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Home , Anointing, Urbi et Orbi

Why the ’s on March 27 will be absolutely unique

We can say that never in history has anything like this happened.

How can the pope get closer to believers scattered around the planet at a moment of grave danger? This is a question that Francis undoubtedly reflected upon when the coronavirus began its rapid spread around and the globe. The answer does not consist in live-streaming Mass so that everyone can follow him through the Internet, even though he is in fact doing that each morning. In fact, “following” the celebration of Mass through the media, theologically speaking, is not “participating.” There is no such thing as media sacraments. Mass on television cannot replace the sacrament of the . If one cannot attend Mass, watching a televised Mass can be a great spiritual help, but the viewer doesn’t participate in the sacrament. Only a pope What, then, can the pope do to make himself actively present in the life of each member of the faithful? There’s a unique act he can perform: the papal blessing “Urbi et Orbi,” which translates from “to the city [of ] and to the world.” FOLLOW THE BLESSING HERE. It’s an act which no other can perform, and which — in contrast to the Mass — can take place effectively through the media, for the good of the souls of the faithful. The Vatican determined some decades ago that those who receive the pope’s “Urbi et Orbi” blessing through a live broadcast are eligible to receive its blessing, just as those physically present in St. Peter’s Square. Unprecedented Normally, the pope only imparts the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on three occasions: when he is elected Successor of Peter, at , and at . We can say that never before in history has an “Urbi et Orbi” blessing been given by a pope all alone in St. Peter’s Square, followed worldwide by believers through the media. It will be a unique historical event. Plenary The blessing “Urbi et Orbi” grants remission for the temporal punishment of sins that are already forgiven; that is, it confers a plenary indulgence under the conditions determined by Canon Law and made explicit by the Catechism of the (Nos. 1471- 1484). The conditions for receiving a plenary indulgence are (Cf. The Gift of the Indulgence, by the ):

 having the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;  having sacramentally confessed sins;  receiving the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);  prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. 

During these times of lockdown and quarantine, the Vatican has determined that the 2nd and 3rd of those conditions can be fulfilled when it becomes again possible.

So what’s an indulgence? According to (Catechism of the , numbers 1422-1498), the guilt of sin is remitted through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), so that the person is once again in God’s grace and will be saved if he or she does not fall back into mortal sin. But sin brings disorder into a believer’s life and into the world, which remains after Confession. Though forgiven, there is still a need to rectify this disorder. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines an indulgence as “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven” (CCC 1471). To understand what the term “temporal punishment” means in this context, we need to keep in mind that there is a distinction between receiving God’s forgiveness of our sins and the necessity of contending with our sins’ consequences. Sins are not only the breaking of God’s commandments, but are also a cause of discord in both God’s benevolent ordering of the universe as well as in his providential guidance of our lives. While our sins are truly and fully forgiven in the , our souls can still suffer the spiritual damage caused by our offenses. There are several ways we can repair this damage, or “remit the temporal punishment” that our sins deserve. For instance, we can do good works or patiently suffer the trials of life. If we are not able to properly atone for our sins in this way during the course of our time on earth, our souls would ultimately need to be healed and purified through the sufferings of purgatory. Yet there are some saints who, through their lives of heroic patience and charity, have already done more than enough to ready their own souls for . Because of this, the Church effectively has a surplus of goodness, which is referred to as the “treasury of the Church” (cf. CCC 1467). Given the Church’s doctrine on the communion of saints (the Church’s teaching that all share a deep spiritual bond with each other), it is possible for one Christian’s overabundant merit to be applied to the spiritual healing of another soul still in need of purification. As the Catechism states: “In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others” (CCC 1465). We can recall that told St. Peter, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18). Therefore, Catholics believe that the Holy Father, as the successor to St. Peter, has the power to distribute this excess grace to faithful Christians. An indulgence is the act through which this sharing of grace happens. In other words, since the plenary indulgence completely remits that due penalty, those who die without having fallen back into sin do not need the purification of Purgatory and may enter directly into heaven (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030-1032). According to Tradition, the benefits of the blessing “Urbi et Orbi” are effective for all those who receive the blessing with faith and devotion, even if they receive it by listening or watching live through mass media. This is precisely the unique gesture of companionship that the pope has chosen to give to every believer at this time.

This is the English translation of the formula of the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, which the pope will pronounce in Latin this Friday at 6:00 p.m. in Rome. This is 1 pm east coast time. It will be on EWTN TODAY. May the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, in whose power and authority we trust, intercede for us before the Lord. ℟: Amen. Through the prayers and merits of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Saint the Archangel, Saint , the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, may Almighty God have mercy on you and forgive all your sins, and may Christ bring you to everlasting life. ℟: Amen. May the almighty and merciful Lord grant you indulgence, absolution and the remission of all your sins, a season of true and fruitful penance, a well-disposed heart, amendment of life, the grace and comfort of the and final perseverance in good works. ℟: Amen. And may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever. ℟: Amen. ~ ~ ~ Here we offer the text in Latin, in case you want to follow ’ exact words: Sancti Apostoli Petrus et Paulus: de quorum potestate et auctoritate confidimus, ipsi intercedant pro nobis ad Dominum. ℟: Amen. Precibus et meritis beatae Mariae semper Virginis, beati Michaelis Archangeli, beati Ioannis Baptistae et sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli et omnium Sanctorum, misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus; et dimissis omnibus peccatis vestris, perducat vos Iesus Christus ad vitam æternam. ℟: Amen. Indulgentiam, absolutionem, et remissionem omnium peccatorum vestrorum, spatium veræ et fructuosae pœnitentiae, cor semper paenitens, et emendationem vitae, gratiam et consolationem Sancti Spiritus; et finalem perseverantiam in bonis operibus tribuat vobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. ℟: Amen. Et benedictio Dei omnipotentis, Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, descendat super vos et maneat semper. ℟: Amen.

