Indulgences & Church Corruptions

Indulgences An indulgence is a payment for cancelling out sins that had been confessed and forgiven by God. Some priests promised that followers who contributed money would ensure that they and their families would go to heaven.

Indulgences Was used as a fundraising scheme to offset the cost of building/remodeling St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The problem was that according to the Bible, everyone is the same in the eyes of God. The more money you gave the church, the more forgiveness you received.

Absenteeism and Pluralism Many church officials often held several positions at the same time. This practice was against church policy. They often did not attend the positions they were appointed to, so they’d hire someone else to do their job for them.

Nepotism Occurred in the Catholic Church when officials gave their friends and family high church positions purely because they were related. People in the church were creating dynasties. Most important positions like Pope, Bishop, and Cardinal followed family lines.

Simony The buying or selling of a spiritual office, act, or privilege. If you paid, you could enter higher offices of the clergy. People with the highest ranking in the church were the richest.