Indulgences

[sillydoll]

You don't have to walk to Santiago to earn indulgences. Thousands of pilgrims arrive at the cathedral every month to earn partial indulgences and millions come in the Holy Year to gain a plenary indulgence.
"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it partially or wholly frees a person from the temporal punishment due for sins."
The plenary indulgence is still granted to those who visit the Cathedral and the tomb of the Apostle at any time during a Holy Year, make their confession, attend Mass, pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, and undertake some charitable work (this can include a charitable donation). The indulgence may also be gained on behalf of the dead.
Conditions are:
1) To visit the Cathedral, where the Tomb of Saint James the Great lies.
2) To recite a prayer (such as the Creed or the Lord's Prayer praying for His Holiness the Pope). It is recommended to attend the Pilgrims' Mass.
3) To receive the Sacraments of Confession (it may be 15 days before or after) and Communion. Both are responsible for the conversion and the compromise of love to Jesus and our brothers. This is the heritage of Saint James.
The grace of the Jubilee is basically a plenary indulgence for the forgiveness of the punishment our sins deserve.
In 1456 the British pilgrim William Wey, recorded these indulgences:
- for making the trip to Compostela: remission of a third of one’s sins; if you die on the road, total remission.
- for taking part in each religious procession in the city of Compostela: 40 days’ indulgences; if the procession is led by a mitered bishop, 200 days more.
- if the procession is that of July 24th: 600 days
- hearing mass at which an archbishop, dean or cardinal officiates: 200 days
hearing mass at the Monte de Gozo: 100 days.

 

[Deleted member 397]

Sil
As informative as ever! I was interested to read that William Wey considered that he would get one third off purgatory-does they Catholic church still maintain this? By contrast the current pope has said that 'pilgrims' to Lourdes earn half their time off-I wonder why the difference-is there a hierarchy in this sort of thing?

 

[sillydoll]

You can read more about indulgences here: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07783a.htm

In the middle ages, a pilgrim who died whilst on a pilgrimage would have his/her slate wiped clean and go straight to heaven. There are many poignant pilgrim memorials along the camino. Here are just two of the many photographs I took this year.
The first is a sculpture memorial to a German cyclist, Heinrich Krause, who died outside el Acebo of a heart attack in 1987 at the age of 70.
The 2nd is a memorial to a 69 year-old pilgrim, Guillermo Watt, who died just one day from Sanitago.[Sanitago.[attachment=1]

 

[Deleted member 397]

Thanks for that Sil.Quite a weighty article but the 'authorrity' that the church claims for issuing indulgences seems to associated with the 'merits of christ and the saints' but what seemed to be lacking was specific biblical authority.Presumambly this was why Wycliff,Luther andTyndale(and many others) condemned indulgences but the church retained them for the huge monetary rewards they brought.
I also clicked on pilgrimage and came up with
"Pilgrimages may be defined as journeys made to some place with the purpose of venerating it, or in order to ask there for supernatural aid, or to discharge some religious obligation".

 

[AJ]

A most interesting article and website. Thanks Sil.