David Mills on C. S. Lewis and Purgatory

"Funny that a man so Protestant pushed the value of Purgatory. You don't expect it. But there C.S. Lewis is, saying in one of his last books, 'I believe in Purgatory.' Lewis explains why in Letters to Malcolm, a book of letters to a fictitious friend published just after Lewis died.

"He liked Dante's picture in the Purgatory section of his Divine Comedy. He didn't like the way some later writers presented Purgatory as what he called 'temporary Hell.' He took that to be 'the Romish doctrine,' because he didn't understand the difference between the Church's teaching and the way some people present it. No, he said, not that, and most of us would agree. Those writers really are grim compared with, say, Pope Benedict XVI in Spe Salvi."

In a recent commentary, writer David Mills reflected on C. S. Lewis' thoughts on Purgatory.

To access Mr. Mill's complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: David Mills: C. S. Lewis tells you why you should like Purgatory (2 AUG 18)