ACS 300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Papal Supremacy, Roman Curia, Pope Clement Vi
5 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
11th c. height of spiritual authority and temporal power. 13th c. papal prestige begins to decline: french and english kings begin to question papal authority. 1305-1378 babylonian captivity of the papacy pope and curia in avignon, france when the pope died, they elected a cardinal who was french. But the french king and the pope asked if he could just stay there. Response to financial crisis: more taxation, raising user fees, selling church offices, selling indulgences: church doctrine. Good works (charity, prayer, fasting, tithing, taking sacraments, pilgrimages) count towards salvation; sins are demerits that cancel out good works and so count against salvation. Only saints have more good works than unabsolved sins, so they go straight to heaven. Surplus merits/good works of saints are in treasury of merit; pope can dispense them. Indulgence: access treasury of merit for absolution of sins.
