The Catholic Church teaches that hell is a real, eternal state of separation from God that awaits those who die in mortal sin without repentance. It is defined dogma (Councils of Florence and Trent; Fourth Lateran Council). The Catechism (§1033–1037) states: 'The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell.' Hell is described as a definitive self-exclusion from communion with God, not primarily a place of physical fire, though traditional imagery has included the latter.

Importantly, the Catholic Church has never formally declared that any specific person is in hell—not even Judas. Pope John Paul II (General Audience, 1999) and Pope Francis have emphasized that hell is a real possibility, not necessarily a populated reality. Theologians such as Hans Urs von Balthasar (Dare We Hope?) have argued for a cautious hope that all may be saved without denying hell's reality, a position that remains within Catholic theological bounds.