TREATISE VII
Indulgences
This treatise is divided into three chapters : I. indulgences in general ; 2. conditions required for gaining indulgences ; 3. individual indulgences.
CHAPTER I. INDULGENCES IN GENERAL
780. Definition. An indulgence is a remission in the sight of God of that temporal punishment due for sins whose guilt has been forgiven, granted outside the sacrament of Penance by ecclesiastical authority from the treasury of the Church : if given to the living it is granted in the form of absolution, if given for the faithful departed it is applied in the form of suffrage (c. 911).
Explanation. 1. An indulgence is a remission in the sight of God of temporal punishment, for indulgences do not remit either mortal or venial sin, as the Protestant calumny would have men believe. Once the guilt of sin has been forgiven in other ways, indulgences remit the remaining temporal punishment, not merely in the ecclesiastical forum but also in the tribunal of God, and therefore temporal punishment remitted in this way does not have to be endured again either in this world or in Purgatory.
2. Indulgences are granted outside the sacrament of Penance by ecclesiastical authority from the treasury of the Church. Temporal punishment remaining after the forgiveness of sin can be remitted in many ways : by the sacramental penance, by deeds of mortification undertaken voluntarily, and by the patient endurance of the trials of this life. Indulgences likewise remit this temporal punishment inasmuch as the Church offers from her treasury — i.e. from the accumulation of the satisfactory merits of Christ and the saints — the satisfaction that is due. Therefore indulgences are founded on two doctrines : the treasury of the Church, and vicarious satisfaction (cf. the author’s Man. Theol. mor., Ill, 541).
3. Indulgences are given for the living by way of absolution, for the dead by way of suffrage. Since the Church possesses the power to absolve the faithful from anything which might prevent them entering Heaven in virtue of her jurisdiction over the living, she absolves them from temporal punishment by means of indulgences ; on the other hand, since she lacks jurisdiction over the dead, site can only often from her treasury satisfaction or indulgences for the dead by way of suffrage.
781. Kinds, 1. By virtue of their effect, indulgences arc either plenary or partial depending on whether they remit all or only part of the punishment.
A plenary indulgence is to be considered granted in such manner that if it cannot be gained fully, it may be gained partially according to the disposition of the subject (c. 926). A plenary indulgence attached to some prescribed work can be gained once a day only, even though the work is performed repeatedly, unless the contrary is expressly stated (c. 928). — It is impossible to determine with any degree of certainty how much punishment is remitted by a partial indulgence. It is most commonly held by authors that a partial indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines, for example, remits as much temporal punishment as a penance of similar length in the original discipline of the Church. Unless any restriction is expressed, partial indulgences may be gained repeatedly on the same day by repetition of the prescribed good work (c. 928).
2. By virtue of their subject, indulgences may be gained for either the living or the dead according to whether they are applied for the living or for the dead.
All indulgences conceded by the Pope are applicable to the souls in Purgatory unless the contrary is stated (c. 930). All indulgences gained by those who make the heroic act are applicable to the souls in Purgatory (Raccolta, 531).
3. By virtue of the way in which they are granted, indulgences are either personal, real, or local ; they are personal if granted to specified persons, e.g. to the members of some confraternity ; they are real, if attached to some object, e.g. a rosary ; they are local, if attached to a place, e.g. a church.
782. The following persons may grant indulgences :
a) the Pope (whose power is unlimited) ;
b) Cardinals, up to 200 days’ indulgence (c. 239, § 1, n. 24) ;
c) Archbishops for their entire province, up to too days’ indulgence (c. 274, n. 2) ;
d) residential Bishops in their own diocese, up to 50 days’ indulgence (c. 349, § 2, 11. 2). But they are permitted to grant greater indulgences when consecrating a church or an altar (c. 1166). 1
c) Vicars and Prefects Apostolic within the limits of their own territory and during the period of their office, up to 50 days’ indulgence (c. 294,
§4 Note. Those inferior to the Roman Pontiff cannot : a) give to others the faculty to grant indulgences ;
b) grant indulgences applicable to the souls in Purgatory ;
c) attach an indulgence to an object, pious work, or association to which the Holy See or another authority has already attached an indulgence, unless they prescribe additional conditions for gaining the indulgence (c. 913) ;
1 Bishops are empowered to grant indulgences to exempt Religious, even in their own churches (Pont. Comni. Dec. 6, 1930. Act. Ap. Sed. XXIII, 23).
d) Nuncios, Legates a latere, the major Penitentiary of Rome and others may likewise grant indulgences.
