The Ghosts of Vatican II

This chapter examines the efforts of ministers of purgatory apostolates to bring attention to the doctrine of purgatory. In their efforts to educate Catholics about a devotion they believe is in decline, contemporary advocates of purgatory revive old books and representations of purgatory. Apostolate ministers maintain a narrative about the decline of purgatory that links it to historical developments that emerged during the French Enlightenment. They suggest that these developments culminated during the reforms of Vatican II. They further maintain that the supernatural basis for the doctrine of purgatory has disappeared as it was linked to the material structures associated with the devotion to the souls in purgatory, as well as the stories and anecdotes regarding souls in purgatory.