Pope authorizes indulgence for World Day of Sick

January 28, 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI has authorized special indulgences for Catholics worldwide on the occasion of the Catholic Church’s World Day of the Sick next month, during this Year of Faith. The annual day is observed on Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, and this Year of Faith it will be observed in a special way from Feb. 7-11 at the Marian shrine of Altötting, in Germany. The theme chosen by Pope Benedict for this 21st World Day of the Sick is: “Go and do likewise,” taken from the Parable of the Good Samaritan in St. Luke’s Gospel.
An indulgence removes fully or partially the temporal punishment due for sins that have already been forgiven in confession. There are a number of condition that a person must fulfil in order to obtain an indulgence, namely going to confession, receiving Holy Communion, praying for the intentions of the Pope and total detachment from sin. The penitent can alternatively obtain indulgence for the souls of the dead.
A decree released on Monday by the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary, which deals with indulgences, said that the indulgences can be obtained by those who after the example of the Good Samaritan, in a spirit of faith and merciful attitude, engage in the service of their suffering brothers, and the sick themselves can obtain indulgences by bearing up the pain and adversity of life, raising their hearts with humble trust to God, giving open witness to faith through the way of the Gospel of suffering. The decree also spells out other ways and conditions for the indulgences. Earlier in October, Pope Benedict had already authorized indulgences for the Year of Faith from Oct. 11, 2012 to Nov. 24, 2013.