Some consider Indulgences to be one of the most misunderstood and controversial practices of the Catholic Church (they are often regarded as the trigger for the 16th century Reformation), yet they seem to be enjoying a renaissance over the past year.
The recent announcements by Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI throughout the Year of Faith and Pope Francis’ more recent decree in relation to World Youth Day have returned Indulgences to the spotlight.
Responses have varied from excitement on the part of those who understand the centuries-old doctrine to confusion among those who have never heard of them or thought they had been abandoned by the Church long ago.
Where did they originate? Why have they caused so much controversy? And what exactly are they?
The word derives from the Latin indulgentia meaning ‘mercy’ or ‘tender’.
The current Code of Canon Law states: “An Indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment for sins the guilt of which has already been forgiven, which a properly disposed member of the Christian faithful obtains under certain and definite conditions with the help of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies authoritatively the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”
To comprehend Indulgences, it’s necessary to understand the double consequence of sin. According to the Catholic Catechism:
“Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the “eternal punishment” of sin. On the other hand, every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory.
This purification frees one from what is called the “temporal punishment” of sin.
These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as emanating from the very nature of sin.
A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.” (CCC1472)
In other words, the Church teaches that forgiveness of the eternal guilt of sin, which requires the infinite merits of Christ, is received through the Sacrament of Confession, but it does not necessarily remove all the temporal punishment of sin, since it is somewhat within our power to repair.
Therefore every sin, even though sacramentally forgiven, must be purified either here on earth, or after death.
Through this purification process one is freed from the temporal punishment of sin and can attain eternal communion with God.
In practical terms, if someone was to steal a watch but then, with a contrite heart, participated in the Sacrament of Confession, God’s forgiveness is received.
However, the practical consequence of the sin remains – the victim is still without a watch. We need, in essence, to completely purify the actual effects of our sin by returning the watch or its equivalent.
By doing so, we show our willingness to seek a deeper relationship with God by actively participating in this process of purification. St Paul speaks of this practice of recompense in Acts: “Repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance”(26:20).
The practice known as Indulgences evolved from the Middle Ages but it took some time for the Church to accurately define the distinction between the absolution of sin through the Sacrament of Confession and the remaining residue of temporal punishment which lingered on.
In an effort to address the increasingly blurred lines of understanding, Dominican Hugh of St-Cher, in 1230, proposed the concept of a “treasury” at the Church’s disposal, consisting of the infinite merits of Christ and the immeasurable abundance of the saints.
It was a concept later confirmed by great scholars such as Thomas Aquinas, further defined by Pope Clement VI in 1343 and, to this day, still forms the theological basis for the Church’s explanation of Indulgences.
The foundation of this understanding maintained that the keys presented by Christ to St Peter placed the guardianship and distribution of this treasury of merits at the disposal of the Church.
By virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Jesus, the Church is able to utilise this treasury and allow the faithful to obtain indulgences and therefore the remission of their temporal punishments.
However, while she maintained a doctrinal distinction between sacramental absolution and the practice of indulgences, ambiguous application during the Middle Ages made it difficult at times to distinguish between the two.
When Father Enrico dal Covolo, current rector at the Pontifical Lateran Council in Rome, explored the history of Indulgences, the first practice of mitigating canonical penances he came across was at the Council of Epaone in 517 AD.
It was here, Fr dal Covolo believes, the practice of replacing severe canonical penances with less demanding works began, a precursor to the blurred boundaries that were to follow.
Also contributing to the confusion, he says, was imprecise terminology, which has made it difficult for historians to accurately distinguish between the separation of the sacramental and extra-sacramental remission granted by the Church – that is, whether they referred to the absolution gained through the Sacrament of Confession or for the remission of temporal punishment.
Fr dal Salvo believes the commutation of penance to less demanding works such as prayers, alms, fasts and even the payment of fixed sums of money became increasingly fashionable in Ireland and England from the 7th century; however, these all occurred within sacramental confines.
By the 9th century, the practice had gained momentum with Fr dal Covolo referring to Pope Benedict III (855-858) who, at the request of Bishop Solomon of Constance, imposed a lighter penance than usual on a pilgrim guilty of fratricide because he had undertaken a pilgrimage.
Throughout the 11th century, such commutations, including the imposition of a donation as a condition for the remission of punishment, became more frequent and began to extend outside the parameters of the sacrament and into the realm of Indulgences.
However, Fr dal Covolo says the distance of time makes it difficult to distinguish whether specific historic examples would be considered an indulgence or an advanced form of remission connected with Confession.
The confusion increased when the Crusades arrived in the 11th century and the practice of requiring penitents to go on a crusade in place of some other penance began.
In 1063, in an effort to elicit Christian participation, Pope Alexander II granted remission of punishment for those who confessed and then joined the First Crusade.
This was followed by Pope Urban II’s declaration that participating in a crusade was equivalent to a complete penance.
