One of the most misunderstood articles of Catholic doctrine is the teaching about indulgences. So what exactly is an indulgence? Who grants it? Where does one get it? Why does one need it? How does one get it?
These are important questions to consider, especially during this Jubilee Year of Hope in which Pope Francis has granted a plenary indulgence to all the faithful who pass through the Holy Door which the pope opened at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Dec. 24, 2024, marking the beginning of the Jubilee Year.
The Latin root of the word “indulgentia” originally meant kindness or favor. In post-classical Latin, it came to mean the remission or pardoning of a debt. Indulgences are pardons believed to eliminate earthly suffering or reduce time spent in purgatory. In a more classic articulation, an indulgence is the pardoning or canceling of temporal punishment due to sin for which sorrow has already been expressed and forgiveness received through the Sacrament of Penance. It can be obtained for oneself or for the souls in purgatory.
To understand what is meant by “temporal punishment” due to sin, it is important to recall, as the Catechism teaches, that sin has a double consequence (CCC 1472). Mortal or grave sin deprives one of communion with God and, therefore, makes one incapable of enjoying eternal life. This privation caused by mortal or grave sin is called the “eternal punishment” of sin.
By confessing one’s sin with true sorrow, one is forgiven and restored to communion with God and, thus, one is pardoned and absolved of the eternal punishment due to sin.
Venial sin, on the other hand, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures which must be purified, either here on earth or after death in purgatory. This unhealthy attachment to creatures from which one needs to be purified — a purification that can take place either on earth or in purgatory — is what the Catechism calls the “temporal punishment” of sin.
This temporal punishment of sin remains even after confession and absolution until one is purified of them. An indulgence is the pardon that eliminates this purifying suffering in this life or reduces the amount of time needed to accomplish this purification in purgatory, which is where the church teaches that people who have confessed their sins are purified before entering into heavenly glory.
Put simply, an indulgence is the pardoning of this temporal punishment of sin.
It is obtained through the Church who opens the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to the individual Christians and thus obtains the remission or canceling of temporal punishments due to sin from the Father of mercies. It is from the treasury of Christ’s infinite merits and the saints’ participation in his passion and glory that the Church derives her authority to grant an indulgence. It is the pope who grants an indulgence, hence, the right to do so is reserved to the Holy See.
For the Jubilee of Hope, Pope Francis not only opened the Holy Door in Rome as a place of pilgrimage, but also granted diocesan bishops the authority to designate pilgrimage sites in their local dioceses where the faithful can prayerfully visit and obtain a plenary indulgence.
An indulgence is partial or plenary as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment of sin. In the Decree published to inaugurate the Jubilee Year 2025 in the Diocese of Green Bay, Bishop David Ricken described an indulgence as “a powerful gift to the souls of believers.”
In his words, “Indulgences aid in healing the brokenness caused by our sins in this world and reduce, or completely eliminate, the temporal punishment due to our sins.”
Bishop Ricken also designated these three sacred places of pilgrimage in the Diocese of Green Bay during the Jubilee Year and one can obtain a plenary indulgence by visiting any of them and fulfilling a few other conditions for their reception:
• St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Green Bay
• The Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, Champion
• St. Pius X Parish, Appleton
To obtain a plenary indulgence, those members of the faithful who are truly repentant of their sins and are moved by a spirit of mercy are to:
• Visit one of the designated churches or shrines.
• Receive the Sacrament of Penance.
• Receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
• Be truly free from all willful attachment to sin.
• Make a Profession of Faith (Recite the Nicene or Apostles’ Creed).
• Pray for Pope Francis’ Intentions for the Church and for the world (Recite the “Our Father”).
Finally, how often does one get a plenary indulgence? As Bishop Ricken noted in his Decree, one plenary may be received each day. However, the faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in purgatory, if they receive Holy Communion a second time that day during Eucharistic celebration, can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day applicable only to the deceased.
Why does one need an indulgence? One needs it simply because it does not hurt to have it. I need all the help I can get on the journey to heaven and, perhaps, you do, too.
Fr. Alvan Amadi is pastor of the three linked parishes of Holy Rosary, New Holstein; SS. Peter and Paul, Kiel; and St. Ann, Saint Anna.