The understanding of indulgences has now largely been lost among Catholics. Too many misunderstandings and historical abuses have overloaded him. However, the basic idea behind it is relatively simple: every action and omission has consequences. Even if someone forgives us for an unjust act, time and effort often have to be invested in repairing the damage – an experience that each of us has in everyday life, especially in interpersonal relationships. The Catholic doctrine of the “indulgence of temporal punishments for sins” is based precisely on this distinction between forgiveness of sins and healing of the consequences of sins.

During the Reformation, the theological justification and defense of indulgences was increasingly questioned, and to this day it is, almost defiantly, an integral part of church teaching. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, indulgence is the remission of a temporal punishment before God for sins whose guilt has already been erased. Believers can obtain this indulgence under certain conditions: they must have an appropriate inner attitude, be in a state of grace (that is, have confessed and communicated shortly before), say a specific prayer, or perform specific penitential works.

An interpretation of the indulgence of a vital theologian, such as Karl Rahner, emphasizes God’s will to salvation, which is expressed in Christ. Indulgence allows for a faster and more intense purification of man in the fellowship of following Christ. Rahner does not see the temporal punishments for sin as punishments imposed from outside, but rather as consequences that result from the sins committed themselves.

Another aspect, emphasized by theologians such as Ottmar Fuchs, is that the destructive consequences of sin (e.g., injustice, exploitation, environmental crises) have implications that we cannot fully control or understand. Indulgence, therefore, means not only an individual relief of guilt and its consequences, but also the responsibility to actively address these adverse effects and work for a better, fairer world.

Church practice of indulgences, therefore, also refers to the social, ecological, and political dimensions of Christian responsibility for the world. It’s about consciously tackling the negative consequences of sin, taking responsibility, and actively working for positive change. Belief in the possibility of forgiveness motivates us to create a just and better world for everyone.