PURGATORY

PERSONAL
ESCHATOLOGY
purgatory
etymology

• Ety. from Lt purgare (“to make clean, purify”)

• - a kind of punishment; hence is a meaning of term
“hell”
• “Hell” – cognate of “hole” (cavern) and “hollow” -
substantive of Anglo-Saxon helan, behelian
(“to hide”) = Lt occulere, celare & Grk
kalyptein
– by derivation,
- denotes dark & hidden place,
- of underworld = Lt. infernus (lower,
infernal), derived from the root in,
hence = place within and below the earth.
purgatory
etymology

• Meanings of “hell”
– Hell in strict sense, place of eternal punishment for the damned
(men and demons)
– Limbo of infants (limbus parvulorum), where those who die in
original sin alone, and without personal mortal sin, are confined
as some kind of punishment
– Limbo of the Fathers (limbus patrum) – where souls of the just
who died before Christ awaited the opening of heaven by
paschal mysteries; for in the meantime heaven was closed
against them in punishment for the sin of Adam
– Purgatory – where the just, who die in venial sin or who still
owe a debt of temporal punishment for sin, are cleansed by
suffering before their heaven admission.
purgatory
existence

• OT
– Judas Maccabees offered suffrages for the
dead “so that their sins be forgiven” (2 Mc
12:39ff). It is obvious such persons had died
without mortal sin, but are still under going
“a sort of punishment.” Their situation is
neither beatitude nor damnation, since it is
useless to offer suffrages for souls in any of
these states.
purgatory
existence

• OT:
– “Purgatory” does not appear in Scriptures, alleges the
Protestant. It is in the Catholic Scriptures, the Second
Book of Maccabees, which Protestants do not
acknowledge as part of the Bible. Anglicans have
bibles which include this book but with the note that
it must not be used for the basis of said doctrine.
purgatory
existence

• OT:
– The unacceptable passage is “Therefore he made atonement for the dead
they might be delivered from their sin”(Mc 12:45)
• What had happened was that Jewish general Judas
Maccabeus had lost some men in a battle against
Idumeans. When the time came to bury them with proper
honors, they were found to be carrying token of idols, a
sin in the Jewish religion. Judas took up a collection from
his soldiers which amounted to 2,000 drachmas & sent it
to the priests in Jerusalem to provide sacrifices to expiate
their sin.
purgatory
existence

• OT:
– The unacceptable passage is “Therefore he made atonement for the
dead they might be delivered from their sin”(Mc 12:45)

• Catholic practice of having Masses offered for souls in

purgatory is pretty much the same thing as what Judas
did, & what he did is in the Catholic Scriptures.
Clearly, pious Jews of Biblical times prayed for their
dead.
purgatory
existence

• NT
– Mt 12:31-32, Lk 12:47-48, 1 Pt 1:7 & 2 Tm 1:16;
most explicit 1 Cr 3:10-15 where two “fires” are
mentioned: one “fire” to examine the good or evil
of men’s deeds, & the other, to purify some
before they are saved.” The first – particular
judgment; the second – purgatory.
purgatory
existence

• Sacred Tradition
– Testimony of funeral liturgy – particularly of Eucharistic sacrifice
offered for deceased – and of the Christians’ frequent prayers for
the faithful departed.
– Apostolic practice of praying for the dead which passed on into
liturgy of the Church, is as clear in the 4th c as it is in the 20th. St.
Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechet. Mystog., V, 9, P.G. 33, col. 1116)
describing the liturgy, writes; “Then we pray for the Holy Fathers
and Bishops that are dead; and in short for all those who have
departed this life in our communion; believing that the souls of
those for whom prayers are offered receive very great relief, while
this holy and tremendous victim lies upon the altar.”
purgatory
existence

• Sacred Tradition
– Found in teaching of Fathers, formularies used in Liturgy
of the Church, in early Christian monuments, particularly
those contained in the catacombs. On the tombs of faithful
were inscribed words of hope, words of petition for peace
and for rest, & as the anniversaries came round the faithful
gathered at the graces of the departed to make intercession
for those who had died.
purgatory
existence

• Sacred Tradition
– In 4th c, both Sts. Ambrose and Augustine insisted on the existence of
purgatory
• St. Ambrose: In his eulogy to Emperor Theodosius:
“Give, O Lord, rest to Thy servant Theodosius, that rest
Thou hast prepared for Thy saints. … I loved him,
therefore will I follow him to the land of the living; I
will not leave him till by my prayers and lamentations
he shall be admitted unto the holy mount of the Lord,
to which his deserts call him” (P.L. XVI, col. 1397)
purgatory
existence
• Sacred Tradition
– At close of 4th c, not only (1) were prayers for the
dead found in all the Liturgies, but the Fathers
asserted that such practice was from the Apostles
themselves, (2) those who were helped by the
prayers of the faithful & by the celebration of the
Holy Mysteries were in a place of purgation, (3)
from which when purified they “were admitted
unto the Holy Mount of the Lord.”
purgatory
existence

• Patristic Period:
– Origen argued everyone would be saved but that there
was a particular purification for each individual. The
purification occurred, however, at the moment of
judgment & not as some intermediate state between
particular judgment and final passage into sight of God.
This Origenist belief in universal salvation
(apokatastasis) was condemned by provincial council of
Constantinople (543), a judgment approved by all the
Eastern patriarchs & confirmed by Pope Vigilius (+555)
purgatory
existence

• Patristic Period:
– St. Augustine: all the just, not only martyrs,
entered immediately into heaven. But later he
considered the fire of judgment in 1 Cr 3:12-15 as
“purgatorial fire” and appeared as an intermediate
realm after death.
– St. Gregory the Great: fact of not yet being
totally with God constitutes a punishment.
purgatory
existence

• Patristic Period:

– West: emphasized juridical character (penal &

expiatory) character of purgatory
– East: mystical (a process of maturation &
spiritual growth)
purgatory
existence

• Magisterium
– Pope Innocent IV teaches in purgatory “sins are truly purified by
that temporal fire – not grievous or capital sins which have not first
been remitted by penance, but small a& slight sins which remain a
burden after death.” (DS 838)
– Profession of Faith of Michael Paleologus, presented to 2nd Council
of Lyon (1274) mentions “purgatorial …punishments” for those who
have not satisfied punishment of their sins.
– Constitution Benedictus Deus reminds us: Souls can enter heaven
only “after they have been purified after death.” (DS 1000).
purgatory
existence

• Magisterium
– Clement IV (Letter Super quibusdam, 1351) affirms “Purgatory … is the
destination of the souls of those who die in grace, but have not yet done
satisfaction for their sins by a complete penance.”
– Bull Laetentur coeli (Council of Florence, 1439) points out again
necessity of purification after death (see DS 1304).
– Bull Exsurge Domine (1520), Pope Leo X condemns Luther’s denial of
purgatory (DS 1487)
– Canon 30 (Council of Trent, De Iustificatione, 1574) states that repented
sinner who has not yet paid debt of temporal punishment, must go to
purgatory “before the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven can be opened” for
him (DS 1580)
purgatory
existence

• Theology (St. Thomas Aquinas)

– Mortal sins have been forgiven with regards to the guilt, but not
necessarily as regards totality of the temporal punishment. Justice
demands a proportionate punishment to repair order damaged by sin.
So, reasonable that those who have not fully paid debt due to sin, be
purified after death by undergoing a punishment (see Suppl. App. 2 De
Purgatorio, a. 1)
– Separated soul cannot attain Beatific Vision if it is not totally purified.
Since unable to be done in this life, it was logical that purgatory should
take place after death & before entering heaven (SCG, 4. 91)
– St. Thomas quite explicit: “Those who deny purgatory speak against
the justice of God …; such a statement is erroneous & contrary to
Faith” (Suppl. App. 2 De Purgatorio, a. 1)
purgatory
existence

• Denial
– Acrius (4th c) taught prayers for dead were of no avail.
– Middle Ages, rejected by Albigensians, Waldensians, Hussites
– Much discussion has arisen over the Greek position on the question
of purgatory but the great difference of opinion actually centers on
the nature of purgatorial fire.
– Modern Orthodox Church denies purgatory, but is rather inconsistent
in its way of putting forth its belief
– At beginning, Luther hesitated to deny its existence but later denial
of purgatory became a universal Reformist doctrine.
– Modern Protestants, while they avoid name “purgatory” frequently
teach doctrine of “the middle state”
purgatory
nature

• Presupposes two kinds of sins: mortal and venial.

