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Anyway, that's not how indulgences work. They aren't a matter of "gain this indulgence and I get to indulge in something that's normally a sin."

Since fasting and abstinence are a matter of Church Law and not Divine Law, the practices can be the subject of a dispensation or commutation by an authority such as the pastor. For example, on St. Patrick's Day in these United States, when it falls on a Friday (as it did this year) it's customary for bishops to grant dispensations for the faithful to enjoy corned beef, or a commutation, to pray the Rosary and then enjoy corned beef (or pork tempura).

Whether any given pastor could be influenced by the money from a "rich lord/merchant" is left as an exercise for the reader, but if practically all his parishioners are tithing and paying his salary anyway, then what can you do?




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