CHAPTER II. CONDITIONS FOR GAINING INDULGENCES
Three things are required for the gaining of indulgences : 1. the right intention, 2. the state of grace and perfect union with the Church, and 3. the fulfilment of the prescribed good work (c. 925).
783. 1. Any virtual intention, and even an habitual intention which has been made once and never retracted, is sufficient for the gaining of indulgences, since an indulgence is an act of kindness which a person is presumed willing to accept unless he positively refuses. But if a person desires to apply some indulgence to a particular soul, there is required an explicit intention (which must be virtual at least).
784. 2. A state of grace and perfect union with the Church are necessary for gaining indulgences.
Consequently the following persons are debarred from indulgences :
a) unbaptized or excommunicated persons ;
b) those in the state of mortal sin. Even venial sin prevents the remission of all temporal punishment. In such cases the punishment due to those sins whose guilt has been forgiven is remitted, but not the punishment due to those venial sins not yet forgiven. — There are a few authors who maintain that indulgences may be gained for the souls in Purgatory even by one who is in the state of mortal sin, but such an opinion is hardly probable and is clearly opposed to the teaching of St. Thomas. It is sufficient that the state of grace be present at least at the end of the prescribed work (c. 925, § 1).
785. 3. The good work prescribed for the gaining of an indulgence must be carried out faithfully, and any substantial change of the work prevents the indulgence being gained.
The prescribed work
a) must be performed personally, with the exception of almsgiving which may be performed by proxy. Accordingly in the present discipline of the Church it is impossible to gain an indulgence for other living persons (c. 930) ;
b) cannot be fulfilled by doing some other work already obligatory under pain of sin (unless the contrary is expressly stated in the indult) ; thus, when a visit to a church is prescribed, this is not fulfilled by hearing Mass on Sunday. However a person who receives as his penance in sacramental confession some good work which happens to be enriched with an indulgence may by one and the same act fulfil his penance and gain the indulgence (c. 932).
Similarly, indulgences may normally be gained through the Paschal Communion (Decreta auth. n. 327).
Note. 1. Unless the contrary is stated or expressed, or unless the good work prescribed is confession or Holy Communion, several indulgences cannot be gained by performing one and the same work to which many indulgences are annexed by various titles (c. 933). Thus, for example, if anyone recites his rosary on beads which have been properly blessed, he gains at the same time the Crosier and Dominican indulgences (Pius X, June 13, 1907, Beringer-Hilgers 14 , Die Ablasse I. 113).
2. Confessors can commute the pious works prescribed for the gaining of indulgences for people who on account of some legitimate impediment cannot perform these works (c. 935). Since this faculty has been granted generally and has no restriction attached to it, the confessor may avail himself of it even outside confession and even as far as Holy Communion is concerned.
Individual works which are normally prescribed for the gaining of indulgences are Confession, Holy Communion, visit to a church, certain prayers.
786. a) Confession, if prescribed, must be made even by those who have committed only venial sin. It may be made within eight days before or after the day to which the indulgence is attached, and this confession suffices for gaining all indulgences during these periods (c. 931, §1). An indult is granted to some dioceses enabling the faithful to gain all indulgences, provided they go to confession within fifteen days either before or after the day to which the indulgence is attached. The faithful who are in the habit of going to confession at least twice a month unless legitimately impeded, or who receive Holy Communion daily (even though they may abstain from receiving once or twice a week), can gain all indulgences without actual confession which would otherwise be necessary for gaining the indulgences (with the exception of the indulgences of a jubilee) c. 931, § 3. Thus, for example, a priest who is in the habit of saying Mass daily may gain all indulgences, even though he cannot go to confession more frequently than once in six weeks.