– All sins are not equal before God, nor dare anyone assert
that daily faults of human frailty will be punished with
same severity that is meted out to serious violation of
God’s law. On the other hand, whosoever comes into
God’s presence must be perfectly pure for in the strictest
sense His “eyes are too pure, to behold evil” (Hab 1:13).
For unrepented venial faults for the payment of temporal
punishment due to sin at time of death, Church had always
taught the doctrine of purgatory.
purgatory
nature

• Presupposes two kinds of sins: mortal and

venial.

– So deep was this belief rooted in our common

humanity that it was accepted by the Jews,
and in at least shadowy way, the pagans, long
before Christianity.
purgatory
nature

• Church has not identified purgatory as a place but a process of

purification (see CCC 1031), as a kind of punishment but has
not specified nature or characteristics of such torments.
• The ff explanations form part of common doctrine among
theologians:
– There is distinction between 2 basic forms of punishment:
pain of loss and pain of sense.
– Pain of loss (St. Thomas) = delay in vision of God (Suppl.
App. 1, q. 2, a. 1) or some = postponement of glory while in
hell = complete & definite separation from God
purgatory
nature

• Schema:

PURGATORY HELL

pain of loss delay in seeing Definite:

God Impossibility of
seeing God
purgatory
nature

• Schema:

PAIN OF LOSS PAIN OF SENSE

similarity difference

Church no actual gaze on BV not quite sure not applied

militant

BEATIFIC
VISION

Church applies:
no actual gaze on BV sure but delayed more severe
suffering
purgatory
nature
P U R G A T O R Y (pain of loss)
• Schema:
JOY SADNESS

Desire to see BV no longer

weakened by material concerns Long to see BV but delayed

Know they are destined for Cannot enjoy BV until totally

Beatific Vision; cannot be expiate their faults & punishment
otherwise of sins

Consoled by angels; helped by Know perfectly blame is exclusively

suffrages of Church; prayers of theirs; could have entered heaven had
BVM & of saints they avoided venial sin, striven to do
Will of God and accepted earthly trials
as preparation for heaven

Desire is so intense b/c

know they are destined to
eternal bliss
purgatory
nature

• As far as pain of sense, referred to as “fire” by Magisterium,

is a purifying form of suffering, e.g.,
– Letter Super Quibusdam (Pope Clement IV) speaks about souls of
purgatory as being tormented temporarily with fire
– First Council of Lyon mentions a “temporal fire” which purifies the
souls of purgatory.
– On part of Greek Church, do not accept this form of punishment.
Reason: It is not easy to understand how a material fire can harm a
spiritual soul. But for Latin Church, a real fire that “works on the soul
not by its own power, but as an instrument of divine Justice, just as
baptismal water produces grace in our souls by virtue of God’s power
… This fire’s way of operating is mysterious.” (R. Garrigou-
Lagrange, Life Everlasting, 248-249)
purgatory
nature

• Note: the more saintly a soul is, the greater the

suffering, since it longs more intensely for the
BV. But that greater severity of pain is offset by
a more perfect abandonment to the divine Will
and a fuller surrender to the execution of the
divine Justice.
purgatory
nature

direct proportionality
saintliness desire suffering
MORE   
LESS   
purgatory
properties of pains

• purpose of punishment: to cleanse soul so that it can reach

total purity required to see BV
• Purgatorial pains represent payment of debt of temporal
punishment due to both venial and already forgiven mortal
sins.
• Atonement does not have any satisfactory value, which
would require a free & spontaneous offering of the
punishment.
• Atonement does not have meritorious value, since the time
for merit is over after death.
purgatory
properties of pains

• Theologians call the value of this purgatorial

punishment was satispassion: souls gladly accept
purifying punishment, but do not seek pain, they just
passively endure it. We can say that they want to be
freed from it as soon as possible. In other words,
separated souls in heaven do not seek to be
punished to the extent that such suffering would
gain some satisfactory & meritorious value.
purgatory
properties of pains

• Regarding intensity: Suffering caused by delay is

proportional to strength of desire. Pains therefore are
unequal. Not all souls in purgatory suffer in the same
degree, neither in duration nor in severity of the pains:
“Severity of punishment corresponds properly
speaking to the amount of guilt, whereas the length
corresponds to the firmness with which sin had taken
root in its subject. Hence, it may happen that one may
be delayed longer who is tormented less, and vice-
versa” (Suppl. App. 1, q. 2, a.6)
purgatory
properties of pains

• Thus, a soul stained with grave sins in moments

of weakness, after suffering with great intensity,
may leave purgatory ahead of another soul
which, without having seriously offended God,
lived in tepidity (mediocrity/lukewarmness),
despising the calls of grace to a life of greater
self-surrender, & not giving importance to
venial sins.
purgatory
properties of pains

proportionality
FIRMNESS  
INTENSITY OF GUILT   direct
SUFFERING  
STAY   inverse
purgatory
suffrages for the dead

• Pains of purgatory can be reduced through suffrages we

offer
– In Church history, Magisterium supported this
practice: 2nd Council of Lyon, Council of Florence,
Council of Trent, and Paul VI’s Indulgentiarum
doctrina
– Sacred Tradition has upheld its teaching, e.g.,
testimonies in liturgy, funeral inscription,
monuments. This doctrine has always been linked
with the dogma of the Communion of Saints
purgatory
suffrages for the dead

• (Suffrages)Prayers for the dead = prayers & works of

mercy (corporal & spiritual).
– Requirement of charity, since we have to wish the
good of others
– Obligation of piety toward members of the same
natural or supernatural family.
– Obligation of justice, since some souls may be
detained in purgatory partly through our fault, b/c of
our sins of commission or omission.
purgatory
suffrages for the dead

• Meaning:
– Secular: Lt suffragium (“vote”) – root suffragari
(“to vote in favor of,” “to express support”) = civil
right to vote, or the exercise of that right; also called
political franchise or simply the franchise; or
vote/ballot cast in deciding a disputed question or in
electing a person to office
– Religious: support for the departed souls by offering
a short intercessory prayer & words of charity +
indulgences
purgatory
suffrages for the dead

• 2 Bases of practice:
1) existence of purgatory
2) communion of saints

SUFFRAGES FOR DEAD

Existence of Purgatory Communion of Saints

purgatory
suffrages for the dead

• 2 Bases of practice:
1) existence of purgatory:
Souls in this state needs further purification of the
consequences of their personal sins to be able to
see BV.
They need our suffrages (prayers) as urgent
supplications to God to have mercy on the souls of
the dead, to purify them by the fire of His charity,
and to bring them to His kingdom of light and life.
purgatory
suffrages for the dead

