Vatican publishes conditions for Holy Year indulgences

The Vatican has announced the regulations for the Jubilee Indulgences on the occasion of the Holy Year. On Monday, the Press Room of the Holy See published the "norms for granting indulgences", which were put into effect by Cardinal Grand Penitentiary Angelo De Donatis. "Norms on the granting of indulgences during the ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025". Accordingly, indulgences can be obtained not only in Rome, but also in many other places around the world. Exceptionally, two indulgences can also be obtained in one day, but the second indulgence only applies in favour of the deceased. The norms emphasise that Pope Francis highly values indulgences as a gift of God's mercy. "According to the will of the Pope, therefore, also on the occasion of the Ordinary Jubilee 2025, this 'court of mercy', whose task it is to dispose of everything that concerns the granting and use of indulgences, wants to inspire the hearts of the faithful to cherish and nourish the pious desire to receive indulgences as a gift of grace," said the Grand Penitentiary.

The general conditions for obtaining a jubilee indulgence apply: The recipient must be baptised, not excommunicated and in the state of grace, i.e. have confessed serious sins and renounced their sin. They must also have received the Eucharist. The Jubilee indulgence is granted to the faithful who participate as "pilgrims of hope" in a pilgrimage to places of the Jubilee in Rome, the Holy Land or to cathedral churches and churches designated by the local bishop, for the "pious visit to holy places" in Rome and other places in the world, as well as through works of mercy and penance. The faithful who are unable to visit holy places for serious reasons, such as monastic enclosure, old age, illness, imprisonment or official duties in care, can also obtain indulgences through personal prayer. A day of abstinence from "senseless distractions (real, but also virtual, such as those caused by the media and social networks)" counts as a work of penance.

Millions of pilgrims expected in Rome

In the teachings of the Church, a distinction is made between the guilt that one incurs through sin and the punishment that the sinner must suffer for it in purgatory. During confession, the confessor can absolve the confessor of his guilt, while the punishment for sin is the punishment of sin is remitted through an indulgence. Indulgences can also be obtained in favour of the deceased. The Apostolic Penitentiary, which is presided over by the Grand Penitentiary, is responsible for indulgences in the Roman Curia. The norms on jubilee indulgences emphasise that bishops should explain indulgences "with particular attention to local, cultural and traditional circumstances": "A catechesis adapted to the socio-cultural particularities of each people will be able to effectively communicate the Gospel and the totality of the Christian message and to root more deeply in hearts the desire for this unique gift obtained through the mediation of the Church."

On Thursday, Pope Francis officially proclaimed the Holy Year 2025 with the proclamation bull "Spes non confundit" ("Hope does not perish"). Holy Year 2025 officially proclaimed. It begins on Christmas Eve 2024 with the opening of the Holy Door at St Peter's Basilica. It will end in Rome on 6 January 2026 with the closing of the Holy Door, and in the local churches on 28 December 2025. Holy Years regularly take place every 25 years. The most recent extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy 2015 took place. Next year, 30 million pilgrims are expected in Rome to mark the jubilee. (fxn)