Joshua Bennett
Hell in Catholicism is the state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed. It is believed that hell is a place of eternal punishment and suffering for those who have committed mortal sins and have not repented before their death. The Catholic Church teaches that no one is predestined to Hell, and that the concept of Hell is not meant to frighten but is a call for people to use their freedom wisely. While the Church does not provide an exact number of people in Hell, it is believed that it is very sparsely populated, and some Catholic saints and philosophers have even proposed that Hell may be empty.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is Hell in Catholicism? | The state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed |
| What is the term "Hell" translated from? | Latin infernus, Greek ᾍδης Hades, and Hebrew שְׁאוֹל Sheol |
| What does the Catholic Church teach about Hell? | The Catholic Church teaches that no one is predestined to Hell, and that the church's teaching on Hell is not meant to frighten but is a call for people to use their freedom wisely. |
| What is the Catechism of the Catholic Church definition of Hell? | Self-exclusion from Heaven, a freely chosen consequence of final impenitence |
| Who decides who goes to Hell? | God doesn't decide who goes to Hell; humans decide that for themselves by how they live their lives. |
| What did Faustina Kowalska claim about Hell? | She claimed to have visited the "chasms of hell" and saw many people who disbelieved in its existence. She also claimed to have seen Catholic nuns in hell for breaking their vows of silence. |
| What did Pope John Paul II teach about Hell? | Hell does not just refer to a place but principally refers to the state of "definitive self-exclusion from God". |
| What did Pope Pius X teach about Hell? | The torment of the damned consists of the deprivation of the beatific vision and various punishments, which afflict the soul before and after the resurrection of the dead. |
| What did Father Richard McBrien say about Hell in his book Catholicism? | "Neither Jesus, nor the Church after him, ever stated that persons actually go to hell or are there now. He — as does the Church — restricts himself to the possibility." |
| What did Columbra of Iona allege about Hell? | He could name particular individuals who he said were going to end life in hellfire for their sins. |
| What did Mother Mary say about Hell? | Many people go to hell due to sexual sins. |
| What did Jon M. Sweeney say about Hell in his book Inventing Hell? | Christians have appropriated Dante's vision and images of hell. |
| What is the Eastern Orthodox Church's view of the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory? | The Eastern Orthodox Church rejects the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory as a place where believers suffer as their "venial sins" are purged before gaining admittance to heaven. |
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What You'll Learn
Faustina Kowalska's visions of hell
Saint Faustina Kowalska, born in Poland as Helena Kowalska on August 25, 1905, was one of the greatest mystics of the 20th century and perhaps of Church history in general. She had visions of heaven, hell, and purgatory.
In her diary, Saint Faustina Kowalska wrote about her visions of hell. She described hell as a place of "great torture" and "fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it — a terrible suffering." She wrote about the darkness of hell, where "the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own." She also wrote about the torments of the senses, where each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings related to the manner in which it has sinned. There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of agony differs from another.
Saint Faustina Kowalska also wrote about the road to hell, describing it as a broad road covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music, and all sorts of pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves, until they reached the end without realizing it was the abyss of hell. She wrote that the souls fell blindly into the precipice, and their number was so great that it was impossible to count them.
In her diary, Saint Faustina Kowalska also testified to the existence of hell:
> "I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence... the devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God. What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: That most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell."
Saint Faustina Kowalska's visions of hell are not binding on the Catholic faithful, but they can aid in building faith and urging sinners to seek conversion and redemption.
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Mortal sins and damnation
Catholicism teaches that sin is an "utterance, deed, or desire", caused by concupiscence, that offends God, reason, truth, and conscience. There are two types of sins: mortal sins and venial sins. Mortal sins are those that destroy sanctifying grace and lead to damnation if a person does not repent before death. Venial sins, on the other hand, weaken charity and impede spiritual progress but do not deprive the sinner of God's grace, friendship, or eternal happiness.
Mortal sins are considered to be gravely serious matters and must be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists several offenses that constitute mortal sins, including violations of the Ten Commandments, such as superstition, idolatry, blasphemy, perjury, murder, sexual relations outside of marriage, and adultery. These sins are considered to be contrary to the precepts of the Decalogue, or the Ten Commandments, which pertain to justice.
The Church does not provide a comprehensive list of mortal sins, but certain actions are considered to have increased gravity. For example, in the area of human sexuality, the Church notes that extramarital sex, divorce, and masturbation can be considered mortal sins. Additionally, sins against the Holy Spirit and those that cry to Heaven for vengeance, such as the blood of Abel and the sin of the Sodomites, are considered especially serious.
To receive forgiveness for mortal sins, Catholics must confess their sins and receive sacramental absolution before receiving the Eucharist. Unintentional ignorance or psychological and social factors, such as mental illness or external pressures, can reduce the severity of a mortal sin. However, sins committed through malice or the deliberate choice of evil are considered the gravest.
According to Catholic theology, hell is the state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed, also known as "Gehenna." It is a place of utmost unhappiness and darkness, where the damned suffer according to their sins. While the Catholic Church does not provide exact numbers, it is believed that many people end up in hell due to their sins, especially sexual sins.