• 2 Bases of practice:
2) communion of saints:
= the Church: “Since all the faithful form one body, the good of
each is communicated to the others . . . We must therefore
believe that there exists a communion of goods in the Church.
But the most important member is Christ, since he is the head
… Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the
members, through the sacraments” (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Symb., 10) (CCC 947)”As this Church is governed by one and
the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily
become a common fund” (Ibid.)
purgatory
communion of saints

• 2 Bases of practice:
– communion of saints (sanctorum communio):
• 2-fold Meanings:
1) Communion “in holy things (sancta)
2) Communion “among holy persons” (sancti) or

Communion of saints

“holy things” (sancta) “holy persons” (sancti)

 Communion (sancta) (see CCC 949-953)

faith sacraments charisms charity

• Fruit of all sacts • From one source, • “If one member
• Faith of belongs to all the suffers, all suffer
Holy Spirit,
faithful = faithful. All sacraments members of one together; if one
are sacred links uniting member is honored, all
faith of the the faithful with one same Church is rejoice together, Now
Church, another and binding given certain sets you are the body of
them to Jesus: first, of gifts ,both Christ and individually
received from baptism by which one personal and members of it.” (1 Cr
apostles. enters the one Church communitarian for 13:5; see 10:24)
• “Communion” most • In this solidarity with
• Faith = a fittingly applies to
the building of the
all men, living or dead,
one same Church.
treasure of Eucharist b/c it is
• “To each is given
which is founded on
primarily brings this the communion of
life which is communion about and the manifestation saints, the least of our
enriched by sustains it. of the Spirit for the acts done in charity
common good” (1 redounds to the profit
being shared. of all. Every sin harms
Cr 12:7) this communion.
 Communion (sancti) (see CCC 954-959)

Three States of the Church (CCC 954)

Church Militant Church Suffering Church Triumphant

• Pilgrims on earth • Dead being

• in need of the purified
• Dead
intercession of • in need of the enjoying
Saints in Church suffrages Beatific
Triumphant performed by
Church Militant Vision
especially the
Eucharist
purgatory
communion of saints

• Summary
– Church = “communion of saints” referring first to
“holy things” (sancta), above all the Eucharist, by
which “the unity of believers, who form one body in
Christ, is both represented and brought about” (LG
3)
– “Communion of Saints” also refers to communion of
“holy persons” (sancti) in Christ who “died for all”
so that what each one does or suffers in and for
Christ bears fruit for all.
purgatory
communion of saints

• Summary
– “Saints” in “Communion of Saints” can refer to Christians
who, whatever their personal sanctity as individuals, are
called “holy” because they are consecrated to God and
Christ or by reason of their destination and of their
partaking of the fruits of Redemption
– Communion of Saints is thus said to comprise
1st: the Church Triumphant/Church in Perfection (those
already in heaven fully in the presence of God, the
“saints” strictly speaking who enjoy as St. Paul describes
as “gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord” (2
Cr 3:18).
purgatory
communion of saints

• Summary
– Communion of Saints:
2nd : the Church Militant/Church in Pilgrimage (those
alive on earth making their own personal/corporate
journey on earth as disciples of Jesus. As we make our
earthly journey, we do so in union or in solidarity with
one another and with those brothers and sisters outside the
bounds of time and space); and,
3rd: the Church Penitent/Church in Purgation (those
undergoing purification in Purgatory in preparation for
heaven, as an act of cleansing to be worthy of the Beatific
Vision).
purgatory
communion of saints

• Summary
– Communion of Saints:
• Aquinas teaches that the angels, though
not redeemed, enter the communion of
saints because they come under Christ’s
power and receive of His gratia capitis
(main source of grace)
purgatory
communion of saints

• Summary
– Communion of Saints:
• The said SPIRITUAL solidarity implies a variety of
interrelations:
– within the Church Militant, not only the
participation in the same faith, sacraments, and
government, but also a mutual exchange of
examples, prayers, merits, and satisfaction;
– between the Church on earth on the one hand, and
purgatory and heaven - suffrages, invocation,
intercession, veneration.
purgatory
communion of saints

• Summary
– Communion of Saints:
• between Church militant and Church triumphant:
Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church,
Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Church & Assyrian
Church of East point to this doctrine in support of their
practice of asking the intercession of the saints in heaven,
whose prayers are seen as helping their fellow Christians
one earth. These same churches refer to this doctrine in
support of the practice of praying for the dead.
purgatory
communion of saints

• Common practices
– Offering of Masses, e.g., All Soul’s
Day, for souls in purgatory
– Giving alms in their memory, or
offering up sacrifices & penance on
their behalf
– Indulgences for dead
purgatory
communion of saints

• Note: by virtue of Communion of Saints, souls of

purgatory can help us greatly with their
intercession. Church does not invoke them in
liturgy, but custom of invoking them privately is
widespread in Church. This Christian practice has
never been forbidden; on the contrary, some
prayers asking for their help have even been
enriched with indulgences (see Leo XIII, ASS 22,
1889-90, 743ff).
purgatory
communion of saints

• Invocation of Souls: Do the souls in purgatory pray for

us? May we call upon them in our needs?
– No definitive stand of Church & theologians
– In ancient liturgies no prayers of Church directed to those
who are still in purgatory.

(CON)
– St. Thomas denies (see II-II q. 83, a. 11) souls in
purgatory for the living, and states they are not in a
position to pray for us, rather we must make intercession
for them.
purgatory
communion of saints

• Invocation of Souls: Do the souls in purgatory

pray for us? May we call upon them in our needs?
(pros)
– St. Bellarmine (see De Purgatorio lib. II, xv) says
otherwise: In virtue of their greater love of God
and their union with Him their prayers may have
great intercessory power, for they are really
superior to us in love of God, & in intimacy of
union with Him.
purgatory
communion of saints

• Invocation of Souls: Do the souls in purgatory pray for us?

May we call upon them in our needs?
(pros)
– Suarez also in favor: “the souls in purgatory are
holy, are dear to God, love us with a true love &
are mindful of our wants; that they know in a
general way our necessities & our dangers, &
how great is our need of Divine help & divine
grace”
purgatory
communion of saints

• Invocation of Souls: Do the souls in purgatory pray for us?

