The early Church recognized the existence of sin and her competence to forgive it by imposing a penance and granting full forgiveness at the fulfilment of the penitential obligation. The system of penance was based on the Catholic idea that Christians can assist each other on the way to salvation. The French cardinal Hugh of Saint-Cher (c. 1200 – 1263) noted that the “shedding of blood [of Christ and the saints] is a treasure placed in the Church’s treasure chest; hence, when she wills, she can open the chest and dispense of her treasure to whom she wills, by granting remissions and indulgences. And in this way no sin remains unpunished.”