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Exhibit 408

Council of Trent, Session 25, Decree concerning indulgences

Exhibit 408 · Conciliar decree

Council of Trent, Session 25, Decree concerning indulgences

ordains generally by this decree, that all evil gains for the obtaining thereof,—whence, a most prolific cause of abuses amongst the Christian people has been derived,—be wholly abolished

Retains the use of indulgences and condemns those who call them useless. Orders that all 'evil gains' (pravos quaestus) connected with obtaining indulgences be wholly abolished, and bishops to report other abuses to the provincial synod and the pope. Latin: 'pravos quaestus omnes pro his consequendis, unde plurima in Christiano populo abusuum causa fluxit, omnino abolendos esse.' The English phrase is 'evil gains', not 'evil traffic'.

Source
Council of Trent
Date
4 December 1563
Quoted from
Session 25, Decree concerning indulgences (Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, vol. 2, Latin with English)
Grade
Primary record
Document
https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds2.v.i.i.xiii.html
Accessed
2026-11-09
Cited by
Findings citing this exhibit

Cited by

Finding REL-1.10
Primary record The Council of Trent abolished questors of alms on 16 July 1562 and decreed on 4 December 1563 that all evil gains in obtaining indulgences be wholly abolished. Pius V's constitution Etsi dominici gregis of 8 February 1567 revoked indulgences carrying a questing faculty, including those for St. Peter's, and forbade questing and the appointment of questors without papal license.