May we call upon them in our needs?
(pros)
– St. Alphonsus de Liguori: “so the souls in
purgatory, being loved by God a& confirmed in
grace, have absolutely no impediment to prevent
them from praying for us. Still the Church does
not invoke them or implore their intercession,
because ordinarily they have no cognizance of
our prayers.”
purgatory
communion of saints
purgatory
communion of saints

St. John Macias,

OP – Dominican
Cooperator-
Brother
purgatory
indulgences
indulgences
• Etymology –
– Fr. Lt indulgentia (root: indulgeo, “to be kind/tender”), lit.
= kindness/favor
– In post-classic Lt = remission of a tax/debt
– In Roman Law (also in OT, Vulgate (see Is 61:1) = release
from captivity/punishment
– In theology:
• Primary sense: kindness/mercy of God
• Special sense: remission of temporal punishment due to
sin, the guilt of which already forgiven
• Syn Lt: pax, remissio, donatio, condonatio
indulgences

• Pope granted “special indulgences” during

– Incartionis mysterium of the Great Jubilee 2000
– Opening of Pauline Year (June 28, 2008)
– World Youth Meeting in Australia (July 2008),

Inquiries:
~ Does talking about indulgences really make sense today?
~ What is the point of indulgences – are not sins completely
forgiven through the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
~ Why then these “partial” and “plenary” “discounts?”
indulgences

• Sources of Information

– Catechism of the Catholic Church

(1992)
– Code of Canon Law (1983)
– Paul VI’s Apostolic Constitution
Indulgentiarum doctrina (1967)
indulgences

• Two illustrations to begin with

-
–A boy who breaks a glass window
–A student who stole & lost a
priceless book
indulgences

• Two illustrations to begin with

 In revenge, a smart kid stoned one of the windows of
the man who wronged him. The glass window got
broken in the process. The child regretted what he
did. The man forgave him and even promised not to
tell his parents what he did, thus sparing the child of
further humiliation. But the man told the boy that,
even though he forgave what the kid did, the latter
still had to pay for the damage.
indulgences

• Two illustrations to begin with

A student stole from his University Library a priceless

volume of a rare collection, with no intention of returning it
any more. Some time later, however, he felt guilty thinking
of the harm caused to other students who were deprived of
access to such book, and also of the damage caused to the
library. He went to confess this sin to get rid of such guilt.
The confessor gave the student absolution (God’s
forgiveness) and at the same time reminded him of his
obligation to return the book to the Library to repair the
damage he had caused.
indulgences

• Two illustrations contain elements of -

– repentance and forgiveness; and
– the remaining obligation to make up for the
damage caused, i.e., the pending obligation of
“restitution” (paying back) implied in true and
genuine repentance.
indulgences

• What do these two stories have to do with indulgences? Now let

us pursue the stories further.
– Both are unable to do restitution.

– Out of the blues, a generous soul appears willing to give the

boy/student the needed money for restitution. Both were given
the chance to do restitution because of this providential
opportunity.
– Not strings attached; the offer was real and free but one
condition – to show true and genuine repentance and sincere
gratitude, both should perform some prescribed actions, e.g.,
say a prayer, visit a nearby church, etc.)
indulgences

• Application to Indulgences

~ Indulgences are like the standing offer of the good friend in both cases:
they are simply “gifts” (opportunities) freely offered to everyone by
the Church (the friendly hand) enabling us to “restitute” or “pay
back” for the damage caused by our offenses after they have been
mercifully forgiven. Such restitution and healing are something due in
justice, but which we are unable to do ourselves alone.
~ furthermore the performance of additional prescribed prayers or
actions is not a magic payment or substitute for the restitution: they
are just expressions of gratitude and of good will on our part.
indulgences

• Theological Explanation
Given: True repentance implies
forgiveness and restoring the broken order
or restitution; in short, to pay back for the
damage caused by sin. Such damage is the
“stain” that remains in our soul after we
have been forgiven.
indulgences

• Theological Explanation

– Sin produces two effects on our souls:

• the debt of guilt (grave sin deprives us of
communion with God: such deprivation is
called ‘eternal punishment”; and
• the debt of pain (every sin entails an
unhealthy attachment to creatures, which
must be purified either here one earth or after
death: this purification frees us from the
“temporal punishment” of sin).
indulgences
• Theological Explanation

– When we repent of our sins, the debt of guilt is removed

but the debt of pain remains. (The souls in purgatory do not
have any stain of guilt, but they have the stain of pain which
must be removed in order for them to enter heaven).

– These two punishments must not be considered as a kind of

vengeance inflicted by God, but as coming from the very
nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from fervent
charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in
such a way that no punishment would remain.
indulgences

• Theological Explanation

– Indulgence is the remission of the debt of pain

(temporal punishment) due to sin; it is a
“payment” to remove the stain of pain from our
souls. The payment is not monetary b/c we
cannot purchase our salvation or truly repair the
damage unjustly caused, but it can be made
through prayers, works of mercy, and
acceptance of the sufferings and trials one
endures throughout one’s life.
indulgences

• Church Teachings: CCC (1471-1479)

Highlights:

- Theirconnection with effects of Sact of

Penance
- Their link with Communion of Saints
- Their being granted through the Church
- Their application to the dead
indulgences

Church Teachings: CCC (1471-1479)

Link with Link with Communion Granted through Application to

Penance (CCC of Saints (CCC 1474- Church (CCC 1478) Dead
1475) • Church – sole privilege
1473) • Purification from sin to
• Can be obtained for
to open treasury of faithful departed now
• Sacramental forgiveness become holy – not an merits of Christ and
entail s remission of individual striving being purified, since
saints to obtain from they are also members
eternal punishment of • Exchange of spiritual God remission of
sin goods among those in of same communion of
temporal punishments saints
• Temporal punishment of heaven, striving on earth
and suffering in purgatory
due to sin. • Actually this is a good
sin remains – to be • Jesus Christ through the
– those striving on earth way to help them so that
overcome by bearing needs prayer of those in merits of His paschal
sufferings and trials of temporal punishment
heaven while those in mystery granted Church due to sins may be
all kinds, prayer, purgatory are asking this power to intervene
practices of penance remitted.
prayers from those striving in favor of ind Christian
on earth
indulgences

Canon Law Provisions (992-997)

• partial (not wholly) -

types • plenary (wholly) - from temporal punishment

• All members of the faithful either for themselves,

grantee partial or plenary, or can apply them by way of
suffrage for the dead

• pope
grantor • those delegated by law to do it (e.g., Bishops)

condition • baptized, not excommunicated & in state of grace

requirements to • Must have at least intention of graining them & must

fulfill prescribed works at the time & in manner
obtain determined by terms of grant
Indulgence (summary)

• What It is NOT
– Permission to commit sin
– Pardon of future sin
– Grant of any power
– Forgiveness of the guilt of sin for it supposes sin has already been
forgiven
– Exemption from any law or duty, & much less from obligation
consequent on certain kinds of sin, e.g., restitution
– Conferral of immunity from temptation or remove possibility of
subsequent lapses into sin
– Purchase of a pardon which secures buyer’s salvation or releases the
soul of another from purgatory.
Indulgence (summary)

• What It IS
Extra-sacramental remission of temporal
punishment due, in God’s justice, to sin that
has been forgiven, which remission is granted
by Church in the exercise of her power of the
keys, through the application of the
superbundant merits of Christ and of the saints,
and for some just & reasonable motive.
Indulgence (summary)

• What It IS
Church Teachings: CCC (1471-1479)
Definition:

“An indulgence is the remission in the sight

of God of the temporal punishment due for
sins, the guilt of which has already been
forgiven.”
• Regarding this definition, take note of the
following points:
Indulgence (summary)

• Common teaching of theologians:

– Indulgences may be applied to the souls
in purgatory
– Indulgences are available for them “by
way of suffrage” (per modum
suffragii)
Indulgence (summary)

• Common teaching of theologians:

– Indulgences may be applied to the souls in purgatory

• St. Augustine (see De Civ. Dei XXX, ix): separated soul still part of
the Church which is Kingdom of Christ and b/c of this prayers of
works of Church militant are helpful to the dead

• Belarmine (see De indulgentiis, xiv): “we can offer our prayers &
our satisfactions in behalf of those detained in purgatory, b/c we
are members of the great body of Christ, why may not the Vicar of
Christ apply to the same souls the superabundant satisfaction of
Christ & his saint --- of which he is the dispenser?”
Indulgence (summary)

• Common teaching of theologians:

– Indulgences may be applied to the souls in purgatory
• Aquinas (II, Sent., d. Xlv, q. ii, a. 3, q. 2): Indulgences
avail principally for the person who performs the work
for which the indulgence is given, if they but
secondarily may avail even for the dead, if the form in
which the indulgence is granted be so worded as to be
capable of such interpretation, and he adds “nor is there
nay reason why the Church may not dispose of its
treasure of merits in favor of the dead, as it surely
dispenses it in favor of the living.”
Indulgence (summary)

• Common teaching of theologians:

– Indulgences are available for them “by way of suffrages” (per
modum suffragii). What does it imply?

