Grace Thompson
The Catholic Church's practice of granting indulgences, which was criticised by Martin Luther in the 16th century, still exists today. Indulgences are a way to reduce or eliminate the punishment for sin. They are granted for specific good works and prayers, in proportion to the devotion with which those good works are performed or prayers recited. The word indulgence comes from the Latin indulgere, meaning to forgive or to be lenient toward. Indulgences are considered plenary or partial, depending on whether they expiate all or part of the temporal punishment due for sin. To gain a plenary indulgence, one must perform the work attached to the indulgence, make a sacramental confession, receive Holy Communion, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. The Catholic Church teaches that indulgences do not forgive the guilt of sin, nor do they provide release from the eternal punishment associated with unforgiven mortal sins.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | "A way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins" |
| Origin | The word "indulgence" was first used in the 11th century, but the practice can be traced back to the times of the ancient Roman persecutions. |
| Purpose | To aid in the journey of salvation and to encourage works of devotion, penance, and charity. |
| Types | Plenary (expiates all temporal punishment due for sin) and Partial (expiates part of the temporal punishment due for sin) |
| Requirements | Sincere contrition, humble heart, confession, Holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father. |
| Examples | Pilgrimages, visiting shrines or churches, performing specific good works, saying specific prayers. |
| Criticism | Criticized by Martin Luther in the 16th century for being transactional and reducing salvation to a commodity. |
| Modern Practice | Still exists within the Catholic Church but in a different form, with an emphasis on spiritual growth and charity. |
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What You'll Learn
The Pope's role in indulgences
In the early Church, indulgences emerged as a means to ease the burden of punishment due for sins. The Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 attempted to suppress abuses connected with indulgences, such as limiting the length of indulgences granted for certain occasions. However, these limits were often exceeded, and false documents with exaggerated indulgences were circulated.
Pope Boniface IX, in the 14th century, condemned the practice of certain members of religious orders who falsely claimed papal authorization to forgive sins in exchange for money. Despite this, by the time of Martin Luther, certificates of indulgences were being sold to raise funds for projects like the construction of St. Peter's Basilica. Luther's famous rejection of indulgences led to significant changes. Pope Pius V put an end to their sale but affirmed the validity of indulgences as long as no monetary exchange was involved.
Subsequent Popes, such as Pope Paul VI, have played a pivotal role in revising and simplifying the rules surrounding indulgences. Pope Paul VI's apostolic constitution, Indulgentiarum doctrina, substantially revised the practical application of indulgences, emphasising the importance of fostering charity and repentance rather than mere satisfaction for sins. He also removed the classification of indulgences by years and days, emphasising the role of faith and repentance in the remission of punishment.
In more recent times, Popes have continued to encourage the use of indulgences within the Church. Pope John Paul II oversaw revisions of the "Enchiridion of Indulgences" and frequently extended indulgences for special events. Pope Benedict XVI granted plenary indulgences for various celebrations, such as the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions at Lourdes. Pope Francis, during the Jubilee Year, encouraged Catholics to receive plenary indulgences and himself participated in symbolic acts, such as opening the holy door at St. Peter's Basilica.
Overall, the Pope's role in indulgences has been one of stewardship and revision, ensuring that the practice aligns with the Church's teachings on sin, repentance, and charity while also responding to criticisms and adapting to the needs of the faithful.
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History of indulgences
The Catholic Church's practice of granting indulgences, or "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins", dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The emergence of indulgences is linked to the widespread acceptance of the idea of purgatory and the popes' activist leadership of the reforming church. The granting of indulgences was predicated on two beliefs: the need for temporal punishment in addition to the forgiveness of sins, and the existence of purgatory, where the debt of sin could be cancelled.
Initially, indulgences were granted to those who participated in the Crusades, with the promise of "full remission of sins". Over time, the Church began to sell certificates of indulgences to raise funds, leading to abusive marketing tactics. This practice of exchanging indulgences for monetary donations continued until the 16th century, when religious reform took place.
The abuses in the practice and teaching of indulgences were targeted by Martin Luther and other Protestant theologians during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Luther's criticism of indulgences was sparked by the aggressive marketing practices of Johann Tetzel, who promoted the sale of indulgences for the dead. Luther argued that salvation should be free for all by faith alone and that it should not be necessary to serve penance or pay for it.
In response to the abuses, the Council of Trent, a series of meetings between high-ranking clergy, condemned the selling of indulgences and affirmed the validity of indulgences as long as no money was exchanged. The Catholic Counter-Reformation curbed the abuses of indulgences, and they continue to play a role in modern Catholic religious life, although in a different form.
Indulgences can be granted by popes, archbishops, or bishops, and they can be either plenary (full) or partial. Plenary indulgences cancel all existing obligations, while partial indulgences remit only a portion of the debt of sin. The recipient of an indulgence must perform an action to receive it, such as saying a specified prayer, going on a pilgrimage, or performing specific good works.
