ANTE-Purgatory
However, also upon the
beach are the souls of those who have died in outside the Church. Those who
died repentant but un-reconciled with the Church must wait outside of Purgatory
proper for thirty times longer than they were outside the Church, though the
prayers of those on Earth can reduce this time somewhat.
After quite a hard
climb, one emerges from the cleft in the rocks onto a terrace, the first level of Ante-Purgatory. From here Mount Purgatory can
be seen looming above, and the shore can be seen below.
This ledge holds the
negligent, those who postponed their repentance to the last hour, but who did repent before death. There is a band of them waiting on this
ledge. The Lethargic must wait, and pray, for a time equivalent to the time
they spent drifting through unrepentant days before they can be admitted
upwards, into Purgatory proper. Again, the prayers of those on Earth can reduce
this time somewhat. All of those here are lethargic in behaviour,
as well as in religious observance.
The narrow cleft
continues upwards from here to the next ledge.
This ledge holds the
spirits of those who had delayed repentance, and met with death by violence,
but died repentant, pardoning and pardoned. Nonetheless, they must wait, and
pray upon this ledge until they are allowed upwards into Purgatory proper.
Mortal visitors will attract large numbers of those here, who wish to be heard,
and absolved.
Again, the cleft
continues upwards, but this time also leads around Mount Purgatory to the
right.
These are the rulers who
were virtuous, but negligent of salvation in life, and who must now wait and
pray here until they are admitted to Purgatory proper. These include the
Emperor Rudolph, Ottocar (the father of King
Wenceslas), Peter the Third of Aragon and Henry III of England.