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The dominant historical account of the issues and reasons behind the Protestant Reformation frequently features the sale of indulgences, relating to the now nearly-forgotten belief in the Catholic teaching on Purgatory. (Dominant narrative interpretation, by the victors in the change from medieval to modern world view, is that the fact that, in a minority of cases, indulgences were once sold, supposing to invalidate the Catholic belief in purgatory.) A minority view of these issues, presenting facts and situations generally, fully excluded from the dominant narrative, were presented by English Protestant, political dissenter against the majority, elite Whig account of history,...

Sales of Green, Social and Sustainability (GSS) bonds in Europe could total 1.6 trillion euros ($1.68 trillion) by 2026, making up almost half of all new bond issuance in the region, according to a new report released on Tuesday. The study by PwC Luxembourg draws on the accounting firm’s forecasts and survey of investors and bond issuers in 2021 and comes as investors are increasingly concerned about climate change and Europe’s efforts to shift towards a more sustainable economy. According to the study, European GSS bond issuance will reach 1.4 trillion euros in 2026 under its baseline assumption and 1.6...

A man commits a serious crime, then he gets released. He has "paid his debt to society". But wait a minute, he's only ready for the half-way house. He's unlikely to get a prestigious job in his new prison suit coat, or any job at all; he has civil impediments, he can't vote or hold certain offices. His crime was serious enough that he won't be presumed to have been completely rehabilitated until he performs a notable service to society, or at least spends many years on the straight and narrow, so that his crime can be truly overlooked or...

Guest Op-Ed: 500th anniversary of the excommunication of arch-heretic, Martin LutherThis Sunday, January 3, 2021, is the 500th anniversary of the excommunication of Martin Luther as a heretic and schismatic – the greatest damage ever done to the Holy Catholic Church. He died unrepentant, without the sacraments and outside the One True Church.Yes, Pope Leo X, who issued the excommunication decree and the previous Exsurge Domine warning (6/15/1520) to Luther, had a mixed record of papal righteousness – but in this event he is nearly unsurpassed and fairly vindicated. In this writer's view, these documents are two of the most...

ROME — The Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary has issued a decree granting special plenary indulgences, that is, full elimination of temporal punishment in Purgatory for a forgiven sin, during the “Year of St. Joseph.” The practice, which dates back to medieval times, has been deemed unbiblical by evangelicals.On Dec. 8, Jorge Bergoglio, also known as “Pope Francis,” announced a special “Year of St. Joseph” to mark the 150th anniversary of Pope Pius IX’s proclamation of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, as the “patron of the Universal Church.”He made the announcement in a Patris Corde (translated “Heart of the Father”) letter...

istory is the account of vast social movements and cultural changes. To be sure, individuals play their part. But they are usually understood to be products of their times. The Reformation, though, whose five-hundredth anniversary we observe this year and whose impact on not only the church but the world has been monumental, was largely precipitated by one man: Martin Luther. Yes, vast social movements and cultural changes were at work in sixteenth-century Europe. But Luther caused many of them, such as the educational explosion that would lead to universal literacy, the rise of the middle class, and eventually democratic...

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom 12: 12). The words written by Saint Paul to the Church of Rome resonate throughout the entire history of the Church and guide the judgment of the faithful in the face of all suffering, sickness and calamity. ... Pope Francis, too, in these recent days, has shown his paternal closeness and renewed his invitation to pray incessantly for those who are sick with the Coronavirus. So that all those who suffer because of COVID-19, precisely in the mystery of this suffering, may rediscover “the same redemptive suffering of Christ”...

The idea of Purgatory as an intermediary state between Heaven and Hell is one of the most misunderstood and occasionally ridiculed aspects of Catholic doctrine. Though it is common for Protestants and even some Catholics to assume that Purgatory has no foundation in Sacred Scripture, that claim is actually false. The need for Purgatory developed from a close reading of Scripture by the Fathers of the Church, and the concept has a provenance stretching back to the earliest days of the Church. Furthermore, it has come to my attention recently that the Orthodox have a similar understanding of the need...

California raised more than $800 million from selling permits to release greenhouse gases in the latest quarterly auction. Auction results released Wednesday show all available permits were sold through California’s cap-and-trade program. The program requires polluters to obtain permits for each ton of carbon they release.

Alpha & Omega Ministries Published on Jun 27, 2018 James White debates roman catholic apologist Peter D. Williams on the subject of indulgences. This debate took place on June 4, 2018 at All Saints Church in Belfast Northern Ireland.