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Types of indulgences
The Catholic Church teaches that indulgences are a way to "reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins". Indulgences do not forgive the guilt of sin, nor do they provide release from the eternal punishment associated with unforgiven mortal sins. Instead, they relieve the temporal punishment resulting from the effect of sin, which is the effect of rejecting God as the source of good.
There are two types of indulgences: partial and plenary. Partial indulgences are granted when a Catholic performs a pious exercise specified by the Church, such as saying a specific prayer, with a contrite heart and the intention of receiving an indulgence. The Church promises that if Catholics pray certain prayers, she will open the treasury of graces for them. Plenary indulgences, on the other hand, require the fulfilment of additional criteria, such as receiving the sacraments of Confession and Eucharist and praying for the Pope's intentions within a designated period.
In the past, indulgences were quantified in terms of days or years, which were meant to represent the equivalent time spent in penance. However, this practice has been largely abolished in modern times. While indulgences were once associated with financial acts, such as almsgiving, Pope Pius V forbade this practice in 1567.
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Abuses of indulgences
The Catholic Church's practice of granting indulgences has been criticised and abused for centuries. The Church teaches that indulgences draw on the "treasury of merit" accumulated by Jesus's death on the cross and the virtues and penances of the saints. They are granted for specific good works and prayers, in proportion to the devotion with which they are performed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of abuse was in the time of St. Cyprian (d. 258), when the heretic Novatian claimed that none of the lapsi (those who had fallen away from the faith during persecution) should be readmitted to the Church. St. Cyprian himself held a middle course, insisting that such penitents should be reconciled only on the fulfilment of proper conditions. He also condemned the abuses connected with the libellus, specifically the custom of having it made out in blank by the martyrs and filled in by anyone who needed it.
The Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 suppressed some abuses connected with indulgences, such as limiting the indulgence granted for the consecration of churches to one year, and no more than 40 days for other occasions. However, these limits were soon widely exceeded, with false documents circulated granting indulgences of hundreds or even thousands of years.
In the later Middle Ages, further abuses occurred. Some commissaries sought to extract the maximum amount of money for each indulgence, and "pardoners" (quaestores) practised the unrestricted sale of indulgences, promising rewards such as salvation from eternal damnation in return for money. Indulgences also became a way for Catholic rulers to fund expensive projects like Crusades and cathedrals, by keeping a significant portion of the money raised.
The Protestant Reformation, led by Martin Luther in the 16th century, targeted the abuses of indulgences. Luther argued against indulgences to advance his concept of salvation by faith alone (sola fide), and doubted whether a soul in purgatory could achieve salvation. While Luther did not deny the pope's right to grant pardons, he made clear that indulgences did not absolve the purchaser from all punishments or guarantee salvation. The financial scandal surrounding indulgences gave Luther an excuse for his heterodoxy, and he initiated the Protestant Reformation in part due to these abuses.
The Catholic Church has recognised and attempted to curb the abuses of indulgences throughout history. The Council of Clovesho in England in 747, for example, condemned those who imagined they could atone for their crimes by substituting their own penance with that of mercenary penitents. In 1420, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry, was severely reprimanded by Martin V for attempting to give a plenary indulgence in the form of the Roman Jubilee. The Council of Trent instituted severe reforms, and in 1567 Pope Pius V cancelled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or financial transactions.
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Indulgences in modern times
The Catholic Church's practice of granting indulgences, criticised by Martin Luther in the 16th century, still exists but in a different form. The church's modern view is that the term is penance. Indulgences are granted for specific good works and prayers in proportion to the devotion with which those good works are performed or prayers recited.
The minimum condition for gaining a partial indulgence is to be contrite in heart. On this condition, a Catholic who performs the work or recites the prayer in question is granted, through the church, remission of temporal punishment equal to that obtained by the person's own action. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions".
From November 2021 to November 2022, the National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago offered indulgences to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the canonization of Mother Cabrini, the first American citizen to be declared a saint. While some Catholics welcome the granting of indulgences as an opportunity to reduce punishment for sin, others are unconvinced and dismissive.
Cardinal bishops enjoy the faculty of granting only partial indulgence in any place. This indulgence can be purchased only by those who are present in the individual places from time to time. There are four general grants of indulgence, which are meant to encourage the faithful to infuse a Christian spirit into their daily lives and strive for perfection in charity. These indulgences are partial, and their worth depends on the fervour with which the person performs the recommended actions.
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Frequently asked questions
Indulgences are a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins that have been forgiven. They are granted for specific good works and prayers in proportion to the devotion with which those good works are performed or prayers recited.
There are two types of indulgences: partial and plenary. A partial indulgence is the remission of part of the temporal punishment that a person deserves on account of their sins. A plenary indulgence is the remission of all of the temporal punishment that a person deserves for their sins.
The Catholic Church teaches that the temporal punishment of sin should be accepted as a grace, and that the sinner should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and penance, to put off the 'old man' and put on the 'new man'. The Church grants indulgences so that the faithful will expiate sins and be encouraged to do works of penance, charity, and piety, which lead to spiritual growth and the strengthening of the Church.
