sinner be burned in Hell's fire. It speaks of Allah regenerating the "skin" of the sinner so that it may be burned all over, repeatedly, thus maximizing the torture and pain. This continues until Allah determines the sinner has "paid" back what he owes and is then saved and goes to heaven.
Even the Judaic Shoel is a depository of souls where some kind of "purification" takes place, as no soul remains there for longer than 12 months (which makes me wonder what were the OT Patriarchs doing there when Christ descended to rescue them). The souls eventually all go to heaven (this is rabbinical Judaism).
Just because "everybody" believes in this "purification" process doesn't make it obligatory for us to do so either, lest we fall for the error relativism. We could easily postulate that God either cleanses us of our sims at death if we die in repentance, or doesn't if we don't and from there on the souls are "done" until the Second Coming.
But the Church didn't see it that way. Where we differ from the Latins is in the "details" of the "mechanism," but we do certainly agree that (1) the soul gets urified, (2) that this is a process and not an instant [since otherwise we would not offer prayers for the dead], and (3) that the purification of the soul is only for those souls that are destined to be saved.
Therefore, I don not understand your statement that "the doctrine of Purgatory in no way suggests that all are eventually saved." What would be the purpose of purification of a soul in the Purgatory unless that soul was not destined to be with God?
Therefore, I don not understand your statement that "the doctrine of Purgatory in no way suggests that all are eventually saved." What would be the purpose of purification of a soul in the Purgatory unless that soul was not destined to be with God?
Agrarian was talking about St. Gregory's error in thinking that all, even Satan, are eventually saved, and I responded that the doctrine of Purgatory is exactly as you understand it, as purification of those of the saved that require it, but not of the damned, and not of those who reached purification in the course of their life, such as the saints, or the Good Thief.