Catholic Q & A → Plenary Indulgences

What is a plenary Indulgence and how do I obtain one?

Even when a sin is forgiven and the guilt is wiped away, the temporal punishment for that sin remains. In other words, God’s mercy triumphs and sins are forgiven, but His Divine Justice must still be satisfied. The punishment for the sins must be paid in this lifetime or after death in the state commonly called Purgatory. Obtaining indulgences now takes advantage of the treasury of graces available to the Church to “loose” its members from their temporal punishment, thereby reducing or altogether eliminating the need for Purgatory.

Indulgences can be obtained for oneself or for those that have already died. The practice of obtaining indulgences spurs Christians to perform works of devotion, charity, and penance for the sake of leading them into “closer union with the body of the Church and Christ, its head.”

The requirements for obtaining a plenary indulgence are:

Examples of indulgenced work are:

Reference:

Catechism of the Catholic Church #1471-1479

Matthew 16:16-19

The Handbook of Indulgences: Norms and Grants. (Published by the Authority of the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1991).