Pope Benedict XVI decrees Plenary Indulgence on the occasion of 2000^th Birth Anniversary of St Paul

(May 10, 2008) Pope Benedict is offering the faithful of the world a plenary indulgence on the occasion of the two thousandth anniversary celebration of the birth of St. Paul the Apostle, scheduled from June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009. The decree granting the indulgence was issued on Friday by Cardinal James Francis Stafford, the head of the Major Penitentiary, which is the Vatican office that deals with confessions and indulgences. According to Catholic teaching, every sin entails a punishment even after it is forgiven through the sacrament of penance. A plenary indulgence means that by the merits of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the full remission of the temporal punishment is obtained. The normal requirements set by the church for all plenary indulgences are: that within a reasonably short period of time, the person goes to confession, receives the Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the pope, all in a spirit of total detachment from the attraction of sin. During the Pauline year from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009, a faithful could obtain a plenary indulgence by making a pious pilgrimage to Rome’s St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls and praying for the intentions of the Pope. Elsewhere in the local churches, the faithful could obtain the indulgence by participating in a publicly held pious event in honour of St. Paul during the opening or closing dates of the Pauline Year, or in any other date or place decided upon by the local Bishop