Similar decrees were repeated by Pope Eugene III in 1145 and followed by Pope Gregory VIII in 1187.
The evolution of Indulgences extended to the dead, with Thomas Aquinas declaring that souls in Purgatory still belonged to the jurisdiction of the Church and could, accordingly, be beneficiaries of her treasury.
This understanding was widespread by 1350 but was not given official recognition until 1476 when Pope Sixtus IV issued a bull (declaration) for the building of the Cathedral of Saintes, France, offering a plenary Indulgence for oneself or on behalf of those already dead.
Critics protested, but Pope Sixtus answered with a second bull stating that the authority vested in the Pope allowed him to draw on the funds of the Church’s treasury.
It was one of a number of acts that opened the door for broader application – and subsequent abuse – of Indulgences as more of the faithful began to seek them for prayers, acts of devotion, good deeds, attendance at places of worship, pilgrimages, even for performances or processions as well as for charitable donations of money for good causes, such as the building of churches, hospitals, leper colonies, schools and so on.
By the beginning of the 16th century, commissaries, or professional “pardoners”, were used to collect money for specific projects and this practice led, at times, to the unrestricted sale of Indulgences.
Many pardoners exceeded Church teachings, either through greed or over-zealousness and promised excessive rewards in return for money.
Fraudsters also took advantage of the confusion and false documents circulated, some promising Indulgences commuting thousands of years due in Purgatory, even releasing people from Hell.
A popular saying arose, “As soon as money in the coffer rings, the soul from Purgatory’s fire springs.”
Opposition intensified in 1506 when Pope Julius II issued a bull promising an Indulgence to those contributing to the construction of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
This, and the numerous abuses arising from the handing out of Indulgences, triggered critics such as Martin Luther, who famously hammered his protests to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517, signalling the Protestant Reformation.
Recognising the confusion and abuses associated with Indulgences was one of the major motivators of the Council of Trent (1545–1563).
During the Council, the Church declared “all evil gains for the obtaining of [Indulgences] be wholly abolished”.
The Council suppressed the office of pardoners and reserved the collection of alms to two canon members who were to receive no remuneration for their work.
The Council also reserved the publication of Indulgences to the bishop of a diocese and instructed bishops to be vigilant about any associated abuses.
In 1567, Pope Pius V cancelled all grants of Indulgences involving any fees or other financial transactions.
However, at no stage did the Church renege on the spiritual benefits of Indulgences, declaring them to be “most salutary for Christian people” and condemning “with anathema (excommunication) those who say that Indulgences are useless or that the Church does not have the power to grant them” – a declaration which elevated Indulgences into the realm of infallibly defined teaching.
At the conclusion of the 16th century, Pope Clement VIII established a commission of cardinals to oversee the use of Indulgences, which became more formalised in 1669 when Pope Clement IX established the Congregation of Indulgences and Relics.
In 1904, Pope Pius X joined this Congregation with that of Rites and, in 1908, with the restructuring of the Roman Curia, all matters relating to Indulgences were assigned to the Holy Office.
In 1915, Pope Benedict XV transferred the Holy Office’s Section for Indulgences to the Apostolic Penitentiary, but maintained the Holy Office’s responsibility for matters regarding the doctrine.
Prior to Vatican II, the doctrine of Indulgences was taught and generally understood by the Catholic population; however, Pope Paul VI decided further clarification was required and produced a handbook, Enchiridion of Indulgences, in 1968. Among the clarifications was the removal of the number of days attached to each Indulgence, which had given the mistaken impression that the Church was aware of the concept of time associated with Purgatory.
These were replaced with the receiving of either a full (plenary) or partial remission of temporal punishment due to sin.
Pope John Paul II clarified the practice and highlighted its current relevance when announcing the Indulgence offered for the 2000 Jubilee.
“They (Indulgences) are a marvellous exchange of gifts,” he said.
“There are people who leave in their wake a surfeit of love, of suffering borne well, of purity and truth, which involves and sustains others. This is the reality of ‘vicariousness’, upon which the entire mystery of Christ is founded. His superabundant love saves us all. Yet it is part of the grandeur of Christ’s love not to leave us in the condition of passive recipients, but to draw us into his saving work… Everything comes from Christ but, since we belong to him, whatever is ours also becomes his and acquires healing power”.
“This is what is meant by ‘the treasures of the Church’, which are the good works of the saints. To pray in order to gain the Indulgence means to enter into this spiritual communion and, therefore, to open oneself totally to others. In the spiritual realm, too, no one lives for himself alone. And salutary concern for the salvation of one’s own soul is freed from fear and selfishness only when it becomes concern for the salvation of others as well. This is the reality of the communion of saints, the mystery of ‘vicarious life’, of prayer as the means of union with Christ and his saints. He takes us with him in order that we may weave with him the white robe of the new humanity, the robe of bright linen which clothes the Bride of Christ”.