What Exactly is an Indulgence? My Personal Conversion Narrative, Part 3

As a convert, I found it difficult to understand the positive aspect of indulgences. I was skeptical because I had only been exposed to Martin Luther’s negative response to them in academic classes on the Church’s Reformation history. As I began to ask questions about indulgences, I quickly learned that many cradle Catholics are also uncertain about their meaning, since the history of indulgences is complicated. Some people even think they are no longer used because of the 16th-century corruption of the transition from early Christian acts of penance to medieval financial abuses that triggered the Protestant Reformation. I am fortunate to have solidified my understanding of how indulgences function today through a recent class at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit; hence, I wanted to share this information with others. Listed below are questions and answers that clarify current information on indulgences. (For information on my conversion in other articles on Catholic365, see My Conversion Narratives Part 1 and Part 2.)

What purpose do indulgences serve?

Indulgences are a distinct Catholic theological concept concerning the remission of temporal punishment for sin. Indulgences are not merely legal transactions separate from spiritual development; rather, they serve as helpful tools for repentant sinners. Their purpose is to help obtain the charity that forgives earthly punishments, emphasizing the importance of receiving grace to cultivate charity.[1]

What is the history of indulgences in the Catholic Church?

In early Christian penitential practice, the Church held that God’s removal of sin from human life did not eliminate its consequences (e.g., suffering and concupiscence). The consequences had to be gradually removed through penitential works, with the Church’s support through solidarity and prayer. Medieval theology distinguished between guilt and punishment, based on the belief that only God possesses the authority to forgive guilt; however, the Church was empowered to impose and remit temporal punishments.[2]

How are indulgences linked to the penitential system?

Indulgences were part of the penitential system in which Christians confessed sins to priests, received divine forgiveness, and fulfilled “satisfactions,” acts that served as temporal punishments for sin. Indulgences were understood as a means of remitting ecclesiastical penalties attached to sin. The concept of indulgences evolved from early Christian penitential practices into a formalized system. A lighter form of penance (redemptions or ransoms) originated in Ireland and England before spreading across Europe, culminating in the eleventh-century transition to indulgences. Scholastic theology developed a teaching on the “treasury of the Church, which was the store of ‘superfluous graces’ won by Jesus and the saints, from which the Pope could grant indulgences.”[3] 

How did indulgences become intertwined with the crusades and papal authority?

The first document granting a plenary indulgence was issued in 1095 by Pope Urban II for crusaders, and later popes extended indulgences to remit the punishment for sins. Between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, indulgences expanded dramatically in scope. They came to address not only earthly Church-imposed punishments but also punishments in purgatory.[4]

By the fifteenth century, indulgences shifted from requiring spiritual exercises such as crusades or relic collecting to being purchasable through monetary donations. This commercialization created a pastoral and theological crisis. When indulgences were offered for sale as a regular Church practice, the practice represented the extreme objectification of sacramental principles as well as a “richly developed set of superstitions.” By the late medieval period, the system had become problematic, as professional pardoners engaged in the sale of indulgences, false teachings, and scandalous conduct, which catalyzed the Reformation.[5]

What was the Council of Trent’s response to the Protestant objections?

The Council of Trent defended indulgences against Protestant objections by stating that the Church has the authority to grant indulgences and that granting indulgences as part of the Church benefits the faithful.[6] The Council of Trent established that guilt and punishment are distinct; guilt may be forgiven, but indulgences are needed to address punishment. It emphasizes that indulgences rest on divine revelation, with the Council of Trent affirming that Jesus granted the Church the power to dispense them. The Magisterium defines an indulgence as the remission, before God, of temporal sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, granted by the Church through ecclesiastical authority. It is applied to the living through absolution and to the deceased through intercessory prayer.[7] Pope Pius V officially abolished all financial transactions or almsgiving tied to indulgences in 1567.

How did Pope Paul VI define indulgences?

In the apostolic constitution Indulgentiarum Doctrina (1967), Pope Paul VI reframed indulgences theologically. The constitution urges the faithful toward works of piety, penitence, and charity that teach humility, since they cannot repair the damage caused by sin on their own. The constitution also reveals the faithful’s interconnection with Jesus, in which each person’s spiritual life benefits others through outreach. The doctrinal foundation distinguishes between guilt (culpa) and punishment (poena) for sin, which are not identical or remitted simultaneously.[8] Notably, Pope Paul VI reduced the practice of indulgences by reducing the number of plenary indulgences and emphasizing that obtaining them required conversion from all sin.

In his reform of indulgences, Pope Paul VI discussed working off the consequences of sin and Christian’s mutual aid in overcoming sin. He referred to the teaching on the “treasury of the Church,” stating that Jesus’ satisfactions and the merits of his redemption still retain their efficacy when distributed from the Church’s treasury. He also declared that the Children of God can decide whether they wish to obtain indulgences. The indulgence handbook was edited and reissued as Enchiridion indulgentiarum[9] (written in 1985, translated in 2006).

What are the two types of indulgences?

There are two types of indulgences: (1) a plenary indulgence that removes all temporal punishment due to forgiven sin, and (2) a partial indulgence that removes a portion of the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin.

Plenary indulgence

There are four spiritual conditions for a plenary indulgence: going to confession within 20 days before or after the act, receiving the Eucharist on the day the act is performed, praying for the intentions of the Pope (one Our Father, one Hail Mary), and complete detachment from all sin, even venial sin.

Plenary indulgences are contextualized by acknowledging the common acts that individuals can undertake: reading or listening to Scripture for 30 minutes with reservation, Eucharistic Adoration for at least 30 minutes, praying the Way of the Cross at legitimately erected stations, and praying the Marian Rosary in a Church, public oratory, or together with family and/or community. There are more ways to receive a plenary indulgence, such as receiving a Papal blessing in person or via media, participating in Vatican-declared Jubilees, or passing through a designated Holy Door.

Partial Indulgence

Partial indulgences do not require complete detachment from sin, a recent confession, or receiving Holy Communion; they only require that a person be in a state of grace and free from mortal sin at the time the act is completed. The person must have the right internal intention, and the work or prayer must be performed fully with a devout heart. Four broad categories of partial indulgences from the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum include pious invocations, charitable service, voluntary penance, and witnessing faith. There is also the recitation of approved traditional prayers, mental prayer, and the use of religious objects such as a rosary, medal, or scapular that a priest or deacon has blessed.

Personal Afterthought

As a Catholic, I love praying the Rosary. I did not realize it offered a plenary indulgence; I had found it a wonderful spiritual experience. I was also surprised that daily Catholic life invokes partial indulgences through our prayers, charity, and witnessing. Catholicism is such a beautiful and fulfilling religion with so much to learn. It is interesting to me that witnessing my faith, as all of us are doing by submitting articles, counts as a partial indulgence. As an older person, I will never be able to learn enough about my religion in my lifetime. Still, I treasure each new piece of information, thanking God and Jesus for the opportunity for spiritual growth.

[1] Karl Rahner, “Indulgences,” in Sacramentum Mundi, An Encyclopedia of Theology, ed. Adolf Darlap (New York, London: Burns & Oates; Herder and Herder, 1968-1970), 3:127.
[2] Herbert Vorgrimler, Sacramental Theology, trans. Linda M. Maloney (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1992), 200-233.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Karl Rahner, “Indulgences,” in Sacramentum Mundi, 3:123-124.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Catholic Church, Enchiridion Indulgentiarum: Normae et Concessiones (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1999).