The most recent, as reported byThe Cincinnati Enquirer, is the resurrection of the idea of indulgences in the archdiocese of Cincinnati and other places around the world. "What are indulgences?" you might ask. And well you might; indulgences were called into question 500 years ago when they were viewed as a way for the wealthy to buy their way into heaven. Today, the Church does not charge a finacial fee for an indulgence, but apparently sees indulgences as a way to take the Church back to the "good old days" before the 2nd Vatican Council.
This is the idea. A Catholic a) goes to confession, b) takes communion, and c) says prescribed prayers and then receives a "plenary indulgence." Confession exonerates the Catholic from "eternal punishment," but something called "temporary punishment" in a state called "Purgatory" still awaits. And that's where indulgences enter; these indulgences wipe away the "temporary punishment" of Purgatory. This indulgence is then a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.
It appears to me that the concept of "purgatory" has been discredited by theologians and scripture scholars who find it has no biblical basis. It is a medieval, superstitous construct that helped consolidate power in the hands of the clergy. Reviving it suggests the Pope is trying to restore clerical superiority in a time when the laity is seeking a more democratic--indeed a more catholic--church.
Now the question for Catholics is: what's next? how far backwards is this Pope willing to go? will women be required to cover their heads in church? will the Church bring back communion rails at which communicants must kneel in order to partake? will the Church, in other words, become once again the sole province of men determined to have and exert total power over the thoughts and practices of the laity?
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