Christian

Norms on indulgences

first part:

1. An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal

punishment due for sins already forgiven as far as their guilt is

concerned. This remission the faithful with the proper dispositions

and under certain determined conditions acquire through the

intervention of the Church which, as minister of the Redemption,

authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasury of the

satisfaction won by Christ and the Saints.



2. An indulgence is partial or plenary, according as it removes

either part or all of the temporal punishment due for sin.



3. No one, acquiring indulgences, can apply them to other living persons.



4. Partial as well as plenary indulgences can always be applied to

the departed by way of suffrage.



5. The grant of a partial indulgence is designated only with the

words "partial indulgence," without any determination of days or years.



6. The faithful, who at least with contrite heart perform an action

to which a partial indulgence is attached, obtain, in addition to the

remission of temporal punishment acquired by the action itself, an

equal remission of punishment through the intervention of the Church.



7. The division of indulgences into "personal," "real" and "local" is

abolished, so as to make it clearer that indulgences are attached to

the actions of the faithful, even though at times they may be linked

with some object or place.



8. Besides the Roman Pontiff, to whom the dispensation of the whole

spiritual treasury of the Church has been entrusted by Christ our

Lord, they only can grant indulgences by ordinary power, to whom this

is expressly conceded by law.



9. In the Roman Curia, whatever pertains to the granting and use of

indulgences is committed to the Sacred Penitentiary exclusively,

saving the right of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to

examine whatever pertains to dogmatic teaching concerning indulgences.



10. No one below the Roman Pontiff can:

1. Give to others the faculty of granting indulgences, unless he has

this right by express indult from the Apostolic See; 2. Add another

indulgence to a work already indulgenced by the Apostolic See or by

someone else, unless new conditions to be fulfilled are prescribed.



11. Diocesan Bishops, and others equated to them in law, have the

right from entrance upon their pastoral office:

1. To grant a partial indulgence to persons or in places under their

jurisdiction; 2. To impart in their respective dioceses, according to

the prescribed formula, the Papal Blessing with a plenary indulgence

three times a year on solemn feasts of their own choice, even if they

only assist at the solemn Mass.



12. Metropolitans can grant a partial indulgence in their suffragan

Sees, as in their proper diocese.



13. Patriarchs can grant a partial indulgence in each place, even if

exempt, of their respective patriarchates, in churches of their rite

outside the territory of their patriarchates, and to the faithful of

their rite everywhere. Major Archbishops have the same faculty.



14. Cardinals have the faculty of granting a partial indulgence in

places or to institutes or persons under their jurisdiction or

protection; in other places also, but only to persons present and for

that time only.



15.

1. All books of indulgences, as well as pamphlets, leaflets and the

like, whose contents include grants of indulgences, may not be

published without the permission of the Ordinary or Hierarch of the

place. 2. The express permission of the Apostolic See is required to

print and publish in any language the authentic collection of prayers

and pious works, to which the Apostolic See has attached indulgences.



16, Those who have asked and obtained from the Sovereign Pontiff

grants of indulgences for all the faithful are obliged, under penalty

of nullity of the favor thus obtained, to submit to the Sacred

Penitentiary authentic copies of these same grants.



17. If a feast or its external solemnity is legitimately transferred,

it is understood that an indulgence, attached to the feast, is

transferred to the same day.