Indulgence

Julius II (b. 1443, Pope 1503–1513). [Indulgence]. Universis presentes litteras inspecturis pateat. Quod propter contributionem elimosinariam factam in subsidium fabrice Appostolorum Principis in Romana Urbe: Concessum est.
[Rome: Johann Besicken, c. 1507]. (BRA1993)

Bridwell Library holds the unique copy of this indulgence, which was printed to raise funds for the rebuilding of St. Peter’s in Rome. To be purchased by those seeking remission of their sins, indulgences came to be severely criticized throughout Christianity. Abuses of these indulgences, such as their unlimited promotion without need for penance, led Martin Luther to condemn their sale and to deny that the Pope had the authority to forgive sins. Luther’s protests, first published in 1517, played a major role in the rise of the Reformation.