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What is hell?

  • Written by Joanne M. Pierce, Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
The abyss of hell.Sandro Botticelli.

The recent dispute over whether Pope Francis denied the existence of hell in an interview attracted wide attention. This isn’t surprising, since the belief in an afterlife, where the virtuous are rewarded with a place in heaven and the wicked are punished in hell, is a core teaching of Christianity.

So what...

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