INDULGENCES
Praying Rozary for indulgence Here are Meaning, History, Role and Significance of Indulgences in the Roman Catholic Church. Meaning of Indulgence In Roman Catholic theology, an indulgence is defined as the remission of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1997, para. 1471). The Church teaches that while the guilt of sin is removed through sacrament of reconciliation , the consequences or spiritual wounds of sin may remain and require purification, either during earthly life or in purgatory (McBrien, 2008). Indulgences may be either: Partial; removing part of temporal punishment. Plenary; removing all temporal punishment when the person is free from attachment to sin. Indulgences are obtained through actions such as prayer, acts of charity, pilgrimages, reading Scripture, or other works of devotion performed with sincere faith (Paul VI, 1967). Historical Development of Indulgence Early Christian Period In the early...