787. b) Holy Communion received once (and this includes the Easter Communion) suffices for gaining several indulgences on the same day, each of which requires the reception of Holy Communion. If the
indulgence is attached to a specified day, one may receive Communion on the eve of that day or within its octave. If as the result of a long illness or some other physical impediment a person is unable to receive the prescribed Holy Communion, the confessor may substitute some other pious work. Confessors may use the same power of commuting for children who have not yet made their first Holy Communion.
788. c) The visit to a church sometimes prescribed for the gaining of indulgences must be made in the church which is so specified. If, on the other hand, the visit to a church is left in general terms, it suffices to visit any church or even a public oratory, but not a semi-public or private oratory. However those who for the sake of religious perfection or study and education or for the sake of health lead a community life in houses approved by the Ordinary but lacking a church, or public oratory, and all other persons living there to do service, may visit their own semi-public chapel in order to fulfil the prescribed visit to a church which is not specifically named (c. 929).
A plenary indulgence granted either daily and perpetually or for some time to those who visit a specified church or public oratory is to be understood in such a way that it can be gained any day but only once a year by any of the faithful, unless the contrary is stated expressly in the indult (c. 921, § 31) –
In order to gain an indulgence attached to a certain day for which a visit to some church or oratory is prescribed, the visit can be made from noon on the preceding day until midnight of the day appointed for the indulgence (c. 923). Thus, for example, the time for gaining a toties quoties indulgence is now longer than it was before the new Code.
789. d) The prescribed prayers must be vocal, and therefore mental prayer is not sufficient, unless the contrary is expressly stated. Prayers prescribed in general terms for the Pope’s intentions may be any oral prayers, such as the Pater Noster or a Litany, etc. 1 But if special prayers are prescribed, these may be recited in any language, but any addition, subtraction or interpolation destroys the indulgence (c. 934, § 2). This statute seems sufficiently severe, and there-fore, for instance, indulgences granted for the recitation of the Rosary do not cease if after each decade, or after each “ Hail Mary,” a pause is made for meditation on the mystery, as is stated by the Sacred Penitentiary, Jan. 22, 1921 (Act. Ap. Sed. XIII, 164). — If the prayers are recited with a companion it is sufficient that they be recited alternately or else followed mentally while they are recited by another (ibid. 3).
1 If no set prayers have been prescribed for the intentions of the Holy Father, •it is sufficient to recite one Pater, one Ave, and one Gloria, or any other prayer (S. Poenit., Sept. 20, 1933. Act. Ap. Sed. XXV, 446). The Pater, Ave, and Gloria must be recited six times for toties quoties indulgences. Cf. S. Poenit., July 10, 1924 (Act. Ap. Sed. XVI, 347) ; Jan. 13, 1930 (Act. Ap. Sed. XXII, 43) ; July 5, 1930 (Act. Ap. Sed. XXII, 363). Cf. “ Preces et pia opera in favorem Omnium Christi fidelium vel quorundam Coetuum Personarum indulgentiis ditata et t opportune recognita ” (Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1938, p. XV, Adnot. la and b).
Mutes can gain indulgences if being in the same place as those who are reciting the prayers they raise their mind and affections to God. If the prayers prescribed are private prayers, it is sufficient that they say them mentally or by signs or by scanning them with their eyes (c. 936).
790. The cessation of indulgences is clearly indicated in the new Code.
1. Local indulgences cease if the church or oratory to which they are attached is completely destroyed ; they revive if the church is rebuilt within fifty years in the same place or almost the same place and under the same title (c. 924, § 1).
2. Real indulgences cease in only two ways : a) if the object itself is completely destroyed, or b ) if the object is sold (ibid. § 2).
Thus indulgences do not cease if the object to which an indulgence is attached, such as a rosary, is given or lent to another, even if the original owner has used it to gain the indulgences ; neither does the indulgence cease if the object undergoes repeated minor repairs so that eventually the original object has been completely changed. On the other hand, the indulgence does seem to cease if the chain of a rosary beads is so badly broken that one possesses nothing more than a handful of beads.
CHAPTER III. SOME PARTICULAR INDULGENCES
We shall now consider a few indulgences in detail, especially those with which the priest is more likely to be concerned in the course of his apostolate : the plenary indulgence at death, the indulgence attached to the Papal blessing, the indulgences attached to a general absolution, the indulgence of a privileged altar, indulgences annexed to rosaries, the indulgence of the Stations of the Cross.
