Pope grants indulgences for World Meeting of Families

(May 25, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI is granting special indulgences on the occasion of the Catholic Church’s 7th World Meeting of Families which is to take place in the northern Italian city of Milan from May 30 to June 3. The Holy Father himself is participating in the final three days of the Catholic Church event. “The Family: work and celebration,” is the theme of the upcoming meeting. An indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment in purgatory, due for sins which have already been forgiven at confession. There are a number of conditions that a person must fulfil for an indulgence, namely going to confession, receiving Holy Communion, praying for the intentions of the Pope and total detachment from sin. According to a decree signed on May 16 by Cardinal Manuel Monteiro De Castro and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, respectively major penitentiary and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, but released on Friday, Pope Benedict XVI will grant two types of indulgences to those who during the days of the meeting dedicate themselves to the good of the family. A plenary or full indulgence can be obtained by those participating personally in the Milan event. Those unable to personally participate can also obtain plenary indulgence if they recite the “Our Father”, the Creed and other prayers in the family, especially when the papal events in Milan are aired on television and the radio. Temporary or partial indulgence can be obtained by the faithful from May 30 to June 3 each time they pray for the good of the family with a contrite heart.