• St. Bonaventure: suffrage is applied not after the

manner of absolution as in case of the living but
only as suffrage. Hence the Pope when he grants
suffrages does not absolve juridically the spuls in
purgatory from the punishment due their sins.
Indulgence (summary)

• Common teaching of theologians:

– Indulgences are available for them “by way of suffrages” (per modum
suffragii). What does it imply?

• Bellarmine: Not after the fashion of a juridical absolution but at

times per modum meriti congrui (“by way of merit”); at times per
modum impetrationis (“by way of supplication”); and at times per
modum satisfactionis (“by way of satisfaction”). BUT
when there is a question of applying an indulgence to one in
purgatory it is only per modum suffragii satisfactorii and for this
reason “the pope does not absolve the soul in purgatory from
punishment due his sins, but offers to God from the treasure of the
Church whatever may be necessary for the cancelling of this
punishment.”
Indulgence (summary)

• Common teaching of theologians:

– Does God accept such satisfaction by way of mercy
and benevolence or by way of strict justice?

• Theologians are divided: Bellarmine

acknowledges both answers are correct but is
inclined to favor the former are more reasonable
while he pronounces the latter in harmony with
piety.
suffrages for dead (history)

• Early & Medieval Beliefs

(Summary)
– From earliest days Church, giving penances associated with sins done
after baptism. Besides forgiveness of sin (absolution) that only
removed guilt of sin, necessary to pay penalty of sin.
• Since sin (especially serious) was violation of Church Law, for example,
Church imposed some penances so that penitent got to be reconciled again
with the Church
• Not only Church decided when penitent gets to be actually reconciled back to
Church but also prayed with penitent in the process of reconciling.
• At times, Church drew upon its own spiritual treasury of grace & merit to
cancel out some (partial) indulgence or all (plenary) indulgence of
punishment still due to an individual’s sin.
suffrages for dead (history)

• By 3rd c, Church allowed a confessor or a

Christian awaiting martyrdom to intercede
for another Christian in order to shorten the
other's canonical penance.
suffrages for dead (history)

• In 6th century, Council of Epaon witnessed to the

popularity of the practice of replacing severe
canonical penances with something new and
milder.

– E.g., to commute penances to less demanding works,

such as prayers, alms, fasts and even the payment of
fixed sums of money depending on the various kinds
of offences (tariff penances).
suffrages for dead (history)

• By 10th century, some penances were

not replaced but merely reduced by
giving pious donations, doing
pilgrimages and similar meritorious
works.
suffrages for dead (history)

• By 11th & 12th centuries, the recognition of the

value of these works began to become associated
not so much with canonical penance but with
remission of the temporal punishment due to sin.
– By this time, there was a recognition between
forgiving the guilt in the Sacrament of Confession and
the need to make restitutions or reparations to remit
temporal punishment due to sin. The word “penance”
now onwards was associated with the Sacrament of
Confession. So there was needed, besides penance, to
do restitutions.
suffrages for dead (history)

• By 11th c: indulgences practice first appeared in France. They

were at once a remission of some penance & a remission of
temporal punishment due to sin. From the start, therefore, the
availing of indulgences were applied both for the remission of
some penance and temporal punishment due to sin.

– E.g., plenary indulgences, i.e., remission of all temporal

punishment due to sin, became popular during the Crusades
when crusaders were promised complete remission of
punishment in return for their military service (Pope Urban
II, for example)
suffrages for dead (history)

• The earliest record of a plenary indulgence was Pope

Urban II's declaration at the Council of Clermont
(1095) that he remitted all penance incurred by
crusaders who confessed their sins, considering
participation in the crusade equivalent to a complete
penance.

– Basis for the grant? God's mercy, the value of the

Church's prayers, and the merits of the saints.
suffrages for dead (history)

• C. 1230, the Dominican Hugh of St-Cher

proposed the idea of a "treasury" at the Church's
disposal, consisting of the infinite merits of Christ
and the immeasurable abundance of the saints'
merits, a thesis that was supported by great
scholastics such as Sts Albertus the Great and
Thomas Aquinas and remains the basis for the
theological explanation of indulgences even up to
now.
Suffrages for dead (history)

The sale of indulgences shown in A Question to

a Mintmaker, woodcut by Jörg Breu the Elder of
Augsburg, c 1530.
suffrages for dead (history)

• By 13th c: the practice of indulgences applied

only to imposed penances and not to
punishment due to sin. At first, some
theologians contested the bishop’s right to
grant indulgences, but as the actual practice
became more widespread, theological
opposition diminished in time.
suffrages for dead (history)

• 13th c:
– Eventually the practice itself changed. Where
previously the Church only prayed for the
remission of temporal punishment due to sin &
had excused a canonical penance on that account,
now the Church definitively declared that availing
of indulgences automatically cancelled such
temporal punishment due to sin on the basis of
Church’s control over treasury of grace and merit.
suffrages for dead (history)

• Mid-13th c:
– Indulgence grant became increasingly divorced
from sacrament of Penance, and more and more
an act of the Pope.
– Number of indulgences multiplied & need for
doing some penitential work declined
– Any reasonable cause was now regarded as
sufficient grounds for granting an indulgence (see
Aquinas, ST, Suppl. q. 25, a. 2)
suffrages for dead (history)

• By mid-15th c: indulgences for the dead

began to be granted, although their
connection with almsgiving was established
way back in 11th c.
– They became convenient source of income for Church and
were multiplied to scandalous proportions. Simony (i.e.,
buying & selling spiritual goods) was everywhere. Some
preached indulgences in theologically unsound and
exaggerated way.
suffrages for dead (history)

• Abuses
– As demand for indulgences began to be attached to their
favorite prayers, devotions, places of worship or pilgrimage,
their processions and meetings, forging documents declaring
that such indulgences was rampant. Indulgences were attached
to many works that were not only good but also served the
common good, both religious and civil: churches, hospitals,
leprosaria, charitable institutions and schools, and also roads
and bridges.

– The unrestricted sale of indulgences by professional

"pardoners” (quaestores in Latin), who were sent to collect
contributions to the project, grew tremendously.
suffrages for dead (history)

• Abuses
– Preaching on indulgences were based on questionable
dogmatic teachings; some of them even dared to promise
that the damned would be released from hell.
– Permission began to be granted to Catholic kings and
princes, particularly on the occasion of Crusades, to retain
for themselves a rather considerable part of the alms
collected for the gaining of indulgences. The most well-
known and debated question is the indulgence granted
for building the new St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
suffrages for dead (history)

• Fourth Lateran Council (1215) suppressed some abuses connected

with indulgences, spelling out, for example, that only a one-year
indulgence would be granted for the consecration of churches and
no more than a 40-days indulgence for other occasions.

– The Council also stated that "Catholics who have girded themselves
with the cross for the extermination of the heretics, shall enjoy the
indulgences and privileges granted to those who go in defense of the
Holy Land.”

