Purgatory, in either its classic or its modern form, provides the rationale for All Souls Day (November 2), a tenth-century Benedictine innovation. This commemoration assumes a sharp distinction between the “saints,” who are already in heaven, and the “souls,” who aren’t and who are therefore still less than completely happy and need our help (as we say today) to “move on.” The double commemoration of All Saints and All Souls stands on the foundation of this radical distinction.
