Martin Luther
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MARTIN LUTHER: THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY<br />
PROF. M. M. NINAN<br />
Pope Saint Pius V,<br />
born Antonio Ghislieri,<br />
was Pope from 1566 to 1572.<br />
Pius V declared that indulgences could no longer be related to fees or donations.<br />
The Church changed its attitude toward some issues regarding indulgences after the Protestant Reformation.<br />
In 1567, following the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V issued a decree declaring that it is forbidden to attach<br />
the receipt of an indulgence to any financial act, including the giving of alms. In addition, the only<br />
punishment remitted by an indulgence would henceforth be existing punishment, that is, for sins already<br />
committed. Thus, indulgences would no longer be issued that could be used, in effect, as a license to sin. An<br />
individual may still gain the indulgence for a specific individual<br />
in purgatory other than himself.<br />
To gain an indulgence, an individual must be “in communion”<br />
with the Church, and have the intention of performing the<br />
work for which the indulgence is granted. To be “in<br />
communion,” the individual must be a baptized Catholic<br />
without any un-reconciled mortal sins and must not be<br />
dissenting from the Church’s teaching.<br />
Generally, a plenary indulgence requires the following<br />
conditions in order to be valid:<br />
• reconciliation, which is required for all indulgences<br />
• receiving the Eucharist<br />
• all attachment to sin must be absent<br />
• prayer for the intentions of the pope<br />
1525 woodcut of forgiveness from Christ outweighing the pope's<br />
indulgences<br />
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