Indulgences are one of the most controversial traditions in the Catholic Church. They have impacted the Church for hundreds of years and were a major factor in the Protestant schism within Christianity. Indulgences have had positive results but are often abused. The Church’s Confession of Faith (CCF) is a reliable source for a detailed explanation of what indulgences are and how they work, but fails to capture the importance of indulgences in a historical context and their impact on Christianity. CCF begins the analysis of indulgences by describing what an indulgence is and the underlying preconditions for it to be received. According to CCF, “An indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment due to sins, the guilt of which has already
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Indulgences played a central role in the disagreements between Martin Luther and the Catholic Church. CCF simplifies the financial abuses of indulgences and how the Council of Trent clarified the Church’s position on the subject (CCF, 305). On the other hand, Peter Beer focuses on the Council’s ruling on indulgences in 1563. In his article “What Price Indulgences, Trent and Today”, Beer explains the struggle to come to consensus on indulgences. He expands on the seven questions posed to the council about indulgences (Beer, 527). These questions include topics such as what indulgences do, who they affect, and how they forgive sin (Beer, 527). Luther believed that forgiveness came through prayer and that paying for past sin was unnecessary, making indulgences obsolete (Beer, 528-529). The Council disagreed. They stated that paying for sin was necessary to recover loss grace and that granting them was a power of the Pope (Beer, 529-531). Therefore, those who did not support indulgences challenged the power of the Pope, leading to the Council’s reaffirmation of indulgences. By focusing on the decisions made at the Council of Trent, Beer gives a unique insight into the continued use of indulgences and the official stance of the Church that CCF fails to …show more content…
In 1967, Pope Paul VI published “a doctrinal deepening of the teaching on the practical present…” in his Apostolic Constitution on the Revision of Indulgences (CCF, 305). This document stressed “…the essence of the treasury…” and renewal of indulgences (CCF, 306). This is the extent of CCF’s analysis of indulgences in modern times. However, David Morgan testifies they are still used up to today. In his book, The Forge of Vision: A Visual History of Modern Christianity, Morgan explains how indulgences have been used in the 21st century. In 2000, Pope John Paul II allowed indulgences for anyone pilgrimaging to Rome that year (Morgan, 89). In 2013, Pope Francis allowed it for anyone who participated in his World Youth Day Twitter campaign (Morgan, 89). These modern uses of indulgences occurred after The Church’s Confession of Faith was written in 1985. This is a limit to the usefulness of the book because many readers have a predisposed notion that indulgences are dead. By giving examples in modern times, Morgan proves that indulgences are still in use. In this way, CCF is an ineffective
Indulgences played a central role in the disagreements between Martin Luther and the Catholic Church. CCF simplifies the financial abuses of indulgences and how the Council of Trent clarified the Church’s position on the subject (CCF, 305). On the other hand, Peter Beer focuses on the Council’s ruling on indulgences in 1563. In his article “What Price Indulgences, Trent and Today”, Beer explains the struggle to come to consensus on indulgences. He expands on the seven questions posed to the council about indulgences (Beer, 527). These questions include topics such as what indulgences do, who they affect, and how they forgive sin (Beer, 527). Luther believed that forgiveness came through prayer and that paying for past sin was unnecessary, making indulgences obsolete (Beer, 528-529). The Council disagreed. They stated that paying for sin was necessary to recover loss grace and that granting them was a power of the Pope (Beer, 529-531). Therefore, those who did not support indulgences challenged the power of the Pope, leading to the Council’s reaffirmation of indulgences. By focusing on the decisions made at the Council of Trent, Beer gives a unique insight into the continued use of indulgences and the official stance of the Church that CCF fails to …show more content…
In 1967, Pope Paul VI published “a doctrinal deepening of the teaching on the practical present…” in his Apostolic Constitution on the Revision of Indulgences (CCF, 305). This document stressed “…the essence of the treasury…” and renewal of indulgences (CCF, 306). This is the extent of CCF’s analysis of indulgences in modern times. However, David Morgan testifies they are still used up to today. In his book, The Forge of Vision: A Visual History of Modern Christianity, Morgan explains how indulgences have been used in the 21st century. In 2000, Pope John Paul II allowed indulgences for anyone pilgrimaging to Rome that year (Morgan, 89). In 2013, Pope Francis allowed it for anyone who participated in his World Youth Day Twitter campaign (Morgan, 89). These modern uses of indulgences occurred after The Church’s Confession of Faith was written in 1985. This is a limit to the usefulness of the book because many readers have a predisposed notion that indulgences are dead. By giving examples in modern times, Morgan proves that indulgences are still in use. In this way, CCF is an ineffective