Indulgences
&
Purgatory

Indulgences, during the Renaissance, was a relaxation of penalties for sins people had committed. In other words, it means someone could do something bad and paying the church money would increase the chances of going into heaven. Many of the rich people took advantage of this because they were the only ones who could afford it. A purgatory, in Catholic teachings, was a place where souls went before they went to heaven. It was not exactly heaven or down under, but it was in between both. In purgatory the souls were punished for the sins that they had committed in life and once they had paid for these sins, the souls went to heaven. This way a way of letting the people buy their way into heaven.