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Dear Father Angelo,

my greetings to you in Christ Jesus. 

I have a nagging, if one can call it like that. It concerns reincarnation.

I do not believe in reincarnation. I do, however, believe in Purgatory.

I believe the two are irreconcilable.

Could you kindly give me further clarification?

Thank you if you would be so kind as to reply. It is very important for me.

Thank you and may God reward you.

Answer by the priest

Dearest,

1. yes, reincarnation and Purgatory are irreconcilable for several reasons.

They are, first of all, because in reincarnation, purification is done over here, in the earthly, corporal life.

In Purgatory, purification is beyond the present life and only touches the soul.

2. They are irreconcilable because reincarnation is cyclical and can go on forever.

On the contrary, it is not the case for Purgatory which has its own expiry date and it assumes that one dies only once.

3. They are irreconcilable in their very constitution.

Reincarnation completely disregards the essential condition for salvation brought by Christ: the state of grace.

Purgatory, on the other hand, is only fulfilled by those who at the moment of death are found in the grace of God.

4. They are irreconcilable in terms of their objective: reincarnation does not propose an objective of a supernatural order. Among other things, it is not known precisely what the objective to which it is supposed to lead consists of.

Purgatory has a goal of a supernatural order: the beatific vision of God and the communion of saints.

That is why Purgatory is a crescendo of joy at the imminent communion with God and the inhabitants of Paradise.

5. Reincarnation debases responsibility for one’s own actions because the goal is secured for all. One may be reincarnated for an infinite number of times but in any case one does not go to hell.

On the other hand, those who believe in Purgatory know that if they die in mortal sin they go to hell and stay there eternally.

6. Furthermore, in reincarnation, which after all remains a punishment for sins committed in other lives (and who knows how many times!), it is not known who establishes it and for how long.

Purgatory is one of the outcomes of our appearing before the tribunal of Christ.

7. Reincarnation is not attested by anyone who clearly and unequivocally says how many times one has been reincarnated and knows exactly all the events of one’s previous lives and what evils one has to purify.

Purgatory, on the other hand – like the other realities of heaven and hell – is attested by Divine Revelation, proven by miracles and signs. There everyone knows what good and evil he has done and what he must atone for and purify.

8. In reincarnation everyone is alone in his own purification.

In Purgatory, on the other hand, one is helped by the communion of saints, who co-operate in making oneself candid in the blood of the Lamb of God.

9. Reincarnation makes one see the present life as a place of punishment, as a prison from which one must free oneself.

Those who believe in Purgatory do not see the present life as a place of punishment, but as a grace, as a state of life in which each person is called upon to realize himself perfectly in all his natural and supernatural capacities and thus prepare his eternal future in a great way.

With the wish to live more and more in the life of grace and joy brought by Christ, I bless you and remember you in prayer.

Father Angelo