to announce the indulgence, exceeded his powers and made them
serve his own ends.

His action in the affair was not approved by Rome. If it is certain that
the Pope did nothing wrong in asking for aid to build that beautiful
monument to religion, it is equally certain that he did nothing wrong,
that he did not exceed the limits of his powers when he granted the
indulgence. In order to understand this, we must have a clear idea of
what is meant by an indulgence.

You frequently hear it said that it is the forgiveness of sin, or that
it is a permission given to commit sin. It is neither the one nor the
other. An indulgence is not the forgiveness of sin. In fact, an
indulgence can not be gained until sin has been forgiven. One of the
necessary conditions for gaining an indulgence is confession.

Neither is an indulgence a license, a permission to commit sin. No one,
not even God Himself, could give permission to commit sin. For God is
all good, and although all powerful He can not sanction that which is
evil in itself. It would be contrary to His very nature. An indulgence,
then, is not what it has been painted. Having seen what an indulgence is
not, let us see what it is. It is a remission of the whole or a part of
the debt of temporal punishment due to sin after the guilt and eternal
punishment have been forgiven in the sacrament of Penance.

In the early ages of the Church notorious sinners, after being absolved,
were sentenced to long public penances. By sincere sorrow, an indulgence
or remission of some of the time was granted them. Public confession and
public penances have passed away. These public penances are replaced by
pious devotions. Upon the performance of certain pious devotions the
Church at times grants an indulgence; that is, a remission of such
temporal punishment as is equivalent to the canonical penances
corresponding to the sins committed.

Attached to every mortal sin, besides the guilt, is the punishment
incurred. This punishment is eternal and temporal. That there is this
twofold punishment we learn from various places in the Bible. We have an
example in the sin of David. God sent the prophet Nathan to warn him of
his guilt. When Nathan rebuked the king, he confessed his sin with signs
of true contrition. Then Nathan told him that God had forgiven his sin,
but that many temporal punishments would follow. When God forgave the
sin, the guilt and eternal punishment were taken away; but temporal
p