dispensation

Short definition from Wiktionary

Noun

1. 1
   The act of dispensing or dealing out; distribution
2. 2
   The distribution of good and evil by God to man.
3. 3
   That which is dispensed, dealt out, or given; that which is bestowed on someone
4. 4
   A system of principles, promises, and rules ordained and administered; scheme; economy
5. 5
   The relaxation of a law in a particular case; permission to do something forbidden, or to omit doing something enjoined; exemption.
6. 6
   The relaxation of a law in a particular case; permission to do something forbidden, or to omit doing something enjoined; exemption: In the Roman Catholic Church, an exemption from some ecclesiastical law, or from an obligation to God which a person has incurred of his own free will (oaths, vows, etc.).