You could have stopped right there. The RCC idea of "penance" now called "reconciliation", IS a "free" indulgence... except that it requires one's sweat equity to get it. It ain't free if you have to do something for it. Value-for-value is payment.
Last time I checked, the bible was chock full of references of how salvation through Jesus Christ is available to anyone through faith.
Last time I checked, United Airlines was not part of the Catholic Church.
Now you're onto something! I'd like to direct my frequent flyer miles toward my time in Purgatory. Should I go for an upgrade, or should I suffer through until I can afford a higher class of service?
Stuff and nonsense.
"Last time I checked, the bible was chock full of references of how salvation through Jesus Christ is available to anyone through faith."
Yes, but if you read the Gospels Jesus says there are TWO commandments:
(1) "Love God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength," and
(2) "Love your neighbor as yourself".
Jesus says that's what the Law and the Prophets mean. He also says that nothing you eat makes you impure (so, toss out all those complicated food laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy: they were wrong).
And he places a great deal of emphasis on what one DOES. DO this. DON'T do that.
Does what one DOES matter?
According to Jesus, yes.
So, although there may be plenty of references out there of how salvation through Jesus Christ is available to anyone through faith, when we go to The Man, Jesus Christ, and listen to him tell us what "faith" means, we find out that there's a lot of believing and loving, and that believing and loving mean DOING, just as he did, and admonished everyone else to do.
Faith without works is dead. - James.