Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary on Plenary
Indulgences for the deceased faithful in the
current pandemic, 23.10.2020
DECREE
This year, in the current circumstances due to
the “Covid-19” pandemic, the Plenary Indulgences
for the deceased faithful will be extended
throughout the entire month of November, with
adaptation of works and conditions to guarantee
the safety of the faithful.
This Apostolic Penitentiary has received many
petitions from holy Pastors who have asked that
this year, due to the "Covid-19" epidemic, pious
works be commuted in order to obtain the Plenary
Indulgences applicable to souls in Purgatory, in
accordance with the Manual of Indulgences (conc.
29, § 1). For this reason, the Apostolic
Penitentiary, on the special mandate of His
Holiness Pope Francis, willingly establishes and
decides that this year, in order to avoid
gatherings where they are forbidden:
a.- the Plenary Indulgence for those who visit a
cemetery and pray for the deceased, even if only
mentally, normally established only on the
individual days from 1 to 8 November, may be
transferred to other days of the same month,
until its end. These days, freely chosen by the
individual believers, may also be separate from
each other;
b- the Plenary Indulgence of 2 November,
established on the occasion of the Commemoration
of all the deceased faithful for those who
piously visit a church or oratory and recite the
“Our Father” and the “Creed” there, may be
transferred not only to the Sunday before or
after or on the day of the Solemnity of All
Saints, but also to another day of the month of
November, freely chosen by the individual
faithful.
The elderly, the sick and all those who for
serious reasons cannot leave their homes, for
example because of restrictions imposed by the
competent authority in this time of the
pandemic, in order to prevent numerous faithful
from crowding into the holy places, will be able
to obtain the Plenary Indulgence as long as they
join spiritually with all the other faithful,
completely detached from sin and with the
intention of complying as soon as possible with
the three usual conditions (sacramental
confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer
according to the Holy Father's intentions),
before an image of Jesus or the Blessed Virgin
Mary, recite pious prayers for the deceased, for
example, Lauds and Vespers of the Office of the
Dead, the Marian Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine
Mercy, other prayers for the deceased dearest to
the faithful, or occupy themselves in considered
reading of one of the Gospel passages proposed
by the liturgy of the deceased, or perform a
work of mercy by offering to God the sorrows and
hardships of their own lives.
For an easier attainment of divine grace through
pastoral charity, this Penitentiary earnestly
prays that all priests with the appropriate
faculties offer themselves with particular
generosity to the celebration of the Sacrament
of Penance and administer Holy Communion to the
sick.
However, as far as the spiritual conditions for
fully achieving the Indulgence are concerned, it
is worth recalling the indications already
issued in the “Note on the Sacrament of
Reconciliation in the current pandemic” issued
by the Apostolic Penitentiary on 19 March 2020.
Finally, since the souls in Purgatory are
assisted by the prayers of the faithful and
especially by the sacrifice of the Altar to God
(cf. Conc. Tr. Sess. XXV, decr. De Purgatorio),
all priests are strongly invited to celebrate
Holy Mass three times on the day of the
Commemoration of all the deceased faithful, in
accordance with the Apostolic Constitution "Incruentum
Altaris", issued by Pope Benedict XV, of
venerable memory, on 10 August 1915.
This Decree is valid throughout the entire month
of November, notwithstanding any provision to
the contrary.
Given in Rome, from the seat of the Apostolic
Penitentiary, on 22 October 2020, memorial of
Saint John Paul II.
Maurus Card. Piacenza
Paenitentiarius Maior
Christophorus Nykiel
Regens |