Apostolic Penitentiary

Indulgence, the rules for granting it during the Ordinary Jubilee 2025

The faithful who are 'truly repentant and moved by a spirit of charity' may receive the indulgence

24 December 2024

Giubileo, emozione e attesa tra i fedeli in Piazza San Pietro

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Key points

The truly repentant and charitably motivated faithful may receive the indulgence.
The indulgence in suffrage of the souls in Purgatory
To obtain the indulgence one must undertake a pilgrimage
Prayer, celebration or reconciliation
Leniency for those with severe impediments
The works of mercy and penance
abstaining from futile distractions for a day and donating money to the poor

2' min read

The rules for granting plenary indulgences in the 2025 Jubilee were issued on 21 May 2024 by the Apostolic Penitentiary, a body of the Roman Curia.

Repentant believers moved by a spirit of charity may receive the indulgence

The indulgence may be granted to the faithful who are "truly repentant", "moved by a spirit of charity", "who, in the course of the Jubilee, purified through the sacrament of penance and refreshed by Holy Communion," the text reads, "pray according to the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff".

The indulgence in suffrage of the souls in Purgatory

The indulgence may be applied "in the form of suffrage to the souls in Purgatory".

To obtain an indulgence, one must undertake a pilgrimage

The faithful may obtain an indulgence by undertaking a pilgrimage to any sacred jubilee site, to at least one of the four major papal basilicas in Rome, to the Holy Land or to other ecclesiastical districts.

Prayer, celebration or reconciliation

It is necessary by taking part in a moment of prayer, celebration or reconciliation. Then again, "devoutly visiting any Jubilee site" and experiencing Eucharistic adoration, concluding with the Our Father, Profession of Faith and Invocations to Mary.

Giubileo 2025, ci siamo: il Papa apre la Porta Santa

The indulgence for those with serious impediments

In the case of serious impediments, the faithful "truly repentant who will not be able to participate in the celebrations, pilgrimages or visits", will be able to obtain the Jubilee indulgence under the same conditions if they "recite in their own homes or wherever the impediment detains them, the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form and other prayers in conformity with the aims of the Holy Year, offering up their sufferings or the hardships of their lives".

The Works of Mercy and Penance

Other modalities are the "works of mercy and penance, through which one bears witness to the conversion undertaken" and the visit "to brothers and sisters in need or in difficulty (the sick, the imprisoned, the elderly in solitude, the differently abled...), as if making a pilgrimage to Christ present in them".

abstaining for a day from futile distractions and donating money to the poor

The indulgence can also be obtained by "abstaining, in a spirit of penance, for at least one day from futile distractions (both real and virtual) and from superfluous consumption, as well as by donating a proportionate sum of money to the poor, or by supporting works of a religious or social character, especially in favour of the defence and protection of life".

The full text - in 7 languages - can be consulted by clicking here.