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Objection 1: It would seem that every parish priest can grant
indulgences. For an indulgence derives its efficacy from the
superabundance of the Church's merits. Now there is no congregation
without some superabundance of merits. Therefore every priest, who
has charge of a congregation, can grant indulgences, and, in like
manner, so can every prelate.
Objection 2: Further, every prelate stands for a multitude, just
as an individual stands for himself. But any individual can assign his
own goods to another and thus offer satisfaction for a third person.
Therefore a prelate can assign the property of the multitude subject to
him, and so it seems that he can grant indulgences.
On the contrary, To excommunicate is less than to grant indulgences.
But a parish priest cannot do the former. Therefore he cannot do the
latter.
I answer that, Indulgences are effective, in as much as the works of
satisfaction done by one person are applied to another, not only by
virtue of charity, but also by the intention of the person who did them
being directed in some way to the person to whom they are applied. Now
a person's intention may be directed to another in three ways,
specifically, generically and individually. Individually, as when
one person offers satisfaction for another particular person; and thus
anyone can apply his works to another. Specifically, as when a person
prays for the congregation to which he belongs, for the members of his
household, or for his benefactors, and directs his works of
satisfaction to the same intention: in this way the superior of a
congregation can apply those works to some other person, by applying
the intention of those who belong to his congregation to some fixed
individual. Generically, as when a person directs his works for the
good of the Church in general; and thus he who presides over the whole
Church can communicate those works, by applying his intention to this
or that individual. And since a man is a member of a congregation,
and a congregation is a part of the Church, hence the intention of
private good includes the intention of the good of the congregation,
and of the good of the whole Church. Therefore he who presides over
the Church can communicate what belongs to an individual congregation
or to an individual man: and he who presides over a congregation can
communicate what belongs to an individual man, but not conversely.
Yet neither the first nor the second communication is called an
indulgence, but only the third; and this for two reasons. First,
because, although those communications loose man from the debt of
punishment in the sight of God, yet he is not freed from the
obligation of fulfilling the satisfaction enjoined, to which he is
bound by a commandment of the Church; whereas the third communication
frees man even from this obligation. Secondly, because in one person
or even in one congregation there is not such an unfailing supply of
merits as to be sufficient both for the one person or congregation and
for all others; and consequently the individual is not freed from the
entire debt of punishment unless satisfaction is offered for him
individually, to the very amount that he owes. On the other hand, in
the whole Church there is an unfailing supply of merits, chiefly on
account of the merit of Christ. Consequently he alone who is at the
head of the Church can grant indulgences. Since, however, the
Church is the congregation of the faithful, and since a congregation
of men is of two kinds, the domestic, composed of members of the same
family, and the civil, composed of members of the same nationality,
the Church is like to a civil congregation, for the people themselves
are called the Church; while the various assemblies, or parishes of
one diocese are likened to a congregation in the various families and
services. Hence a bishop alone is properly called a prelate of the
Church, wherefore he alone, like a bridegroom, receives the ring of
the Church. Consequently full power in the dispensation of the
sacraments, and jurisdiction in the public tribunal, belong to him
alone as the public person, but to others by delegation from him.
Those priests who have charge of the people are not prelates strictly
speaking, but assistants, hence, in consecrating priests the bishop
says: "The more fragile we are, the more we need these
assistants": and for this reason they do not dispense all the
sacraments. Hence parish priests, or abbots or other like prelates
cannot grant indulgences.
This suffices for the Replies to the Objections.
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