– But very soon these limits were widely exceeded. False documents
were circulated with indulgences surpassing all bounds: indulgences of
hundreds or even thousands of years.
suffrages for dead (history)

• In 1392 (more than a century before Martin Luther’s

revolt), Pope Boniface IX in a letter to Bishop of
Ferrara condemned practice of certain members of
religious orders claiming falsely that they were
authorized by pope to forgive all sorts of sins, and
exacted money from the simple-minded among the
faithful by promising them perpetual happiness in this
world and eternal glory in the next.
 Suffrages for dead (history)
History of Icon

• Image of Mass of Saint Gregory - especially

associated with large indulgences since Jubilee Year
of 1350 in Rome, when it was at least widely
believed that an indulgence of 14,000 had been
granted in connection with this Imago Pietatis,
thought to be a contemporary depiction of the
miracle, then in the Basilica of Santa Croce in
Gerusalemme (Rome).
Suffrages for dead (history)
History of Icon

• What miracle? Earliest version dates in 8th c.

biography of Gregory by Paul the Deacon, and
repeated in 9th c by John the Deacon. In this version,
the Pope was saying mass when a woman present
started to laugh at the time of the communion, saying
to a companion that she could not believe the bread
was Christ, as she herself had baked it. Gregory
prayed for a sign, and the host turned into a bleeding
finger.
Suffrages for dead (history)
History of Icon

• This image changed into a more standard Western

Man of Sorrows, rising from a tomb-like box on the
altar, with the Arma Christi around him.

• It became standard across Europe, and very popular,

especially north of the Alps, as an altarpiece, in
miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and other
media.
Suffrages for dead (history)
History of Icon

• The strong connection of the image with

indulgences was also maintained, and
largely escaped from any Papal control.

• There was another Jubilee year in 1500. By

this time the image had gained the height of
its popularity.
Suffrages for dead (history)
History of Icon

With invention of printing presses, several prints of the

copies done by artists, like the ten different engravings
by Insrael can Meckenem and a woodcut by
Albrecht Dürer of 1511 became like stampitas. Many
of them were usually unauthorized. The oldest dated
Aztec feather painting is a Mass of 1539 a copy of van
Meckenem’s. This particular print began with a
"bootlegged" (smuggled) indulgence of 20,000 years,
but in a later state the plate has been altered to increase
it to 45,000 years.
suffrages for dead (history)

– The indulgences applied each time a

specified collection of prayers, in this
case 7 each of the Creed, Our Father,
and Hail Mary, were recited in front of
the image (Mass of Saint Gregory).
Suffrages for dead (history)
History of icon
Engraving by Israhel van Meckenem
with at the bottom an unauthorized
indulgence of 20,000 years each time
specified prayers were said in front of it

Mass of Saint Gregory, as Roman

Catholic art, first appeared in late
Middle Ages, depicting Pope
Gregory I (c. 540-604) saying mass
just as a vision of Christ as the Man
of Sorrows appeared on the altar in
front of him, in response to the
Pope’s prayers for a sign to
convince a doubter of the doctrine of
transubstantiation
Suffrages for dead (history)
History of icon

Aztec feather painting made by or

for Diego Huanutzin, nephew and
son-in-law of Moctezuma II to
A rare sculpted version of the present to Pope Paul III, dated 1539
Mass. German, 1480.
Suffrages for dead (history)

The Pope as the

Antichrist, signing and
selling indulgences,
from Luther's 1521
Passional Christi und
Antichristi, by Lucas
Cranach the Elder
Suffrages for dead (history)

Pope Leo X (1513-1521)

decided to build a grand
church (St. Peter’s
Basilica, Rome). It is said
whenever a church
building is built that the
building process often
leads to a split or schism.
This was the largest church
building ever to be built
and it was the largest
schism in history.
Basilica of St. Peter
16th century drawing (by Grimaldi) of the Old St Peters with
the construction of the new Basilica in the background
Suffrages for dead (history)

Pope Leo X needed money in order to build his

grand design. The Pope decided to sell
indulgence tickets. These tickets, according to
the Pope, could allow a man to free his loved
one from purgatory or free himself from any sin
he previously committed. Leo X earned the
money by sending preachers to carry out his
plan. One such preacher was a man named

John
• German Dominican
• well-known preacher, inquisitor
general of Poland at the instance of
Cajetan.
• In 1503, preached an indulgence
mission for the Teutonic Knights and in
1506 another along the Rhine.
• In 1517 his promotion of the
indulgence for the erection of St.
Peter's Church aroused the
indignation of Martin Luther, whose
theses were in part promoted by
Tetzel's preaching.
• In 1518, Tetzel replied to Luther's
theses, and their dispute became
famous throughout Germany.
• Tetzel soon retired in bad health to
his monastery at Leipzig, where he
was overwhelmed by the attacks of his
enemies and the censures of the papal JOHANN TETZEL
legate. c. 1465-1519
 • Tetzel’s sermon probably sounded like
Suffrages for dead this, “My children, the Holy Father has
(history)
set his love upon you. He has placed his
seal on these indulgences and wants you
to know the joy of your loved ones in
Purgatory. As your money hits the
bottom of this box they will be released
and go straight to heaven! They will be
set free!” All the people had to do was
place their money in the box and they
would get their tickets. Those who had
been striving for 30 years to get grandpa
out of Purgatory now had the ability to
do so in one easy payment.
Suffrages for dead (history)

This is a wood
cut of Tetzel
selling the
indulgence
tickets. You
can see him,
his money box,
and the ticket
with the
Pope’s wax
seal upon it.
Suffrages for dead (history)

Tetzel's Indulgence Box

Prices for Letters of Indulgence

“The moment the money tinkles in

the collecting box, a soul flies out of
purgatory”
Suffrages for dead
(history)

A Roman Catholic indulgence, dated

Dec. 19, 1521. The use of the printing
press made possible the mass production
of form documents offering indulgences.
Suffrages for dead
(history)

The sale of indulgences. On a pole, in the form of a

cross, hangs the Papal authorization for the sale; on
the ground lie scales; two sacks of coins show the
profit.
From the Passional of Christ and Antichrist, a
Reformation pamphlet of 1521: "Christ drives the
money-changers out of the Temple" (John 2) (left) and
"The Pope sells special favours" (right).
 An indulgence sold by authority of the Pope by
Johann Tetzel in 1517. The text reads:
"By the authority of all the saints, and in mercy
towards you, I absolve you from all sins and
misdeeds and remit all punishments for ten days."
 The image below reproduces a political pamphlet of the early 16th century. It was distributed in
protestant regions of Germany. The title paragraph of the pamphlet reads:

Johannes Tezelius, Dominican monk with his Roman indulgence stuff, which he brought to market in German lands in the
year of Christ 1517, as he is depicted in the church of Pirn in his fatherland.