Participants attending the World Meeting of Families in August can be forgiven their sins or help a relative speed through purgatory. Pope Francis has granted a "plenary indulgence" for those taking part. In Catholic doctrine an indulgence frees you from being punished for your previously committed sins or it can be passed on to dead relatives to shorten their time in purgatory. Even those following events on TV and radio can achieve a partial indulgence as long as they recite the Our Father, the Creed and other devout prayers. Martin Luther's opposition to the sale of indulgences was one...

The developing world deserves reparations from wealthier nations as compensation for the harmful climate change effects that are mostly our fault. It's us who have tainted our global commons by emitting vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and us whose actions have led to extreme weather and other disasters in the world's most vulnerable regions. But a strictly financial mea culpa from rich nations won't be enough. Rich countries should also invest in geoengineering projects to provide solutions for those on the front lines of climate change: those who cannot afford to pay for more adaptive and resilient...

What's Wrong with a Little Indulgence?  by Jimmy Akin Ever since Luther's Ninety-Five Theses was posted in 1517 to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, the topic of indulgences has been a controversial one. In this article Jimmy Akin explains exactly what indulgences are and how they may be applied by Catholics to mitigate the temporal punishment due to sin. He discusses the nature of punishment, the role of grace, and the role of the Church, ending with an explanation of how an indulgence may be obtained. October 31, 1517, is sometimes celebrated as the birth date...

November 2, 2014The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day. Reading 1 Wis 3:1-9 The souls of the just are in the hand of God,and no torment shall touch them.They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;and their passing away was thought an afflictionand their going forth from us, utter destruction.But they are in peace.For if before men, indeed, they be punished,yet is their hope full of immortality;chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,because God tried themand found them...

Like Pope Benedict XVI before him, Pope Francis has decreed a plenary indulgence for the millions of pilgrims attending World Youth Day, a biennial international event planned for July 23-28 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is also extending it to those who can not make the pilgrimage in person, but participate closely through social media, including Twitter. Those seeking an indulgence must meet other usual conditions, including going to confession, receiving the Eucharist and praying for the intentions of the pope. Headlines announcing the news have ranged from “How to save your soul: in 140 characters or less” in...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To help encourage prayers for a spiritually fruitful World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, the Vatican announced July 9 that Pope Francis authorized a special indulgence for those who attend the event's liturgies and prayer services or follow along online in the proper spirit of prayer and contrition. Pope Francis decreed that World Youth Day participants can receive one plenary, or full, indulgence a day if they meet the usual conditions. World Youth Day runs July 23-28; the pope arrives July 22. An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due...

Year of Faith: Indulgences and Places of Pilgrimage Most Rev. John VlaznyArchbishop of Portland Who among us would claim not to be a sinner?  Who is without need of forgiveness?  All our sins have consequences.  They disrupt our relationship with God and the church.  They make it difficult for us to resist temptations and they certainly hurt other people.  Healing is necessary and sometimes help is needed.  Our prayers, fasting, almsgiving and works of charity truly help the healing process.  But over the centuries the church has offered another aid, indulgences. Church law and the Catechism of the Catholic...

Joel Osteen was in the Nation’s Capital last night. The popular pastor of Houston’s Lakewood Church threw out the first pitch at a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the visiting Houston Astros. Osteen, who boasts the nation’s largest congregation, running more than 43,000 worshippers through his megachurch every weekend, will return to D.C. at the end of the April when he holds his fourth annual “Night of Hope” at National’s Park. Not since evangelist Billy Graham has an American pastor so regularly filled arenas and stadia throughout the country. Osteen finds the ballpark an ideal backdrop for a...

Catholic Biblical Apologetics Apologetics without apology! What does the Roman Catholic Church teach about ...? ... and why? This website surveys the origin and development of Roman Catholic Christianity from the period of the apostolic church, through the post-apostolic church and into the conciliar movement. Principal attention is paid to the biblical basis of both doctrine and dogma as well as the role of paradosis (i.e. handing on the truth) in the history of the Church. Particular attention is also paid to the hierarchical founding and succession of leadership throughout the centuries. This is a set of lecture notes...

Pearl Jam's band members are working to be better men. The rock group is partnering with Cascade Land Conservancy -- which works to preserve forests, parks and other natural areas -- to plant approximately 33 acres of native trees and plants around the Puget Sound. It's all in an effort to offset carbon emissions from the band's 2009 world tour. The group generated an estimated 5,474 metric tons of carbon during that 32-date run of concerts. Pearl Jam is donating $210,000 to fund the plantings, which are expected mitigate more than 7,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. The greenhouse gas...