What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

As you know, this year will be dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle.

Below, find the decree in Latin from the Sacra Penitenzieria Apostolica for the plenary indulgence that can be gained.

Here is the story from VIS.

VATICAN CITY, 10 MAY 2008 (VIS) – According to a decree made public today and signed by Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI will grant the faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the two-thousandth anniversary of the birth of the Apostle Paul. The Plenary Indulgence will be valid throughout the Pauline Year which is due to run from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009.

"With the imminence of the liturgical Solemnity of the Prince of the Apostles", says the decree, "the Supreme Pontiff … wishes, in good time, to provide for the faithful with spiritual treasures for their own sanctification, that they may renew and reinforce … their purpose of supernatural salvation from the moment of the First Vespers of the aforementioned Solemnity, principally in honour of the Apostle of the Gentiles the two-thousandth anniversary of whose earthly birth is now approaching.

"In fact, the gift of indulgences which the Roman Pontiff offers the Universal Church, facilitates the way to interior purification which, while rendering honour to the Blessed Apostle Paul, exalts supernatural life in the hearts of the faithful and spurs them on … to produce fruits of good works".

The means to obtain the Plenary Indulgence are as follows:

"All Christian faithful – truly repentant, duly purified by the Sacrament of Penance and restored with Holy Communion – who undertake a pious visit in the form of a pilgrimage to the papal basilica of St. Paul on Rome’s Via Ostiense and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, are granted and imparted Plenary Indulgence for the temporal punishment of their sins, once they have obtained sacramental remission and forgiveness for their shortcomings.

"Plenary Indulgence may be gained by the Christian faithful, either for themselves or for the deceased, as many times as the aforementioned acts are undertaken; it remains the case, however, that Plenary Indulgence may be obtained only once a day.

"In order that the prayers pronounced on these holy visits may lead and draw the souls of the faithful to a more intense veneration of the memory of St. Paul, the following conditions are laid down: the faithful, apart from pronouncing their own prayers before the altar of the Blessed Sacrament, ... must go to the altar of the Confession and pray the ‘Our Father’ and the ‘Creed’, adding pious invocations in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Paul; and such acts of devotion must remain closely linked to the memory of the Prince of the Apostles St. Peter".

"Christian faithful from the various local Churches, under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion, prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff) and completely unattached to any form of sin, may still obtain the Plenary Indulgence if they participate devotedly in a religious function or in a pious exercise held publicly in honour of the Apostle of the Gentiles: on the days of the solemn opening and closing of the Pauline Year in any place of worship; on other days determined by the local ordinary, in holy places named for St. Paul and, for the good of the faithful, in other places designated by the ordinary".  [May bishops everywhere, please God, take note!]

The document concludes by recalling how the faithful who, "through sickness or other legitimate or important reason", are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain the Plenary Indulgence if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, "spiritually unite themselves to a Jubilee celebration in honour of St. Paul, offering their prayers and suffering to God for the unity of Christians".

URBIS ET ORBIS
D E C R E T U M

 Saeculo XX expleto postquam Sanctus Apostolus Paulus in terris ortus est,
speciales conceduntur Indulgentiae.

Cum instet sollemnitas liturgica Principum Apostolorum, Summus Pontifex, pastorali impulsus sollicitudine, in animo habet tempestive decernere de spiritalibus aperiendis thesauris pro sanctificatione fidelium, ita ut ipsi salutaria proposita semper quidem concipienda, vel maxime hac pia et felici occasione innovent et roborent, in actum ferventissime deducenda inde a primis vesperis memoratae sollemnitatis, praesertim in honorem Apostoli Gentium, a cuius ortu in terris bismillesimus anniversarius dies nunc propinquat.

Sane vero, Indulgentiarum donum, quod Romanus Pontifex universae Ecclesiae praebet, optimae interiori purificationi summo gradu attingendae viam sternit, quae scilicet Beato Paulo Apostolo honorem defert et supernaturalem vitam in cordibus fidelium exaltat et ad fructus bonorum operum gignendos suaviter impellit.

Itaque haec Apostolica Paenitentiaria, cui Beatissimus Pater commisit ut Decretum de Indulgentiis totum per spatium Anni Paulini largiendis et acquirendis praeparet atque redigat, per praesens iuxta ipsius Augusti Pontificis mentem editum, gratias, quae in sequentibus significantur, benigne dilargitur:

 

I.- Omnibus et singulis christifidelibus vere paenitentibus, qui, rite per Sacramentum Paenitentiae expiati et Sacra Synaxi refecti,papalem Sancti Pauli Basilicam ad viam Ostiensem in forma peregrinationis pie inviserint et ad mentem Summi Pontificis oraverint, plenaria temporalis poenae, pro peccatis luendae, Indulgentia, misericorditer in Domino conceditur atque impertitur, obtenta prius ab iisdem admissorum cuiusque suorum sacramentali remissione ac venia.

Plenaria haec Indulgentia a christifidelibus cum sibi, tum aliis fidelibus vita functis toties lucri fieri poterit, quoties imperata opera rite perficiantur, norma autem illa usque vigente, qua semel dumtaxat in die consequi licet Indulgentiam plenariam.

Ut vero quae in sacris hisce visitationibus effundentur preces ad Sancti Pauli memoriam recolendam fidelium animos studiosius referant atque excitent, haec, quae sequuntur, statuuntur atque iubentur: praeter eas supplicationes, quae ultro pro singulorum pietate ante SS.mi Sacramenti aram ad Deum admovebuntur, ad Confessionis aram recitari debent Oratio Dominica atque Symbolum Apostolorum, additis piis invocationibus in honorem Beatae Mariae Virginis atque Sancti Pauli. Quae quidem animi devotio sibi semper conexam habeat memoriam Principis Apostolorum Sancti Petri.

 

II.- Christifideles variarum Ecclesiarum localium, suetis condicionibus (sacramentali Confessione, eucharistica Commu-nione et oratione ad mentem Summi Pontificis) rite adimpletis, omnino excluso affectu erga quodcumque peccatum, plenariam lucrari valebunt Indulgentiam, si sacrae functioni vel pio exercitio in honorem Apostoli Gentium publice peractis devote interfuerint: diebus, quibus Annus Paulinus sollemniter aperietur et claudetur, in omnibus sacris aedibus; aliis diebus a loci Ordinario determinandis, in sacris aedibus sub titulo Sancti Pauli et, pro utilitate fidelium, in aliis ab ipso Ordinario designandis.

 

 III.- Denique fideles, morbo vel alia legitima et notabili causa impediti, pariter plenariam consequi poterunt Indulgentiam, semper elongato animo a quocumque peccato et concepto proposito suetas condiciones, cum primum eis possibile erit, adimplendi, dummodo iubilari celebrationi in honorem Sancti Pauli peractae se spiritaliter adiunxerint, preces suas suosque dolores misericordi Deo offerentes pro Christianorum unitate.

Quo autem facilius christifideles caelestium horum munerum participes fieri queant, sacerdotes, competenti ecclesiastica auctoritate ad confessiones audiendas adprobati, prompto et generoso animo sese praebeant ad ipsas excipiendas.

Praesenti per Annum Paulinum tantum valituro. In contrarium facientibus non obstantibus quibuscumque.

Datum Romae, ex aedibus Paenitentiariae Apostolicae, die X mensis Maii, anno Dominicae Incarnationis MMVIII, in vigilia Dominicae Pentecostes. 

IACOBUS FRANCISCUS S. R. E. Card. STAFFORD
Paenitentiarius Maior

+ Ioannes Franciscus Girotti, O. F. M. Conv.
Ep. Tit. Metensis, Regens