1 . Plenary Indulgence at Death
791. Its Nature. The plenary indulgence at the hour of death is one which the Pope himself either personally or by proxy grants to the dying in the form of a blessing or absolution. This indulgence should not be confused with others which the faithful can gain at the hour of death, e.g. by kissing the crucifix, or by holding certain medals, or by virtue of their membership of some confraternity. For whereas it is the individual who is responsible for applying such indulgences to himself, the indulgence attached to the papal blessing cannot be gained except by means of the blessing of a priest who is authorised by the Pope to give it. This indulgence does not attain its effect until the very moment at which the soul is separated from the body and about to appear before the supreme judge ; furthermore it seems impossible to apply the indulgence to any other dead person, even if the heroic act has been made. When the Sacred Congregation for Indulgences was questioned on this matter, it replied, Jan. 23, 1901, “ no decision is to be given.”
Its Subject. The blessing at the hour of death to which a plenary indulgence is attached may be received by all who are in grave danger of death and who are capable of receiving sacramental absolution and have not so far received the blessing during the same danger of death.
Explanation, 1. All who are in grave danger of death — or, all who may receive Viaticum, as soldiers before battle, prisoners condemned to death etc.
2. and who are capable of receiving sacramental absolution. Therefore even those who are unconscious, and children who are capable of committing sin (even though they have not yet received their first Holy Communion) are included.
3. and have not yet received the blessing during the same danger of death. Since this blessing attains its effect at the final moment of a person’s life, it cannot be repeated during the same danger of death. This rule must be followed even if the individual received the blessing while in a state of mortal sin or relapsed into mortal sin after receiving it. If the sick person recovers and then falls into a new danger of death, the papal blessing can be repeated, but this is not necessary.
792. Necessary conditions.
a) On the part of the priest giving the blessing no special faculty is required, since it is stated in the Code, c. 468, § 2 : “ The parish priest and any other priest assisting the dying has the faculty to give the Apostolic blessing with a plenary indulgence for the moment of death according to the formula prescribed in the approved liturgical books, and he should not neglect to give this blessing.”
The formula prescribed by Benedict XV and contained in the Roman Ritual is to be used even by those religious who have a special rite of their own. If the blessing is given after the administration of Viaticum and Extreme Unction (as is the custom), the Confiteor must be repeated, so that it will then be said three times (Decret. auth. Indulg., n. 286, n. 6 ).
b) The recipient :
i) must not be under excommunication or evidently lacking in contrition ;
ii) must willingly accept death as coming from the hand of God ;
iii) must invoke the holy Name of Jesus with his lips or, if this is impossible, in his heart. Therefore the priest must warn the sick person to invoke the Holy Name.
2. Indulgence Attached to the Papal Blessing
793. Definition. The Papal or Apostolic blessing is a blessing granted on more solemn occasions by the Pope or his delegate to which a plenary indulgence is attached.
The following conditions are required of the person granting the INDULGENCE.
a) He must possess a special faculty, which is granted by common law to the following persons :
i) to bishops in their respective territories twice a year — on Easter Sunday and one other solemn feast of their own choosing ;
ii) to abbots and prelates nullius, vicars and prefects apostolic (even though not bishops), in their own territory on one of the more solemn feasts of the year (c. 914). Many secular and religious priests possess the same faculty in virtue of a special delegation.
b) Bishops and other secular prelates must use the formula given in the Appendix of the Roman Pontifical : prelates who are religious must follow that given in the Roman Ritual, tit. VIII, c. 32, and this must likewise be observed by preachers, normally speaking. However if no specific formula is prescribed, a single blessing with a crucifix is sufficient, while saying the words : “ Benedictio Dei omnipotentis Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti descendat super vos et maneat semper. R. Amen.” (S.R.C., May 11, 1911 ; cf. Beringer 14 , Die Ablisse II, 456.)
3. Indulgence Attached to a General Absolution
794. Definition. A general absolution is one granted to regulars, nuns, and tertiaries of certain orders by special privilege on stated days ; a specified formula must be used, and to the absolution is attached a plenary indulgence and the remission of censures and transgressions of the Rule.
The following conditions are required on the part of the priest GIVING THE ABSOLUTION.
