What is a plenary indulgence? An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1471) What are Holy Doors, and why should we go through them? One of the central components of the Jubilee of Mercy is the Holy Doors throughout the world that have been opened during this Jubilee year. When a designated door is opened, “the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instils hope” (MV, 3). Since each diocese will have the opportunity to open a Door of Mercy in their diocese, all members of the faithful will have opportunity to make a pilgrimage to their local Holy Door during the Jubilee. This pilgrimage is to be a journey of walking closer with God and discovering “moment[s] of grace and spiritual renewal” (MV, 3). These doors are symbols of God’s mercy, open to welcome everyone into the compassion of God’s love that Christ proclaimed. How can I obtain an indulgence for the Jubilee of Mercy? In order to gain the special indulgence, a Catholic is required first to make sacramental confession, receive the Eucharist at Mass, make a profession of faith and offer prayers for the pope’s intentions. In conjunction with fulfilling these conditions, one may then take part in any of the following observances of the Jubilee of Mercy: Making a pilgrimage to Holy Name Cathedral or a designated Jubilee parish, and walking through the designated Holy Door and making a brief visit (See list of Jubilee sites at jubileemercy.org). Those who cannot enter the Holy Door, especially those who are sick and homebound, also can obtain an indulgence, as Pope Francis said: “For them it will be of great help to live their sickness and suffering as an experience of closeness to the Lord who in the mystery of his Passion, death and Resurrection indicates the royal road which gives meaning to pain and loneliness. Living with faith and joyful hope this moment of trial, receiving Communion or attending Holy Mass and community prayer, even through the various means of communication, will be for them the means of obtaining the Jubilee Indulgence.” Those who are incarcerated may obtain the indulgence in the chapels of the prisons. “May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an experience of freedom.” Furthermore, the Jubilee indulgence can also be obtained for the deceased. Source: Office for Divine Worship For a list of Holy Doors in the archdiocese and other Jubilee resources, visit jubileemercy.org.
Confession can be a place where church fights abuse, Jesuit says To protect the sacrament of reconciliation as a “channel of grace” for victims of sexual abuse, the Catholic Church must do a better job instructing priests on what to do if a victim recounts his or her abuse in the confessional and in the unlikely case that an abuser confesses, said Jesuit Father Hans Zollner.
Being elected pope doesn't wash away one's sins, pope says While his responsibilities are greater and his prayer list longer, Pope Francis said he's basically the same person he was before he was elected in 2013, so he still goes to confession every two weeks.
‘Dangerous’ bill on seal of confession withdrawn before key hearing In a last-minute twist, a California bill that would have required priests to break the sacramental seal of confession was shelved by its sponsor amid a remarkable grassroots campaign mounted by the state’s Catholics, members of other faith groups, and religious liberty advocates from across the country.