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N indulgence  is  the  remission  by  the  Church,  on specified  conditions,  of  the  whole  or  a  part  of  the  debt of satisfaction  remaining  due  for  sin. The Church  has power to  absolve  from  guilt;  she  has  also  power  to  remit the punishment. The one  she  exercises  in  the  sacrament of Penance;  the  other  she  exercises  when  she  grants  an indulgence. And it  is  clear  from  what  has  been  said  that an indulgence  is  supplemental  to  absolution,  and  presupposes the  forgiveness  of  the  guilt  of  sin.

Theologically considered,  an  indulgence  is  not  a  mere exercise of  spiritual  power  and  authority  on  the  part  of  the Church; it  is  truly  a  payment  of  the  debt,  made  out  of  her treasury of  satisfactory  merit;  for  in  this  are  stored  up the  superabundant  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  accumulated merits  of  our  Lady  and  all  the  saints. With this inexhaustible  fund  at  her  command,  she  has  the  means of satisfying  the  debts  due  from  her  children  to  the  justice of God.

In form,  an  indulgence  emanates  from  the  Pope,  leaving out of  account  the  limited  power  exercised  by  bishops  in favor  of  their  flocks  and  by  cardinals,  nuncios,  and  others; and it  is  registered  in  a  Decree  or  Rescript  of  the  Congregation of  Indulgences,  or  some  similar  document. It attaches to  a  specified  prayer  or  good  work  an  additional satisfactory value,  such  value  being  expressed  in  the  terms of an  ancient  canonical  penance,  viz.,  so  many  days,  quarantines (which  lasted  forty  days),  or  years,  to  which  the indulgence is  thereby  declared  to  be  equivalent. The earliest indulgences  were,  in  fact,  remissions  of  these  very penances.

Indulgences are  either  plenary  or  partial,  according  as  a remission  of  all,  or  of  part,  of  the  debt  of  punishment  due is granted. In either  case  the  actual  benefit  obtained