WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -One particularly well-known Catholic method of exploitation in the Middle Ages was the practice of selling indulgences, a monetary payment of penalty which, supposedly, absolved one of past sins and/or released one from purgatory after death.

Detailed explanation-2: -Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the practice of absolution vary between Christian denominations.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Roman Catholic Church sold “letters of indulgence”. They were sold to people with the understanding that it would decrease the time one’s soul spends in purgatory. The higher the amount paid, the lesser the time spent in purgatory. The Church accumulated a lot of wealth this way.

Detailed explanation-4: -An indulgence is a remission of the punishment of sin. Absolution alone, granted by a priest, is not enough to wipe the slate clean; a person is temporally punished for the sins accumulated in life, so an indulgence is a way to reduce that. In essence, it is getting time off for good behaviour.