Tom Richey | What is an Indulgence? (Indulgences in the Catholic Church) @tomrichey | Uploaded September 2019 | Updated October 2024, 10 hours ago.
When we hear about indulgences, we are typically talking about indulging in sweets or about the sale of indulgences prior to the Protestant Reformation. In this video, I explain how the idea of indulgences developed as a type of penance in the Catholic Church before becoming commercialized in the Late Middle Ages. The practice originated in the granting of pardons by martyrs to lapsed Christians. During the High Middle Ages, the Pope promised a plenary indulgence to everyone who participated in the Crusades. In the Late Middle Ages, the sale of indulgences became acceptable when the Church needed money to finance projects like the Rouen Cathedral's "Butter Tower." A protest agains the sale of indulgences formed the centerpiece of Martin Luther's 95 Theses. In response to the complaints of Protestants during the Reformation, the Council of Trent ended the sale of indulgences, but did not renounce the pope's right to grant them. Indulgences continue to exist today in the Catholic Church - they just can't be sold.
When we hear about indulgences, we are typically talking about indulging in sweets or about the sale of indulgences prior to the Protestant Reformation. In this video, I explain how the idea of indulgences developed as a type of penance in the Catholic Church before becoming commercialized in the Late Middle Ages. The practice originated in the granting of pardons by martyrs to lapsed Christians. During the High Middle Ages, the Pope promised a plenary indulgence to everyone who participated in the Crusades. In the Late Middle Ages, the sale of indulgences became acceptable when the Church needed money to finance projects like the Rouen Cathedral's "Butter Tower." A protest agains the sale of indulgences formed the centerpiece of Martin Luther's 95 Theses. In response to the complaints of Protestants during the Reformation, the Council of Trent ended the sale of indulgences, but did not renounce the pope's right to grant them. Indulgences continue to exist today in the Catholic Church - they just can't be sold.