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God's judgement
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines hell as a freely chosen consequence of final impenitence, where individuals deliberately and willingly refuse to repent of mortal sin at death and accept divine mercy. This teaching is based on Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats, where he speaks of "eternal fire" and "eternal punishment". Hell is often depicted as a place of suffering, both physical and spiritual, and of fire.
The Catholic Church teaches that no one is predestined to Hell, and that its teaching on Hell is a call for people to use their freedom wisely and convert to God. It repudiates the view of "double predestination", which claims that God chooses who will be saved and also creates people who will be doomed to damnation. God gives humans the freedom to choose him and provides the grace needed for each person to be saved, but people can and do reject this gift.
The Bible states that "the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few." This suggests that many people will be lost and only a few saved. However, it is important to note that only God truly knows who is in Hell, and the ratio of people being saved is unknown.
Hell is described as a place of utmost unhappiness, where the damned suffer according to their sins, with some suffering more than others in deeper and darker pits. It is said that the fire of hell is non-physical before Judgement Day and physical at Judgement Day, and that the physical fire will not be made of matter. The disposition of Hell is also described as a place of darkness, where the damned can only see things that will torment them.
In conclusion, God's judgement in Catholicism centres around the concept of Hell as a state of self-exclusion from God, brought about by an individual's refusal to repent of mortal sin. While the Catholic Church teaches that no one is predestined to Hell, it is clear that many will find themselves there due to their choices in life.
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Catholic Church teachings on hell
Hell is a formal doctrine of Christianity, and the Catholic Church affirms its existence. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), hell is defined as the "state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed". This definition is also known as Gehenna in Hebrew and Hades in Greek. Hell broadly refers to the abode where souls reside after death, who "have not obtained the happiness of heaven".
The Catholic Church teaches that hell is not a place but principally refers to the state of "definitive self-exclusion from God". Pope John Paul II taught that no one can know who is in hell except through special revelation. The Church has never pronounced or declared any particular person to be in hell.
Hell is said to be the consequence of mortal sin, which is a radical possibility of human freedom. Mortal sin is a grave matter, committed with full knowledge and deliberate, free consent. It is a conscious rejection of God's dominion and a disease to the soul. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) claimed to have visited hell and seen Catholic nuns there for breaking their vows of silence.
The Catholic Church teaches that God does not send anyone to hell; people choose to go there themselves by their actions. God provides the grace needed for salvation, but people can reject this gift. God will not physically impose Himself to prevent humans from exercising their free will and choosing to do wrong.
The Bible speaks of hell as an eternal place of punishment. Phrases such as "the lake of fire" and "the furnace of fire" are used to represent hell. The Church professes its faith in the eternity of hell's pains, stating that those who have done evil will go into "everlasting fire".
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Saints' visions of hell
In the history of the Catholic Church, several saints have described their visions of hell and the tortures that sinners endure. One of the earliest saints to receive a glimpse of the heavenly and infernal realms was St. John the Evangelist, who described the heavenly Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation.
St. Catherine of Siena, a doctor of the Church, narrated in her work "The Dialogue" the four main torments of hell that God the Father revealed to her. The first torment, according to St. Catherine, is that condemned souls are deprived of God, causing them such pain that they would prefer fire and cruel torments to be able to see him. This agony activates the second torment, the pain of conscience, as they realize their separation is their own fault. The third torment is the vision of demons, and the fourth torment, from which all other pains are derived, is being in hell itself.
St. Teresa of Avila, Sr. Josefa Menendez, and St. Gemma Galgani also had visions of hell. St. Teresa described seeing a deep abyss filled with fire and lit in vivid flames where miserable souls were precipitated. Sr. Gemma wrote to her spiritual director about a horrible vision of the devil and the demons, pleading for an exorcism.
On July 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three children: Jacinta and Francisco Marto and Lucia dos Santos. The former two are now canonized saints. In her memoirs, Lucia described seeing a great sea of fire under the earth, with demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, floating in the conflagration amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair. This vision lasted only an instant, but it horrified and trembled them with fear.
St. John Bosco, an Italian priest, educator, and writer, also had dreams and visions of hell. He founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales, dedicated to educating boys from poor families. In one dream, he saw the boys under his care making their way to hell, and he knew that the vision was given by God so he could warn them.
These saints' visions of hell serve as warnings of the consequences of sin and the importance of faith and repentance. They also emphasize the belief in the existence of hell and the possibility of eternal separation from God.
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Frequently asked questions
Hell in Catholicism is the ""state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed" which occurs by the refusal to repent of mortal sin before one's death, as mortal sin deprives one of sanctifying grace.
There is no clear answer to this question. While some sources claim that most people are in Hell, others claim that only a few people are in Hell. The Catholic Church teaches that no one is predestined to Hell and that the Church's teaching on Hell is a call for people to use their freedom wisely.
Mortal sins include sexual sins, such as sex outside of marriage, and breaking vows of silence. Other mortal sins include heresy, blasphemy, and rejecting God's love for humanity.
