Mother Jones - Comments for "Vatican Brings Back Indulgences"

A correction: the first

A correction: the first Enchiridion date I wrote incorrectly as 1968, it was January 1, 1967, and all previous ordinances on indulgences were revoked at that time.

It is unclear what you mean

It is unclear what you mean by "substantially deemphasized". The "Enchiridion indulgentiarum: normae et concessiones", the Vatican document which defines the norms and specific indulgences for the Catholic Church, has been revised four times since Vatican II (which closed closed December 8, 1965), in 1968, again in 1968, in 1986, and finally in 1999. Indulgences are an essential teaching and are codified in the Catechism of the Catholic Church sections 1471-1479. As one example of a very popular devotion through which a plenary indulgence may be obtained, available throughout the time period after Vatican II, which we are discussing, is the Marian Rosary recited in church as a group also requiring sacramental confession, sacramental communion, detachment from even venial sine, and prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father.

Indulgences never went away,

Indulgences never went away, yes. They were, however, substantially deemphasized, especially following Vatican II.

Indulgences never went away

I don't know where this ignorant report about the Vatican bringing back indulgences came from, but they never went away in the first place. John Paul II and Paul VI dispense countless indulgences in their pontificates. Sounds a bit like sloppy journalism to me.

Vatican Fraud

How about good old fashioned fraud? The Vatican laundered Nazi money, Mafia money, and dirty money through the IOR. What's a few bogus indulgences to the list of rackets?