Fr. Z's Blog

30 November: FINAL DAY

The Church’s senior tribunal, which handles all matter of the internal forum and indulgences, the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary, has issued a decree about the annual opportunity to gain indulgences for the souls in Purgatory in time of COVID.

Right now the decree is only in Latin, Italian and German.

In effect, because of the Wuhan Devil, the SPA has extended the indulgence in the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum (conc. 29, §1) for the whole month of November.

The plenary indulgence granted for visited a cemetery to pray for the dead from 1-8 November, is extended to other days of the month as the faithful choose.

The plenary indulgence for 2 November for the faithful who visit a church or oratory and recite an Our Father and the Apostles Creed can be transferred to the previous or following Sunday or to All Saints or even on another day of November as the faithful choose.

The elderly or sick or those for some reason cannot leave their dwelling, even because of a government lockdown, can obtain the plenary indulgence.  Provided that they are completely detached from sin and have the intention of fulfilling as soon as possible the three usual condition of sacramental confession, Holy Communion and prayer for the intentions designated by the Pope,  the obtain the plenary indulgence by praying before an image of the Lord or the Blessed Virgin pious prayers for the dead such as Lauds and Vespers from the Office for the Dead, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or other prayers for the dead, or meditate on a Gospel passage proposed by the Liturgy for the Dead, or do a work of mercy by offering their pain and discomfort to God.

The SPA strongly urges priests to provide the Sacrament of Penance and Communion for the infirm.

The SPA reminds about the document of 19 March about the Sacrament of Penance in time of pandemic.

The SPA warmly invites all priests to celebrate Holy Mass three times on 2 November, in accordance with the 1915 Apostolic Constitution Incruentem altaris of Benedict XV.

The decree was signed on 22 October, the Feast of St John Paul II.

D E C R E T U M
Vertente anno, propter pandemiam morbi “covid 19”,
Indulgentiae plenariae pro fidelibus defunctis totum
prorogabuntur per mensem novembrem,commutatis
condicionibus piisque operibus, ut christianus populus in
tuto sit

Ad hanc Apostolicam Paenitentiariam complures Sacrorum Pastorum
supplicationes nuper pervenerunt, quibus postulabatur ut vertente anno, propter
epidemiam morbi “covid-19”, piae commutentur operae ad plenarias lucrandas
Indulgentias, animabus in Purgatorio detentis tantummodo applicabiles ad
normam Enchiridii Indulgentiarum (conc. 29, § 1). Quam ad rem eadem
Apostolica Paenitentiaria, de speciali mandato Ss.mi D. N. Francisci Pp., libenter
statuit ac decernit ut, ad vitanda concursa, nonnullis in nationibus et territoriis
vetita vel saltem dissuasa, vertente anno:

a.- plenaria Indulgentia pro pie visitantibus coemeterium et, vel mente
tantum, pro defunctis exorantibus, singulis octo diebus, more solito a primo
usque ad octavum Novembris tantum adfixa, pro fidelium utilitate, in alios dies
usque ad octo, etiam seiunctos, intra mensem Novembrem transferri possit, a
singulis fidelibus libere eligendos;

b.- plenaria Indulgentia, diei II Novembris, in Commemoratione omnium
fidelium defunctorum adfixa, pro pie visitantibus ecclesiam vel oratorium ibique
“Pater” et “Credo” recitantibus, non tantum in diem Dominicum antecedentem
aut subsequentem aut diem sollemnitatis Omnium Sanctorum transferri possit,
sed etiam in alium diem intra mensem Novembrem, a singulis fidelibus libere
eligendum.

Senes, infirmi omnesque qui gravi causa domo exire nequeunt, ex. gr.
decretis prohibentibus, ut fedeles frequentes in loca sacra conveniant, plenariam
consequi poterunt Indulgentiam, dummodo, animo voto sese iis sociantes, qui
pias egerint visitationes, de quibus supra, concepta detestatione cuiusque peccati
et intentione praestandi, ubi primum licuerit, tres consuetas condiciones
(sacramentali Confessione, eucharistica Communione et oratione ad mentem
Summi Pontificis), coram quavis imagine D. N. Iesu Christi vel Beatae Virginis
Mariae, pias pro defunctis preces recitaverint (ex. gr. Laudes et Vesperas Officii
Defunctorum, Rosarium Marianum, Coronam Divinae Misericordiae aliaeque
preces pro defunctis christifidelibus magis caras), vel Evangelii lectionem e
Liturgia Defunctorum ad modum lectionis spiritalis legerint vel in misericordiae
operam incubuerint, doloribus vel propriae vitae incommodis Deo clementi
oblatis.

Quo igitur accessus, ad divinam veniam per Ecclesiae claves consequendam,
facilior pro pastorali caritate evadat, haec Paenitentiaria enixe rogat ut sacerdotes
legitime adprobati, prompto et generoso animo celebrationi Paenitentiae sese
praebeant ac S. communionem infirmis ministrent.

Attamen, pro spiritalibus condicionibus ad Indulgentiam plene
acquirendam, semper valet huius Apostolicae Paenitentiariae Nota De
Reconciliationis Sacramento, tempore pandemiae morbi “covid 19” celebrando.

Denique, cum autem animae in Purgatorio detentae fidelium suffragiis,
potentissimum vero acceptabili Altaris sacrificio iuvantur (cfr. Conc. Tr., Sess.
XXV, decr. De Purgatorio), sacerdotes omnes enixe rogantur ut die
Commemorationis omnium fidelium defunctorum, ter sacrum facere ad normam
Constitutionis Apostolicae “Incruentum Altaris”, a Benedicto Pp. XV, v.m., die X
Augusti MCMXV datae.

Praesenti totum per mensem novembrem valituro. Contrariis
quibuscumque minime obstantibus.

Datum Romae, ex aedibus Paenitentiariae Apostolicae, die XXII mensis
Octobris anni MMXX, in S. Ioannis Pauli Pp. memoria.

MAURUS Card. PIACENZA
Paenitentiarius Maior

CHRISTOPHORUS NYKIEL
Regens

L. + S.
In PA tab. N.791/20/I