When Pope Leo, called the tenth,

found it nearly impossible
O you Germans, listen to me, that he might witness the Roman
servant of the holy father the Pope, year of celebration, he sent his merchant servants
who alone brings you today with the rotten ware
of indulgence stuff into the German lands.
ten thousand and nine hundred (?) And Johann Tetzel did not shrink
Grace and indulgence; from a sin from being used for this.
for you, your parents, wife and child He had just escaped the hangman
who would have drowned him for adultery
everyone shall be guarded if the pius count Frederic
in accordance to what you put into had not taken him to his heart
the chest. and pleaded with Emperor Maximilian
on his behalf at length.
As soon as the gulden's sound on the This, however, was not the end of the matter:
plate is heard An adulterer turned into a thief,
huzza! the soul jumps to heaven. who, through supposed force and might,
came to much money and goods
as he makes the blind world believe
that he has heaven on offer.
If only one gives enough money
all danger for men disappears.
As soon as the groschen's sound in the box is heard
the soul leaps up to heaven.
Through this devellish knick-knack
he betrayed his fatherland
til God looked him into his game
through the late Doctor Luther,
who threw his merchandise
to the ground with all his might.
Thus, thanks to God, in our time
the indulgence stuff is scattered far and wide,
(The claim that Tetzel is depicted in a church as he is and the achievement of Christ is
solely to our advantage.
shown here is most remarkable, if one considers that the Tetzel's stuff and the Pope's fraud
are not accepted as right and justice where we live.
pamphlet shows him riding a dog.)
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Money flowed freely into his box.
Martin Luther stood listening to all
Tetzel was saying. He grew very
angry. He knew it was wrong for the
church to sell sin. He wrote 95
reasons why the church should not
be in the sin selling business. This is
known as the 95 Theses.

He did not intend to start the

Lutheran Church. He did not want
the Catholic Church to do anything
but clean up its act and be part of the
Church of the living God it was
supposed to be.
 Original
95 Theses written by
Martin Luther
sparked by the
indulgence selling of
Tetzel
On 31 October 1517, in Saxony (in what is
now Germany), Martin Luther nailed his
95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg
Castle Church known as All Saints’
Church.

These Theses consisted of points for

debate that criticized the Church and the
Pope, the most controversial points:
selling indulgences and the Church’s
policy on purgatory.

It was the custom at the University of

Wittenberg to advertise a disputation by
posting theses on the door of the Church.
• It was not until Jan 1518 that friends of
Luther translated the 95 theses from
Latin to German, printed, and widely
copied, making the controversy one of
the first in history to be aided by the
printing press, circulating even as far as
Britain, France and Italy in early 1519.

• Became a well-known public speaker;

most creative in writing, e.g., To the
Christian Nobility of the German
Nation, On the Babylonian Captivity of
the Church and On the Freedom of a
Christian
 Wittenberg Schlosskirche:
Luther nailed his 95 theses to
this door of the Church of All
Saints.
ANNOUNCEMENT
“Out of love and concern for the truth, and
with the object of eliciting it, the following
heads will be the subject of a public discussion
at Wittenberg under the presidency of the
reverend father, Martin Luther, Augustinian,
Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and duly
appointed Lecturer on these subjects in that
place. He requests that whoever cannot be
present personally to debate the matter orally
will do so in absence in writing.”
Thesis 21: “Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error,
who say that by the pope’s indulgences a man is freed from every
penalty, and saved;”
Thesis 37: “Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in
all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by
God, even without letters of pardon.”
Thesis 52: “The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain,
even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself,
were to stake his soul upon it.”
Thesis 62: “The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel
of the glory and the grace of God.”
Thesis 79: “To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms,
which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth
with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.”
The most controversial being -

Thesis 86: “Why does the pope, whose

wealth today is greater than the wealth of
the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St.
Peter with the money of poor believers
rather than with his own money?”
• Although the disputation never took place, he
had unknowingly launched the Reformation
with this act. The Church’s sale of
indulgences had been a means to raise funds
by offering spiritual merits in exchange for
money. It proved to be a tremendously
lucrative source in the business of soul
saving, strengthened by the teaching that the
dead had to purify themselves before entering
heaven.
 Luther in Augsburg

There are two important events

involving Martin Luther that
took place in Augsburg.

1st event: Luther was called to

Augsburg Oct 12 -18, 1518 to
meet with Cardinal Thomas
Cajetan and be examined on his
teachings; this interview
followed the 1518 Diet of
Worms (the parliament of
German Princes and Dukes).
When Luther
arrived, he
stayed at St
Anne's Cloister
Church
Luther's interview with Cardinal Cajetan took place at the
then newly built house of Jakob Fugger in Augsburg
shown below:

Now, who was Jakob Fugger?

• Hans Fugger – founder of German family of
merchant princes, allegedly a weaver, who moved
to Augsburg in 1367. His descendants built up the
family fortune by trade and banking.
• With Jacob Fugger II (1459-1525), called Jacob
the Rich, the house entered its zenith. The Fugger
family owned extensive real estate, merchant
fleets, and palatial establishments throughout
Europe. Jacob's fortune was largely built on a
virtual monopoly in the mining and trading of
silver, copper, and mercury. Jacob Fugger II lent
immense sums to Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I and helped secure the election
(1519) of Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor by
bribing the electors. Charles ennobled the Fugger
family and granted them sovereign rights over
their lands, including that of coining their own
money..
 • The Fuggers were generous
patrons of the arts and learning and
philanthropists, notably at
Augsburg. Under Raymund Fugger
(1489-1535), and Anton Fugger
(1493-1560), the house reached the
limits of its power and fortune. Its
decline paralleled that of the
Hapsburgs, whose wars the Fuggers
financed. Several descendants were
prominent, but, except for some
real estate, little is left of the once
fabulous wealth.
Jakob Fugger played important roles
in the unfolding of the protestant
reformation.
The first question is why is a very
wealthy banker involved in religion
at all? It turns out that in the year
1500 the city of Rome and its Holy
Places were in disrepair. This
effected many things including the
Papacy that was highly dependent of
Pilgrims expenditures and donations
for support. That is, in modern terms,
Rome was highly dependent on
religious tourism.
 Pope Leo X (born Giovanni de' Medici, the
second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, ruler
of the Florentine republic) decided to renovate
the old religious sites. This included building
the modern St Peter's Cathedral, the Sistine
Chapel and related buildings as well as the
plaza in front of the Cathedral. To do this took
skilled artists like Michelangelo and lots of
money. And what better place for Leo to get
money than from Jakob Fugger. So it turned
out that Jakob Fugger financed the building of
what we know of as Vatican City, this was the
beginning of a major financial crisis for the
Catholic Church.
The Pope needed to repay the loans to Fugger.
One way was to sell indulgences especially
among German people who belonged that
time to very rich dioceses. And Leo sold high
church offices to Princes who could pay the
necessary money (between 1495 and 1520 88
of 110 bishoprics in Germany, Hungary,
Poland and Scandinavia were appointed by
Rome on the basis of Fugger money
transfers).

And Leo allowed the sale of indulgences not

only for past sins as had been customary in the
past but for future sins (so you could
guarantee in advance that your planned affair
would not lead to a painful afterlife).
 In October 1518
Luther met Papal
Legate Cardinal
Cajetan at the newly
completed Fugger
residence in
Augsburg (shown
right)
• Cardinal Cajetan told Luther to recant his many
statements at odds with the Papacy's positions.

Note:
• Wilhelm Rem, the well-known Augsburg chronicler,
was a contemporary of Jakob and married Jakob's
sister Wallburga Fugger. While Jakob sided with the
Pope Leo X, Wilhelm did not side with Luther.

• Georg Remus, the great grandson of Wilhelm Rem and

Wallburga Fugger, became Vice Chancellor of the
newly established Protestant Altdorf University and
helped to codify the law in protestant Germany
Suffrages for dead (history)

• Luther refused to recant. Cardinal Cajetan's

instructions were that if Luther failed to
recant, Luther was to be arrested and sent to
Rome. Card. Cajetan lacked the means in
Augsburg, where the Elector guaranteed
Luther’s security. Luther's supporters got
wind of this, and helped Luther escape the
night on October 20th.
• 1520 (December 10th), Martin Luther
burned papal bull Exsurge Domine, the
papal bull (edict) - warning him of
excommunication – at Wittenberg in
front of an assembly of university
professors, students, and common
people plus copies of canons (laws)
enacted by the Roman Authorities. This
act constituted Luther’s final
renunciation of the Roman Catholic
Church.

