>> >>Nelson Mandela was I think a methodist, so praying for his soul will serve no
>> purpose.
>>
>> Why not?
>>
If we allow that the deceased are entitled to the respect due to their beliefs, rather than the beliefs of others, then we have to acknowledge that as a non-catholic he did not believe in purgatory, did not believe that his soul had to pass through purgatory, so did not believe that praying for it would serve any purpose.
I suppose we could impose our own beliefs on him if we wanted to, but that would hardly be in keeping with the spirit of the occasion.
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