While some indulgences were granted for acts of  piety or pilgrimage, others were sold for money.

Tetzel's sale of indulgences,  

which claimed to remit all purgatorial  penalties, was especially controversial.

By paying an amount, one could not  only secure their passage straight  

to Heaven but also release deceased  loved ones from Purgatory's fires. 

Tetzel's zealous promotion of indulgences  included his notorious catchphrase,  

"As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the  soul from Purgatory springs," which captured the  

transactional nature of his message, which many  perceived as exploiting people's fears and guilt.

Tetzel's activities drew sharp criticism  from Martin Luther, a German theologian  

who challenged the Church's authority and  questioned the validity of indulgences.

Luther's 95 Theses, a document outlining his  objections, sparked the Protestant Reformation,  

a movement that ultimately led to  the division of Western Christianity.