There was a time when you got a plenary indulgence just for nipping into church, bending a knee and repeating twice more on the same day, but only on certain days (I think maybe you had to do a quick Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be). Shit hot it was if you were a lousy sinner but couldn't be arsed to go to confession very often. Of course, you had to be sure that none of your sins ever crossed the line into mortaldom. No indulgence got you off that rap. That simply had to be the confessional. I was never entirely sure how impure a thought had to be before it was mortal. I asked a priest that in confession once and he asked me exactly what kind of impure thoughts I had in mind. I kid you not.