PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR THE YEAR OF FAITH
Vatican City, (VIS) - According to a decree made
public today and signed by Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro and Bishop
Krzysztof Nykiel, respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary,
Benedict XVI will grant faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the
Year of Faith. The indulgence will be valid from the opening of the Year on 11
October 2012 until its end on 24 November 2013.
"The day of the fiftieth anniversary of the solemn opening of Vatican Council
II", the text reads, "the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI has decreed
the beginning of a Year especially dedicated to the profession of the true
faith and its correct interpretation, through the reading of - or better still
the pious meditation upon - the Acts of the Council and the articles of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church".
"Since the primary objective is to develop sanctity of life to the
highest degree possible on this earth, and thus to attain the most sublime
level of pureness of soul, immense benefit may be derived from the great gift
of Indulgences which, by virtue of the power conferred upon her by Christ, the
Church offers to everyone who, following the due norms, undertakes the special
prescripts to obtain them".
"During the Year of Faith, which will last from 11
October 2012 to 24 November 2013, Plenary Indulgence for the temporal
punishment of sins, imparted by the mercy of God and applicable also to the
souls of deceased faithful, may be obtained by all faithful who, truly
penitent, take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray in accordance
with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.
"(A) Each time they attend at least three sermons during the Holy Missions, or at least three
lessons on the Acts of the Council or the articles of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, in church or any other suitable location.
"(B) Each time they visit, in the course of a pilgrimage, a papal basilica, a
Christian catacomb, a cathedral church or a holy site designated by the local
ordinary for the Year of Faith (for example, minor basilicas and shrines
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Apostles or patron saints), and
there participate in a sacred celebration, or at least remain for a congruous
period of time in prayer and pious meditation, concluding with the recitation
of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form, and
invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary and, depending on the circumstances, to
the Holy Apostles and patron saints.
"(C) Each time that, on the days designated by the local ordinary for the Year of Faith, ... in
any sacred place, they participate in a solemn celebration of the Eucharist or
the Liturgy of the Hours, adding thereto the Profession of Faith in any legitimate
form.
"(D) On any day they chose, during the Year of Faith,
if they make a pious visit to the baptistery, or other place in which they
received the Sacrament of Baptism, and there renew their baptismal promises in
any legitimate form.
"Diocesan or eparchal bishops, and those who enjoy the
same status in law, on the most appropriate day during that period or on the
occasion of the main celebrations, ... may impart the papal blessing with the
Plenary Indulgence".
The document concludes by recalling how faithful who, due to illness or other
legitimate cause, are unable to leave their place of adobe, may still obtain
Plenary Indulgence "if, united in spirit and thought with other faithful,
and especially at the times when the
words of the Supreme Pontiff and diocesan bishops are transmitted by television
or radio, they recite ... the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any
legitimate form, and other prayers that concord with the objectives of the Year
of Faith, offering up the suffering and discomfort of their lives".
