First of all, since Purgatory exists only until the General Resurrection—i.e., there are no BODIES in Purgatory—all talk of flames or any other physical phenomena is purely poetic. For the same reason, how the souls in Purgatory experience time is unknowable and unimaginable to us.
Pope Benedict himself said several years ago that he did not believe that the reality of Purgatory corresponds to the lurid depictions of the sufferings of the Poor Souls in some literature. Since the souls in Purgatory are in the state of grace, there is no warrant for speculations that depict them as practically suffering the torments of the damned!
There is nothing in the Church’s teaching on Purgatory that in any way detracts from the truth that all grace is made available to us because of the sacrifice of Christ. The grace deriving from Christ’s sacrifice operates in England, Japan, France, Senegal, and Purgatory.
So everyone in purgatory may be sitting poolside with an umbrella drink next to an empty swimming pool???
It has been stated by gazillions of Catholics that (by perverting 1Cor 3:13 by misquoting it) Catholics will go thru the fire...NOW, your pope says that isn't true??? So what does your pope say purgatory is???