Sunday, March 17, 2024

Francisco Radecki and Dominic Radecki on Indulgences and Vatican II

  

Indulgences

 

On November 11, 1965, Cardinal Alfrink (Utrecht), representing Dutch bishops, noted the fact that indulgences did not fit into the new theology of Vatican II.

 

Cardinal Döpfner opposed the idea of indulgences as the spiritual treasury of the Church.

 

November 13, 1965 Although the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, under discussion cited some fallacies of atheism, it also encouraged dialogue with atheists.

 

Presidents of episcopal conferences received a paper on indulgences written by Cardinals Cento and Journet. It spoke of the temporal punishment due to sin and satisfaction made by prayers and good works, quoting papal bulls written by Pope Clement VI (1343) and Leo X (1518 and 1520). It also gave the definition of indulgences from Canon 911 and the Council of Trent.

 

The European Alliance prelates from Austria, Belgium, Scandinavia, and Switzerland, attacked the ideas of the Magisterium of the Church dispensing indulgences and remitting temporal punishment for sin. Bishops from Brazil, Chile, the Congo, Haiti, Japan, Laos, Rwanda, and Wales wanted to eliminate indulgences altogether, or lessen their number.

 

An attack on indulgences began once the topic reached the Council floor. Maximos Saigh IV mocked the idea that the Church could remit temporal punishment due to sin. The draft of Könif and Döpfner, written by Semmelroth and Rahner, was read to Council Fathers.

 

It viciously attacked the concept that the Church could reward the faithful for saying prayers and performing good works. It claimed speaking about indulgences would hinder the ecumenical movement. Since the Council didn’t have time to properly deal with the matter, General Secretary Archbishop Felici told episcopal conferences to send their comments to the Sacred Penitentiary. On January 1, 1967, Paul VI practically abolished indulgences in his Apostolic Constitution, Indulgentiarum doctrina.

 

Making the Changes in Indulgences Permanent

 

Paul VI made the changes proposed by the Council to indulgences permanent by means of his Apostolic Constitution on Indulgences, Indulgentiarum Doctrina on January 1, 1967. It worked

 

. . . to establish a new measure for partial indulgences and reduced considerably the number of plenary indulgences. . . . indulgences are attached to the actions performed by the faithful and not to objects or places . . .(Paul VI Apostolic Constitution on Indulgences, Indulgentiarum Doctrina, Chapter V, 12) The condition of praying for the Supreme Pontiffs intentions is fully satisfied by reciting one ‘Our Father’ and one ‘Hail Mary’ nevertheless the individual faithful are free to recite any other prayer according to their own piety and devotion toward the Supreme Pontiff. (Paul VI, Indulgentiarum Doctrina, Norms n. 10) The Enchiridion Indulgentiarium is to be revised with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance. (Paul VI, Indulgentiarum Doctrina, n. 13) (Francisco Radecki and Dominic Radecki, Vatican II Exposed as Counterfeit Catholicism [Wayne, Mich.: St. Joseph’s Media, 2019], 495)