Pope grants indulgences for participants in Eucharistic Revival

By Christopher Wells

Catholics participating this summer in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States will have the opportunity to obtain plenary indulgences, thanks to a concession granted by the Apostolic Penitentiary at the request of Archbishop Timothy Broglio.

In a statement Announcing the indulgences, Archbishop Broglio, president of the American Bishops' Conference, said: “It is with gratitude to the Holy Father that we receive his apostolic blessing on the participants in the National Eucharistic Congress, and for the opportunity offered to Catholics of our country to obtain a plenary indulgence by participating in the events of the Eucharistic revival

The events are part of the National Eucharistic Revival, an initiative promoted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) aimed at renewing the Church by kindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

The Most Blessed Sacrament exposed for adoration

“Through renewal efforts over the past two years, we have prepared the pilgrimage and congress that will offer Catholics the chance to experience a deep and personal renewal of faith in the Eucharist,” said Bishop Broglio in the USCCB press release. . “Pope Francis continues to encourage and support us in our efforts to share the love of Christ with a world that desperately needs him. »

The revival began on the feast of Corpus Christ 2022, which opened a year of diocesan renewal (June 2022 – June 2023), and was followed by a year of parish renewal (June 2023 – July 2024). The year of parish renewal will culminate with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, May 17-July 16, and the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, July 17-21.

Possibilities for plenary indulgences

Catholic faithful who participate in the pilgrimage at any time will be able to obtain a plenary indulgence, which is also granted to the elderly, the sick and anyone physically unable to participate, provided they participate spiritually.

The granting of the indulgence specifies that the usual conditions of sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of the Pope are necessary to receive the indulgence, which can also be applied in suffrage to souls in Purgatory.

In a decree granting the indulgence, the Apostolic Penitentiary encourages all priests with confessional faculties to make themselves “voluntarily and generously available” to do so for all those who participate.

The national Eucharistic pilgrimage will follow four distinct routes starting from the north, east, south and west of the country. The various pilgrimages will finally converge on Indianapolis, Indiana, in the heart of the country, for the National Eucharistic Congress.

Text of the decree of indulgences for the blessing at the National Eucharistic Congress

A historic moment

This summer's gathering will be the first National Eucharistic Congress to take place in the United States in more than 80 years – the last one was held in Minneapolis-St Paul in 1941. Philadelphia hosted the International Eucharistic Congress in 1976.

For this year's Congress, the Apostolic Penitentiary has granted Bishop Broglio, or another bishop chosen by him, the faculty of giving the papal blessing with a plenary indulgence at the end of the closing Mass of the Congress.

The faithful who participate in the liturgy, as well as those who, due to “reasonable circumstances and with pious intention”, follow the Mass via the media, can receive the plenary indulgence at the time of the blessing, provided that they are “truly repentant” and are motivated by charity and meet the usual conditions.

Following the Congress, the Church in the United States will celebrate a “Missionary Sending Year,” in which American Catholics will be “sent” to share the love of Christ they received in their encounter with the Eucharistic Lord.

What is a plenary indulgence?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoting Pope Saint Paul VI, explains that “indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful and duly disposed Christian acquires in conditions prescribed thanks to the action of the Church which, as minister of redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasure of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.

Continuing to quote Paul VI, the Catechism then specifies that “an indulgence is partial or plenary depending on whether it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.”

The Church's teaching on indulgences is found in the Catechism, paragraphs 1471 to 1479.