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Spain  Sin  Allyson M. Poska According to the Catholic Church, sin was an offense against God, and that offense could take many forms. Although most people knew the seriousness of breaking the Ten Commandments and engaging in the Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, sloth, envy, wrath, pride, and greed), the list of potential sins was quite large. In addition to those well-­ known sins, Christians could sin against the Twelve Articles of Faith, the Eight Beatitudes, the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and at least a half-­dozen other sets of laws, doctrines, and virtues. Yet, however often those daunting lists of potential sins appeared in print and were pronounced from the pulpit, it became clear to Church officials during the sixteenth century that the European population often knew very little about exactly what constituted sin. From the Church’s perspective, this lack of knowledge had dangerous implications, imperiling the salvation of many Christians. Peoplewere sinning without even knowing that they wereoffending God. In response, the Council of Trent created a system that would frequently remind Christians of the full array of sinful behaviors and provide them with regular opportunities to confess their sins for the good of their souls. Amongitsmanyreforms,theCouncilof Trentexpanded the opportunities for instruction on a range of basic doctrinal issues, including the varieties of sin. First, the council attempted to ensure that those charged with caring for Christian souls were well trained. With seminary instruction , clergy at all levels of the hierarchy would understand both the scope and the meaning of sin and would be able to convey the consequences of such behavior for one’s salvation . Second, the council obligated parish priests to instruct their parishioners through regular sermons, weekly catechetical instruction, and examinations before the administration of sacraments. In this way, both priest and parishioner would be attentive to the possibilities of sin in everyday life. In addition to instruction about the nature of sin, Church officials emphasized the importance of regular confession. The Church wanted children to take their first communion and make their first confession before the age of nineor ten. After that the Church urged its flock to make annual communion and confession, usuallyat Easter. However , the Church also provided other opportunities to confess one’s sins. Each time a bishop or episcopal delegate made a visitation to a parish (as instructed by the Council of Trent), he pronounced the Edict of Faith (also known as the Edict of Grace). The Edict of Faith provided an opportunity for the entire parish to come clean about its sins. Read aloud in public at the beginning of the visit, the edict obligated each parishioner to come forward to confess his or her own sins and denounce those of other members of the parish. The list of sins articulated in the edict was long and involved a wide array of sinful actions and beliefs . Many of the sins involved commerce, sexual activity (Fig. 88), verbal sins, and neglect or abuse by clerics. If nothing else, the Church intended this long list to remind parishioners of the kinds of sins that they might otherwise overlook in day-­ to-­ day activities. In addition to reading the edict, the episcopal visitor would give a sermon to fill in any gaps in parishioners’ education. In terms of clearly communicating theological ideas of sin, such visits were particularly important in the first decades after the Council of Trent, when many parishes were still staffed by uneducated clergy or at least many who were not clear about the new emphasis on sin and confession articulated by the council. They continued to be important throughout the seventeenth century in rural areas where clerical influence remained weak. Although not explicitly created for the task, the Inquisition also acted as a mechanism to communicate official ideas about sin. Not all sins were heretical (for instance, sins involving commerce), but many sins, including blasphemy , bigamy, and simple fornication, were considered heresies and thus fell under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition in Spain. During visits to parishes, Inquisitors also used the Edict of Faith to encourage parishioners to denounce themselves and their neighbors. If the act was deemed heretical, the denunciation provoked an inquisitorial investigation. If it was deemed merely sinful, the sinner was made to confess and given penance. In both cases, the goal of the investigation was to elicit spontaneous confessions and allow the sinner to be reconciled with the Church for the good of the soul and the individual’s salvation...

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