Q. What qualifies as an indulgence?
A. Indulgences are defined in the 1983 Code of Canon Law as “the remission before God of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is already forgiven, which a properly disposed member of the Christian faithful gains under certain and defined conditions by the assistance of the Church which as minister of redemption dispenses and applies authoritatively the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” (c. 992).
Essentially, an indulgence is not the forgiveness of a sin but the “paying back” of the debt incurred by sin through some pious act approved by the Church. Only those actions or pious works identified by the Church can qualify as an indulgence. There are any number of places to find indulgences, including the Manual of Indulgences.
To receive the benefits of an indulgence one must be in the state of grace (at least by the end of the action), be detached from sin, receive Holy Communion, make an integral confession, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father (usually an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be). The reception of Holy Communion and confession should be within several days of the completion of the action intended for the reception of an indulgence.
Editor’s note: The Vatican decided to grant Catholics who visit a cemetery to pray for the dead on any day in the month of November a plenary indulgence.
Usually, the Catholic Church only grants this plenary indulgence for the souls in Purgatory to those who pray in a cemetery Nov. 1-8, which is the week of the Solemnity of All Souls’ Day.
Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree that extended the availability of some plenary indulgences because of concerns about avoiding large gatherings of people in churches or cemeteries. The Vatican has issued the same decree this year during the month of November.
The specific Nov. 2 plenary indulgence one can obtain for the souls in Purgatory by visiting a church or an oratory and reciting an Our Father and the Creed, can now also be done on any day in November.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, vice chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
