Pope authorizes plenary indulgences marking Vatican II anniversary

Catholic News Service ^ | 11/29/05 | Carol Glatz

[murphE]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To mark the 40th anniversary of the close of the Second Vatican Council, Catholics can receive a plenary indulgence for taking part in any public or private devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Pope Benedict XVI authorized the special Dec. 8 indulgences to encourage the faithful to carry out the council's teachings on peace, justice and charity, said U.S. Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court dealing with indulgences and matters of conscience.

The pope expressed his hopes that all the church would be united with him and their "common mother," Mary, on Dec. 8, so that the faithful "may be strengthened in their faith, follow Christ with greater dedication, and love their brothers and sisters with more ardent charity," said the cardinal.

The Vatican published the cardinal's statement announcing the indulgences and outlining the requirements for receiving them Nov. 29. Dec. 8 is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment due for sins committed. A plenary indulgence is the remission of all punishment.

Cardinal Stafford said that to obtain the special Dec. 8 feast day indulgences one must fulfill the normal requirements set by the church for all plenary indulgences, which include that within a reasonably short period of time the person goes to confession, receives the Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the pope, all in a spirit of total detachment from the attraction of sin.

The faithful must also participate in a formal prayer service in honor of Mary "or at least openly demonstrate their devotion to Mary" by praying before an image of the Immaculate Conception on display for public veneration. The faithful should also recite the Lord's Prayer, the creed and a prayer to Mary.

Cardinal Stafford said the special indulgence was being offered to mark the 40th anniversary of the formal close of the Second Vatican Council by Pope Paul VI, who proclaimed Mary "the mother of the Church" and the "spiritual mother of us all."

Catholics who cannot visit a Marian shrine or pray before a communal image of Mary because of illness or other serious reason could still earn the indulgence "in their own home or wherever they are" Dec. 8, he said.

[murphE]

ping lists please

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Text from the Vatican Information Service

PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR SOLEMNITY IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

VATICAN CITY, NOV 29, 2005 (VIS) - According to a decree made public today, Benedict XVI will grant the faithful a Plenary Indulgence for the forthcoming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 2005). The decree is signed by Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Fr. John Francis Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

"December 8," the text reads, "will mark 40 years since Servant of God Paul VI, Supreme Pontiff, who had already proclaimed the Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church, in closing Vatican Council II dedicated great praise to the Virgin who, as Mother of Christ, is Mother of God and spiritual Mother to us all.

"On this Solemnity, the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, when he renders public homage of praise to Mary Immaculate, has the heartfelt desire that the entire Church should join with him, so that all the faithful, united in the name of the common Mother, become ever stronger in the faith, adhere with greater devotion to Christ, and love their brothers with more fervent charity. From here - as Vatican Council II very wisely taught - arise works of mercy towards the needy, observance of justice, and the defense of and search for peace."

For this reason, the decree continues, the Holy Father "has kindly granted the gift of Plenary Indulgence which may be obtained under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff), with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin, on the forthcoming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, by the faithful if they participate in a sacred function in honor of the Virgin, or at least offer open testimony of Marian devotion before an image of Mary Immaculate exposed for public veneration, adding the recitation of the Our Father and of the Creed, and some invocation to the Virgin."

The document concludes by recalling that faithful who "through illness or other just cause," are unable to participate in a public ceremony or to venerate an image of the Virgin, "may obtain a Plenary Indulgence in their own homes, or wherever they may be, if, with the soul completely removed from any form of sin, and with the intention of observing the aforesaid conditions as soon as possible, they unite themselves in spirit and in desire to the Supreme Pontiff's intentions in prayer to Mary Immaculate, and recite the Our Father and the Creed."
.../DECREE INDULGENCE/STAFFORD VIS 051129 (420)

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I was thinking of posting the VIS version this afternoon, and didn't because of that very reason....

[murphE]

This thread title alone will be like chum in the shark tank. :)

You know I thought of that...but I wanted other Catholics to know about this great opportunity. Maybe the usual suspects may actually learn something to boot.

[Talking_Mouse]

Thank you for posting this -- I didn't know the pope had authorized the indulgence. I will be sure to add prayers at the Marian Shrine on 12/8.

If I might be so bold as to suggest that all of us try to receive the plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory, if we are not fully free from attractions to sin we will still be receiving partial indulgences -- all very welcome by the holy souls.

[PetroniusMaximus]

"I was thinking of posting the VIS version this afternoon, and didn't because of that very reason...."

That's right! Your avoiding controversy remember!

(Nothing wrong with standing to the side and looking...)

:)

[PetroniusMaximus]

Well, on one side we have...

"... has kindly granted the gift of Plenary Indulgence which may be obtained under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff), with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin, on the forthcoming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, by the faithful if they participate in a sacred function in honor of the Virgin, or at least offer open testimony of Marian devotion before an image of Mary Immaculate exposed for public veneration, adding the recitation of the Our Father and of the Creed, and some invocation to the Virgin."


and on the other side we have...


"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
- 1John 1:9


"I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin."
- Psalms 32

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Not discussing theology here, but the reason we hesitate is because a few people on FR think they have an obligation to come to these threads, which are not out there protelyzing, not discussing theology, and hijack them so they can turn them into theological discussion threads even when we don't want to. When we have great news or something interesting to share, we hesitate to post it knowing people will go out of their way to use it as a reason to attack beliefs which we have clearly explained time and again, and we feel secure about. It makes things unpleasant. Now that I have that off my chest, back to your hijacking.

[markomalley]

Yeah, it's interesting. When we post our threads, they get hijacked by prosletyzers. When they post their threads, we leave them alone, unless they start quoting lies about Holy Mother Church. Gotta love it!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

[markomalley]

2 Pe 3:15-16 And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you, speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.

Sure would be nice if they could keep that in mind!

[murphE]

good news bump

[Campion]

And as usual, I'll remind you that indulgences cleanse the temporal punishment remaining from sins that have been forgiven, so your Scripture citations don't apply. And, as always, God is free to remit any temporal punishment he wishes to, but he is also free in justice to hold us to it.

[Campion]

The faithful must also participate in a formal prayer service in honor of Mary

Does just going to Mass on the feast day (remember that the IC is a holyday of obligation in the US, but not everywhere) count as a "formal prayer service in honor of Mary"? I think perhaps it does!

[PetroniusMaximus]

"I'll remind you that indulgences cleanse the temporal punishment remaining from sins that have been forgiven"

So, as a Catholic, when you pray and as God to forgive you, per 1st John, you are only half forgiven?

[murphE]

At our chapel we pray the Rosary before every mass, but I wonder if there will be something special planned because of this announcement.

[PetroniusMaximus]

"...In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures."

Those quotes I posted are not from Paul.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

...has kindly granted the gift of Plenary Indulgence which may be obtained under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff), with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin, on the forthcoming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, by the faithful if they participate in a sacred function in honor of the Virgin, or at least offer open testimony of Marian devotion before an image of Mary Immaculate exposed for public veneration, adding the recitation of the Our Father and of the Creed, and some invocation to the Virgin.

This is a churchwide feast day even if it's not a day of obligation everywhere, so the masses will be dedicated to her.