Remission of Sins - First Lateran Council

[Pete_Holter]

Greetings, my brothers and sisters! I was wondering if someone could help me with this…

“To those who set out for Jerusalem and offer effective help towards the defense of the Christian people and overcoming the tyranny of the infidels, we grant the remission of their sins…” (First Lateran Council, Canon 10).

The only commentary I’ve been able to find on this canon follows…

"Comment. …] The ‘remissions of sins’ spoken of refers to the plenary indulgence granted to all who should either undertake the journey or in other ways contribute toward the furtherance of the cause, and is not to be understood as the actual remission by the pope of sins not yet remitted by the sacrament of penance. …]

“Added note (Halsall): The theology to make the distinction between an ‘indulgence’ and a ‘forgiveness’ of sins did not exist when this canon was promulgated. Fr. Schroeder here imposes later Catholic theology on the canons.”

This commentary was taken from
fordham.edu/halsall/basis/lateran1.html

My question is this:

Can anyone direct me to any documents from the Church of the 12th century showing that this “remission” was understood by the Church of that time as referring not to the remission of the guilt and eternal punishment, but only to the remission of the temporal punishment?

Thank you very much!

 

[Genesis315]

Yes. There is a speech by Pope Bl. Eugene III from 1154 discussing just such a remission.

Notice how he distinguishes between remission and absolution, and that confession is required (the predecessor he speaks of is Bl. Urban II who granted the same remission, which Lateran I was most likely doing as well):

“According to the institution of our aforesaid predecessor, by the authority of almighty God and by that of St. Peter the chief of the apostles, conceded to us by God, we grant such remission and absolution of sins, that he who shall devoutly begin so sacred a journey and shall accomplish it, or shall die during it, shall obtain absolution for all his sins which with a humble and contrite heart he shall confess, and shall receive the fruit of eternal retribution from the Remunerator of all.”

fordham.edu/halsall/source/eugene3-2cde.html

 

[Genesis315]

It bears noting that penance is generally related to temporal punishment and in those days penances were very grave–they could last years. Even though you were forgiven in the confessional, it was generally understood that your sins were not completely remitted until after a penance was complete–because then you have also purged yourself of all temporal effects/punishment related to the sin. Indulgences were originally used as a remission of temporal punishment in terms of a lessening of penance (which was why they were often given a value in days or years–an equivalent to days or years of penance)–for this reason they were often called remission of sin–they completed the total remission process as penance did.

Since unremitted temporal punishment carried over into the afterlife, it followed that so did the effect of an indulgence.

In the above speech, Bl. Eugene III is both granting an indulgence for those it would apply to and also proscribing participation in the Crusade as a penance for those who confess their sins (which is why it is also related to absolution as well).