Why pray for the dead? Those who die in friendship with God, but still with some attachment to sin are afforded a final purification or purgation before they enter Heaven, where "nothing unclean may enter". God, in His supreme mercy, has provided an intermediate opportunity for cleansing from sin after death, and has decreed that our prayers may assist. Topics include the beliefs of the early Church, Old Testament and New Testament scriptural grounds, differences between Catholics and other faith traditions, and what we can do to help the holy souls in Purgatory.