What are indulgences?

Understanding John 20:23

Indulgences are one of the most misunderstood — and historically consequential — doctrines in Christianity. They ignited the Protestant Reformation, split Western Christianity permanently, and remain a living practice in the Catholic Church today. Understanding what they actually are (and are not) requires disentangling centuries of confusion.

The Catholic Definition

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1471) defines an indulgence as: 'A remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.' This is a precise theological statement. Note what it does NOT say: it does not say indulgences forgive sin. Sin is forgiven through the sacrament of confession (penance). An indulgence addresses what comes after forgiveness — the remaining consequences.

Catholic theology distinguishes between:

1. Eternal punishment — separation from God (hell). This is removed by God's forgiveness through Christ.
2. Temporal punishment — the lingering effects and consequences of sin that must be purified, either in this life or in purgatory.

An analogy: if you throw a rock through someone's window, they may forgive you (guilt removed), but the window still needs to be repaired (temporal consequence remains). Indulgences address the 'window repair.'

Biblical Basis (Catholic View)

Catholic theologians ground indulgences in several scriptural concepts:

1. The power of the keys — Jesus gave Peter and the apostles authority to bind and loose (Matthew 16:19, 18:18). Catholics interpret this as the Church's authority to manage the spiritual economy of salvation, including remitting punishment.

2. John 20:23 — 'If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven.' Catholics see this as Christ granting the apostles (and their successors) real authority over the forgiveness process.

3. The Treasury of Merit — The concept that Christ's infinite merits, along with the superabundant merits of the saints, form a 'spiritual treasury' that the Church can draw upon. This is based on Colossians 1:24, where Paul says he 'fills up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, the church.'

4. Purgatory — 1 Corinthians 3:15 ('saved, yet so as through fire') and 2 Maccabees 12:46 (prayers for the dead) are cited as evidence of post-death purification.

How Indulgences Work

There are two types:

• Partial indulgence — removes part of the temporal punishment
• Plenary indulgence — removes all temporal punishment (conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, prayer for the Pope's intentions, and complete detachment from sin)

Indulgences are gained by performing specific acts: prayers (like the Rosary), acts of charity, pilgrimages to holy sites, or other devotional practices prescribed by the Church. They can be applied to oneself or offered on behalf of the deceased in purgatory.

The Reformation Crisis

In the late medieval period, the practice of indulgences became deeply corrupted. The most notorious case was Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar who in 1517 was selling indulgences to fund the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Tetzel reportedly used the slogan: 'As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.'

This was a distortion even by Catholic standards. Tetzel implied that indulgences could be purchased with money and that they guaranteed immediate release from purgatory — neither of which was official Church teaching. But the practice was widespread and lucrative.

Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and theology professor at Wittenberg, was outraged. On October 31, 1517, he posted his 95 Theses (Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences) on the door of the Castle Church. Key arguments included:

• Thesis 27: They 'preach human doctrines who say that as soon as the coin clinks into the money-chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.'
• Thesis 36: 'Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.'
• Thesis 82: Why doesn't the Pope empty purgatory 'for the sake of holy love' rather than 'for the sake of miserable money'?

Luther did not initially intend to break with Rome. He wanted reform. But the theological questions he raised — about the Pope's authority, the Treasury of Merit, purgatory itself — proved irreconcilable.

Protestant Objections

Protestants generally reject indulgences on several grounds:

1. Sola fide / sola gratia — Salvation and its benefits come through faith alone by grace alone. There is no 'temporal punishment' to be worked off because Christ's sacrifice is complete and sufficient (Hebrews 10:14: 'by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being sanctified').

2. No purgatory — Without purgatory, indulgences have no purpose. Protestants argue that Scripture teaches believers go directly to be with Christ at death (Philippians 1:23, Luke 23:43: 'Today you will be with me in paradise').

3. No Treasury of Merit — The saints have no 'extra' merits to contribute. All righteousness comes from Christ alone (Romans 3:10: 'There is no one righteous, not even one').

4. No priestly mediation beyond Christ — 1 Timothy 2:5: 'There is one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.' The Church cannot dispense what belongs to God alone.

5. Historical abuse — The selling of indulgences demonstrated the danger of the doctrine in practice, regardless of its theoretical formulation.

Current Catholic Teaching

The Catholic Church reformed indulgences significantly after Vatican II (1962-1965). Pope Paul VI's 1967 apostolic constitution Indulgentiarum Doctrina revised the system:

• Eliminated the quantified 'days' system (e.g., '300 days' indulgence'), which had been widely misunderstood as literal time off purgatory
• Simplified categories to partial and plenary only
• Emphasized that indulgences require genuine interior conversion, not just external acts
• Made clear that indulgences cannot be bought or sold (this was already doctrine, but the reform reinforced it)

Pope Francis has continued the practice, granting special plenary indulgences during Jubilee Years and during the COVID-19 pandemic (for the sick and their caregivers).

The Enduring Question

Indulgences remain a living dividing line between Catholic and Protestant Christianity. Catholics argue they are a legitimate exercise of the Church's God-given authority to shepherd souls. Protestants argue they add human mediation to what Christ accomplished completely on the cross.

Both sides agree on this: the medieval abuse of indulgences was a scandal that permanently changed Christianity. Whether the Reformation was a necessary correction or a tragic division depends on which side of that 1517 door you stand on.