indulgences

Indulgences are a practice of the Catholic Church by which the temporal penalties attached to sin are reduced or remitted. In Catholic theology, forgiveness of sins through sacramental confession removes the guilt of sin, but a person may still be subject to temporal punishment in this life or after death. An indulgence applies to the remaining penalties by the merits of Christ and the saints, traditionally described as the Church’s "treasury of merit," though modern teaching emphasizes the Church’s authority to apply grace through specific acts.

There are two main types of indulgences: plenary and partial. A plenary indulgence, under certain conditions, removes all temporal penalties; a partial indulgence removes only part. Conditions typically include sacramental confession, reception of Holy Communion, prayers for the pope’s intentions, and the performance of the specific act prescribed for the indulgence. The exact requirements can vary and are governed by Church authority.

Historically, indulgences originated in the medieval church as remission of penalties for certain pious acts. By the 16th century, abuses associated with the sale of indulgences contributed to criticism by reformers such as Martin Luther and prompted major reforms. The Council of Trent reaffirmed the validity of indulgences and condemned abuses, and in the 20th century, the practice was reorganized under more precise rules in documents such as the 1967 Indulgentiarum Doctrina. The contemporary Catholic understanding differentiates between the guilt of sin and its penalties, and holds that indulgences are granted through canonical regulation rather than as a sale.

Today, indulgences are still offered within the Catholic Church and are tied to particular acts of devotion, prayer, or pilgrimage, with clear canonical requirements to obtain them.