By the 16th century, the immense wealth that the church derived from its great political power had begun to corrupt it. Many began joining the clergy for less than purely religious reasons and many members of the clergy, popes included, succumbed to greed and immorality. The Catholic church of the 15th and 16th centuries was marked by excess, extravagance, and corruption. One of the most obvious signs of this corruption was the Indulgence Controversy which was largely responsible for the Protestant Reformation.
Although most people equate indulgences with the Indulgence Controversy of the 16th century, they are still in rare use by the Pope today. Thankfully, indulgences do not necessarily involve the corruption with which their sell is often associated. Contrary to popular belief, an indulgence is not some kind of “get-out-of-Hell-free Card.” It is based upon a complex theological teaching that involves both the doctrine and dogma of the Catholic Church. Essentially, it is a way to avoid some time in Purgatory for the sins one commits on earth. To understand how an indulgence supposedly does this, however, one must understand abstract theological concepts like Purgatory, penance, and the Treasury of Merits…
According to the Catholic church, salvation is not really the free gift of God. Although God saves us through his grace, we must still pay for the sins we commit. Usually, this is done through penance. When a good Catholic knows he has sinned, he will usually go to his priest and confess. His priest will then assign him some kind of penance. Penance can be just about anything, but a requirement to say a certain number of “Our Fathers” or “Hail Marys” is common. If a Catholic does not fully atone for their sins by performing the required penance for their sins during their life, they will be required to spend time in Purgatory to atone for those sins. Here, the sinner will suffer until he has paid for his sins and is ready to enter the paradise of Heaven.
Although virtually all people will have to spend at least some time in Purgatory, the amount of time they will have to spend there will depend on how many sins they must do penance for in Purgatory. Since spending time in Purgatory is harder than doing penance on the earth, Catholics have an incentive to do their penance before they die. Instead of doing penance, Catholics may, on certain occasions, obtain an indulgence from the Pope. This indulgence will take the place of a certain number of days of penance, which will reduce the amount of time that the sinner must spend in purgatory.
Indulgences tap into something called the “Treasury of Merits.” Supposedly, all the good deeds that Jesus did and those extra good deeds done by the saints beyond what they needed to go straight to heaven are stored in a “Treasury of Merits” which the Pope has the authority to access at will. If he chooses, the Pope can take some of those extra good deeds out of the “Treasury of Merits” and give them to sinners who he decides are worthy. These good deeds can take the place of penance which means that an indulgence can shorten the amount of time one must spend in Purgatory without requiring additional penance.
Obviously, this doctrine can be easily abused as was the case in the 16th century. Although Pope Pius V decreed in 1567 that indulgences should not be given in exchange for offerings, that prohibition was not put into place in 1517 when Pope Leo X authorized the sell of indulgences to pay for Saint Peter’s Basilica. When Martin Luther recognized this indulgence sell as a thinly veiled attempt to profit from sin, Luther protested by nailing 95 objections to indulgences to the door or the church in Wittenberg. This event marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. During the Counter Reformation, the Church stopped selling indulgences and now offers them now only in exchange for good deeds like reading the Bible and attending Church events. Nevertheless, indulgences remain controversial, especially among non-Catholics who have doubts about their validity.
