Poll - December 2008

Is the modern Catholic Church still teaching indulgences?
  • Yes 66 (79%)
  • No 13 (15%)
  • Don't Know 4 (4%)
Total votes: 83. Poll closed.

The modern Roman Catholic Church still holds on to its doctrine on indulgences; the Vatican, as well as local dioceses, continue to grant indulgences to the faithful Catholics under certain ‘defined conditions.’ (See for instance a recent example - click here).

An ‘indulgence’ is ‘the remission before God of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is already forgiven’ - which is rather confusing! In Catholicism, God forgives and yet he punishes the forgiven in this world and in purgatory. With the help of the Catholic Church, it is claimed, one may avoid that punishment by means of an indulgence.

See Catechism of the Catholic Church 1471-1479 and Code of Canon Law 992-997.