Those who are praying for the end of the epidemic can also get the .

A message from the Apostolic Penitentiary on March 20 announces the granting of special indulgences for the victims of COVID-19.

It applies to those who have the virus, as well as those in quarantine, who unite spiritually through the media to the Mass, pray the Rosary, due the Way of the , or other devotions, “or if at least they will recite the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and a pious invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, offering this trial in a spirit of faith in God and charity towards their brothers and sisters, with the will to fulfill the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the Holy Father’s intentions), as soon as possible.” The same conditions apply for health care workers, family members and all those who, following the example of the Good Samaritan, exposing themselves to the risk of contagion, care for the sick of Coronavirus. And all the faithful can receive a plenary indulgence with the same conditions when they “offer a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, or Eucharistic adoration, or reading the Holy Scriptures for at least half an hour, or the recitation of the Holy Rosary, or the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross, or the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, to implore from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself.” There is a special note for those who are unable to receive the of the Sick and their last Eucharist. The Church prays for those who find themselves unable to receive the Sacrament of the and of the Viaticum, entrusting each and every one to divine Mercy by virtue of the communion of saints and granting the faithful a Plenary Indulgence on the point of death, provided that they are duly disposed and have recited a few prayers during their lifetime (in this case the Church makes up for the three usual conditions required). For the attainment of this indulgence the use of the crucifix or the cross is recommended (cf. Enchiridion indulgentiarum, no.12).

The gift of special Indulgences is granted to the faithful suffering from COVID-19 disease, commonly known as Coronavirus, as well as to health care workers, family members and all those who in any capacity, including through prayer, care for them. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom 12: 12). The words written by Saint Paul to the Church of Rome resonate throughout the entire history of the Church and guide the judgment of the faithful in the face of all suffering, sickness and calamity. The present moment in which the whole of humanity, threatened by an invisible and insidious disease, which for some time now has become part of all our lives, is marked day after day by anguished fears, new uncertainties and above all widespread physical and moral suffering. The Church, following the example of her Divine Master, has always had the care of the sick at heart. As Saint John Paul II points out, the value of human suffering is twofold: “It is supernatural because it is rooted in the divine mystery of the Redemption of the world, and it is likewise deeply human, because in it the person discovers himself, his own humanity, his own dignity, his own mission” (Apostolic Letter Salvifici Doloris, 31). Pope Francis, too, in these recent days, has shown his paternal closeness and renewed his invitation to pray incessantly for those who are sick with the Coronavirus. So that all those who suffer because of COVID-19, precisely in the mystery of this suffering, may rediscover “the same redemptive suffering of Christ” (ibid., 30), this Apostolic Penitentiary, ex auctoritate Summi Pontificis, trusting in the word of Christ the Lord and considering with a spirit of faith the epidemic currently underway, to be lived in a spirit of personal conversion, grants the gift of Indulgences in accordance with the following disposition. The Plenary Indulgence is granted to the faithful suffering from Coronavirus, who are subject to quarantine by order of the health authority in hospitals or in their own homes if, with a spirit detached from any sin, they unite spiritually through the media to the celebration of Holy Mass, the recitation of the Holy Rosary, to the pious practice of the Way of the Cross or other forms of devotion, or if at least they will recite the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and a pious invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, offering this trial in a spirit of faith in God and charity towards their brothers and sisters, with the will to fulfil the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the Holy Father’s intentions), as soon as possible. Health care workers, family members and all those who, following the example of the Good Samaritan, exposing themselves to the risk of contagion, care for the sick of Coronavirus according to the words of the divine Redeemer: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15: 13), will obtain the same gift of the Plenary Indulgence under the same conditions. This Apostolic Penitentiary also willingly grants a Plenary Indulgence under the same conditions on the occasion of the current world epidemic, also to those faithful who offer a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, or Eucharistic adoration, or reading the Holy Scriptures for at least half an hour, or the recitation of the Holy Rosary, or the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross, or the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, to implore from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself. The Church prays for those who find themselves unable to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and of the Viaticum, entrusting each and every one to divine Mercy by virtue of the communion of saints and granting the faithful a Plenary Indulgence on the point of death, provided that they are duly disposed and have recited a few prayers during their lifetime (in this case the Church makes up for the three usual conditions required). For the attainment of this indulgence the use of the crucifix or the cross is recommended (cf. Enchiridion indulgentiarum, no.12). May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of the Church, Health of the Sick and Help of Christians, our Advocate, help suffering humanity, saving us from the evil of this pandemic and obtaining for us every good necessary for our salvation and sanctification. The present Decree is valid notwithstanding any provision to the contrary. Given in Rome, from the seat of the Apostolic Penitentiary, on 19 March 2020. Mauro Cardinal Piacenza Major Penitentiary