That would be great if the Church NEVER has EVER made a theological error. The problem is that it has. It was wrong for the Church to have officially stated, with the seal of the Pope, that people can pay to get their friends and relatives out of hell. Also, there are conflicts between Vatican 1 and 2. Finally, assuming the "Church of Christ" formulate correct theology, then everyone else formulates incorrect theology including the Orthodox. I think they would have a problem with that statement.
***It was wrong for the Church to have officially stated, with the seal of the Pope, that people can pay to get their friends and relatives out of hell.***
The practice was to have the folks provide works in order to help those in purgatory. The intent (aside from a few local bishops who reaped their reward) was to have the prayers and the intents of the faithful mean something. It obviously was misused. Therefore the practice was for all intents and purposes, stopped.
***Also, there are conflicts between Vatican 1 and 2.**
Such as?
***Finally, assuming the “Church of Christ” formulate correct theology, then everyone else formulates incorrect theology including the Orthodox. I think they would have a problem with that statement.***
The Church of Christ most definitely includes the Orthodox. For those of the Reformed persuasion who do not believe that anything beyond yesterday matters, let me remind you that in the first millennium, most of the heretics were of the East and that the Latins held Orthodoxy. In the latter years, we Latins have strayed a tad and the Orthodox have held fast. It is a Catholic Church and not a Roman one. And I think that almost all of us understand that.
I think that it would be worthwhile from a Reformed point of view to understand that as well.
That is simply not true. It is just barely possible that some people at the time did not know the difference between the teaching about purgatory and the teaching about hell. But Tetzel on a bad day never said that anyone could purchase release from hell. It beggars belief to read that anyone who's looked into this would say that the Pope had put his seal to such a thing.
Do you have some kind of evidence? I've seen what purports to be an indulgence from the time, but I don't recall seeing anything about release from hell.