—Pope John Paul II recently rejected the reality of hell being a literal physical place of eternal torment (9/1/99 CC). Then a few days later (Aug. 4) he described purgatory not as a place but a "process of purification" that removes man's earthly imperfections so he may enter God's kingdom (9/13/99 Chr. News). He said purgatory, like heaven and hell, is not a place but a spiritual state of being. He added: "But before we enter into God's kingdom every trace of sin within us must be eliminated; every imperfection in our soul must be corrected [in purgatory]"

—Pope John Paul II over and over has said Muslims, Jews and other non-Christians worship the true God and can get to heaven without saving faith in the merits of Jesus Christ. According to the Pope, the god of Islam's Koran is the same true and living God whom Christians worship. Last May during his audience with three Muslims at the Vatican, Pope John Paul II bowed to the Koran and kissed it (10/18/99 CN).