1. A special faculty is necessary if the absolution is given publicly. This faculty is possessed by the proper Superior and his delegate for their subjects, by the confessor to a monastery or any other priest delegated by the Ordinary for monks and sisters leading a community life, and also by the director or any confessor for secular tertiaries.
2. A special formula must be used, which is to be found in the appendix of the Roman Ritual. The absolution may be given privately in the confessional by any priest using the shorter form : “ Auctoritate apostolica mihi concessa plenariam omnium peccatorum tuorum indulgentiam tibi impertior. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen ” (cf. Beringer 4 , Die Ablasse II, 455).
On the part of the recipient all that is required is the state of grace and legitimate membership of the sodality to which has been granted the privilege of this general absolution.
4. Indulgence of a Privileged Altar
795. Definition and Kinds. A privileged altar is nothing other than a plenary indulgence attached to the saying of Mass either on a specified altar or by a certain priest.
Kinds, 1. An altar is privileged for the living and the dead if a plenary indulgence may be gained both for the living and the dead ; otherwise it is restricted to the dead. The former type is to-day extremely rare.
2. The privilege is local if the plenary indulgence is attached to a specified altar for all who celebrate Mass there, or personal if it is granted to an individual priest wherever he celebrates Mass, or mixed if it is attached to an altar for certain priests.
All altars are privileged in a church where the devotion of the Forty Hours is being held ; similarly, all altars on All Souls’ Day, c. 917. — Certain prelates have the faculty of designating a privileged altar in any church (cf. c. 916).
A personal privilege is granted to every priest making the heroic act (S. Congregation of Indulgences, August 25, 1897).
The requisite conditions are :
1. that the altar be fixed, in order that it may be privileged ; this is not necessary when the privilege is personal ;
2. that the Mass and the indulgence be applied to one and the same soul, but it is not necessary to celebrate a Requiem Mass (Holy Office, Feb. 20, 1913)-
5. Indulgence Attached to Rosaries
796. Many rosaries have indulgences attached to them, such as the Dominican rosary, the rosary of St. Bridget, the rosary of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, the rosary of the Servites or of the Seven Dolours, etc. The nature of the indulgences and the conditions under which they may be gained arc discussed in those books which treat specifically of this subject, e.g. Beringer, Die Ablasse. For the present it is only necessary to note that several indulgences may be attached to the same rosary beads, but only the indulgences for the Dominican rosary and the rosary of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross may be gained by the one recital (S. Congregation of Indulgences, June 12, 1907).
6. Indulgence of the Stations of the Cross
797. Many plenary and partial indulgences are attached to the Stations of the Cross and all are applicable to the souls in Purgatory. However it is forbidden to give any catalogue of these indulgences.
The following conditions must be fulfilled in order that the indulgences may be gained.
1. A short meditation — no matter how brief — must be made at each Station on the Passion of Christ, at least in a general manner. Vocal prayers are not necessary, but their use is praiseworthy.
2. One must move from one Station to the next, if this is possible. When the Stations are made in common, it is sufficient for the congregation to rise and genuflect for each station, provided that at least one person passes from one Station to the next.
3. No notable interruption should occur in the exercise, although a short interruption in order to approach Confession or Holy Communion would not destroy the continuity.
Note. Any of the faithful who are reasonably prevented from visiting each Station may hold a crucifix in their hands which has been specially blessed for this purpose, and recite twenty times the Pater, Ave and Gloria — that is to say, once for each Station to which is added some meditation on the Passion of Christ, five times in memory of the wounds of Christ, and once for the intentions of the Holy Father. They will thus gain all the indulgences attached to the exercise.
Erection of the Stations. Only a priest possessing special faculties may now erect the Stations. The manner of their erection is set forth in the Roman Ritual.
Fourteen wooden crosses (without the figure of Christ) are required, which must be blessed, attached to the wall and placed at some distance from each other. Pictorial or sculptured representations of the Passion are recommended but are not essential.
The indulgences cease : a) if the crosses are moved from one church to another, but not if they are moved from one place to another in the same church ; b) if all or the majority of the crosses are destroyed, but if less than seven are destroyed they may be replaced by new crosses even if the latter are not blessed.