• January 3, 1521, Pope Leo X in his

bull Decet Romanum Pontificem
excommunicated Luther.
 2nd event: The second event in
Augsburg was also very important.
Charles V convened a Diet to meet at
Augsburg in 1520 to address
unresolved religious issues. Phillip
Melanchthon, Luther's collaborator in
the Revolt was the primary author of
the Augsburg Confession (of faith)
which was written at the Bishop's
residence in Augsburg.

The Augsburg Confession is the definitive

statement of faith for Lutherans. The text
was given to Charles V on June 25 1530.
• Luther was summoned to appear at the Diet of Worms in April
18, 1521- a general assembly of the estates of the Holy Roman
Empire conducted from Jan 28 – May 25, 1521, with Emperor
Charles V presiding. Prince Frederick III, Elector of Saxony,
obtained a safe pass for Luther to and from the meeting.

• Luther refused to recant: “Unless I am convinced by the

testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust
either in the pope or I councils alone, since it is well known that
they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound
by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to
the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it
is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help
me. Amen.”
Luther at the Diet of
Worms
• On May 25, 1521, Emperor Charles V declared Luther
an outlaw, banning his literature, and requiring his
arrest. It also made it a crime for anyone in Germany to
give Luther food or shelter. It even permitted anyone to
kill Luther without legal consequence.

• But the Elector of Saxony, Frederick III, sympathetic to

Luther, had him intercepted on his way home by
masked horsemen and escorted to the security of the
Wartburg Castle at Eisenach. He stayed there until
March 6, 1522; then returned to Wittenberg.
 The room in Wartburg
where Luther translated the
New Testament into
German. An original first
edition of the translation is
kept under the case on the
desk

Wartburg Castle at Eisenach

 On the evening of 13 June 1525, Luther married
Katharina von Bora, one of 12 nuns he had helped
escape from the Nimbschen Cistercian convent in
April 1523, when he arranged for them to be smuggled
out in herring barrels. Katherina was 26 years old,
Luther was 41 years old.

Some priests and former monks had already married,

including Andreas Karlstadt and Justus Jonas, but
Luther's wedding set the seal of approval on clerical
marriage. He had long condemned vows of celibacy on
Biblical grounds, but his decision to marry surprised
many, not least Melanchthon, who called it reckless.
Luther and his bride moved into a former monastery
"The Black Cloister," a wedding present from the new
elector John the Steadfast (1525–32).

Between bearing six children, four of whom survived

to adulthood, Katharina helped earn the couple a
living by farming the land and taking in boarders.

Katharina von Bora, Wife of Martin

Luther
Suffrages for dead (history)

Mr. and Mrs. Martin and Katharina Luther

• Luther had been suffering from ill health
for years, including Mèniére’s disease,
vertigo, fainting, tinnitus, and a cataract in
one eye. In 1536, he began to suffer from
kidney and bladder stones, and arthritis, and
an ear infection ruptured an ear drum.

• In December 1544, he began to feel the

effects of angina. His poor physical health
made him short-tempered and even harsher
in his writings and comments.
• An apoplectic stroke deprived him of his
speech, and he died shortly afterwards at 2:45
a.m. on 18 February 1546, aged 62, in
Eisleben, the city of his birth.

• He was buried in the Castle Church in The house where Luther died.
Wittenberg, beneath the pulpit.
Suffrages for dead (history)

St. Marienkirche in central Berlin

Statue of Martin Luther

outside St. Mary’s Church,
Berlin
Luther's
tombstone in the
Castle Church in
Wittenberg.
Luther'
s face
and
hands
cast at
his
death.
 By 1560, the
Reformation was
established in
Germany and in
much of the rest
of Europe.
Council of Trent
On 16 July 1562, the Council of Trent suppressed the
office of quaestores and reserved the collection of alms
to two canon members of the chapter, who were to
receive no remuneration for their work; it also reserved
the publication of indulgences to the bishop of the
diocese. Then on 4 December 1563, in its final session, it
addressed the question of indulgences directly, declaring
them "most salutary for the Christian people", decreeing
that " that all evil gains for the obtaining of them be
wholly abolished", and instructing bishops to be on the
watch for any abuses concerning them.
Pope St. Pius V (17 January
1504 – 1 May 1572), a
Dominican Pope, declared
in 1567 that indulgences
could no longer be related to
fees or donations.

He cancelled all grants

of indulgences involving
any fees or other
financial transactions.
Suffrages for dead (history)

Body of Pope St.Pius V in his tomb

in Santa Maria Maggiore.
 After the Council of
Trent, Clement
VIII (24 February,
1536 –3 March, 1605)n
established a
commission of
Cardinals to deal with
indulgences according
to the mind of the
Council.
It continued its
work during the
pontificate of
Paul V (17
September 1552 –
28 January 1621)
and published
various bulls and
decrees on the
matter.
 But only Clement
IX (28 January, 1600
–9 December, 1669)
established a true
Congregation of
Indulgences (and
Relics) with a Brief of
6 July 1669.
 In a Motu Proprio of 28
January 1904, Pius X
(1903- 1914) joined the
Congregation of
Indulgences with that of
Rites, but with the
restructuring of the
Roman Curia in 1908
all matters regarding
indulgences was
assigned to the Holy
Office.
 In a Motu Proprio of 25
March 1915, Benedict
XV (3 September 1914 -22
January 1922) transferred
the Holy Office's Section for
Indulgences to the Apostolic
Penitentiary, but
maintained the Holy
Office's responsibility for
matters regarding the
doctrine of indulgences.
• How can one avail of this plenary indulgence?

The five (5) usual conditions in order to profit from the

grant of plenary indulgence are:

o Sacramental Confession
o Eucharistic Communion
o Prayer offered for the intention of the Pope (e.g., by
offering an Our Father, Hail Mary, the Creed)
o Complete renunciation of all attachment to sin
o Visit to Churches designated as Jubilee Churches (in our
case, His Eminence, Gaudencio Card. Rosales,
Archbishop of Manila, declared the Santisimo Rosario
Church (UST Chapel) as a Jubilee Church).
• How can one avail of this plenary indulgence?

Besides these five (5) usual conditions,

according to the Letter of Approval, other
prayers may also be recited, e.g., “pious
invocations addressed to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, St. Thomas Aquinas, or St. Catherine
of Alexandria.”
• How can one avail of this plenary indulgence?

Lastly, as stated also in the Letter of Approval from the Holy See,
“those who wish to receive the Plenary Indulgence must participate in
the [UST] jubilee rites.” They are:
o Opening of the Jubilee Door of the University
o Opening Mass of the Quadricentennial Celebration
o Solemnity of St. Thomas Aquinas
o Feasts of Dominican Saints and the University of Santo
Tomas Martyrs celebrated in the University
o Masses presided by the Archbishop of Manila and other
bishops
o Spiritual exercises participated by students, faculty, staff
and alumni
• How many times may one avail of plenary
indulgence?

One may be limited to the gaining of a single

plenary indulgence per day (except at death),
anytime within the one-year-long celebration of
the UST Quadricentennial Foundation
Anniversary.