Chapter 182 — That some punishments of purgatory are for venial sins

It also happens that some men depart this life free from mortal sin but nevertheless with venial sin. The commission of such sins does not, indeed, turn them from their last end, but they have sinned by cleaving unduly to the means leading to the end. In the case of some perfect men such sins are purged by their charity’s fervor. But in others these sins must be purged by punishment of some sort, because no one is admitted to the possession of eternal life unless he is free from all sin and imperfection. Therefore, we must acknowledge the existence of purgatorial punishment after this life.

Such punishments derive their cleansing power from the condition of those who suffer them. For the souls in purgatory have charity, by which their wills are conformed to the divine will; it is owing to this charity that the punishments they suffer avail them for cleansing. This is why punishment has no cleansing force in those who lack charity, such as the damned. The defilement of their sin remains forever, and so their punishment endures forever.