Encyclical of the Council of Constantinople, 1722, addressed to the Orthodox in Antioch: "We the godly, following the truth

and turning away from such innovations, confess and accept two places for the souls of the dead, paradise and hell, for the righteous and sinners, as the holy Scriptures teach us. We do not accept a third place, a purgatory, by any means, since neither Scripture nor the holy Fathers have taught us any such thing. However, we believe that these two places have many abodes...None of the teaches of the Church have handed down or taught such a purgatory, but they all speak of one single place of punishment, Hades, just as they teach about one luminous and bright place, Paradise. But both places also have different abodes as we said: and since the souls of the holy and righteous go indisputably to Paradise and those of the sinners go to hell, of whom the profane and those who have sinned unforgivably are punished forever and those who have offended forgivably and moderately hope to gain freedom through the unspeakable Mercy of God. For on behalf of such souls, that is oft he moderately and forgivably sinful, there are in the Church prayers, supplications. Liturgies, as well as memorial services and almsgiving, that those souls may receive the favour and comfort. Thus when the Church prays for the souls of those who are lying asleep, we hope that there will be comfort for them from God, but not through fire and purgatory, but through Divine Love for mankind, whereby the infinite goodness of God is seen." (As found in "Life After Death" by

Met. Hierotheos of Nafpkatos, pg. 160-162, further referenced from with note 23 pg. 161: John Romanides: Texts of Dogmatic and Symbolic Theology, ed. Pournaras, Thessaloniki 1982, p. 574-576)