indult
indult (in-d[schwa]lt).Eccles. law. A dispensation granted by the Pope to do or obtain something contrary to canon law. • Historically, indults were often used for political ends. An indult granted to a sovereign empowered the recipient to present an ecclesiastical benefice, usu. without papal interference. Less exalted bodies, such as the parliament of Paris and the college of cardinals, were sometimes granted similar privileges. — Also termed indulto.
