Soul & Afterlife

The Syro-Malabar Church affirms the immortality of the human soul and the bodily resurrection of all people at the end of time. At death, the soul is separated from the body and enters an intermediate state in which it is judged by God. Based on this judgment, the soul goes to heaven, purgatory, or hell.

Purgatory is understood as a state of purification for those who die in friendship with God but with unresolved venial sins or debts of temporal punishment. The souls in purgatory can be helped through the prayers and masses offered by the living. This doctrine reflects the Catholic theology of the communion of saints—the living church remains in relationship with the departed and can assist their sanctification.

The church affirms the intercessory power of the saints. Those in heaven can pray for the living and are worthy of veneration (though not worship). The Syro-Malabar tradition includes devotion to Mary and the apostles, whose tombs and relics are venerated. At the resurrection on the last day, all souls will be reunited with their bodies, transformed and glorified, and will enter either the perfect joy of heaven or the separation of hell.