Indulgence

[Guest Uncle Bud]

Hello all, I didn't know where else to ask so i will do it here. I am a protestant who while on my weekly excursion to the Salvation Army thrift store came upon a very large parchment in a 12" x 16" frame with a Popes picture (from 1959 which I believe would make it Pope JOHN XXIII?) and it says:

Most Holy Father

[i]Name of person on the page I am going to withhold[/i]
humbly prostrate at the feet of your Holiness begs apostolic benediction and a plenary indulgence to be gained at the hour of death on condition that being truly sorry for her sins even though unable to confess them and to reciave the holy viaticum she shall at least with her lips or heart the holy name of Jesus.

Two lines hand written in Latin I think with the date 10 nov 1959

and signed by a name I cannot read.

It also has an embossed seal on it that spells out:
sacrarvm Larcitionim
pont max magister

So I bought it, obviously, because I was curious about it. What does one do with one of these things? What are the chances the pope actually signed this document? Is it worth more than the $1.99 I paid for it ... LOL

Thanks in advance,
Uncle Bud

Edited May 15, 2005 by Uncle Bud

[Cam42]

[quote name='Uncle Bud' date='May 15 2005, 03:42 PM'] Hello all, I didn't know where else to ask so i will do it here. I am a protestant who while on my weekly excursion to the Salvation Army thrift store came upon a very large parchment in a 12" x 16" frame with a Popes picture (from 1959 which I believe would make it Pope JOHN XXIII?) and it says:

Most Holy Father

[i]Name of person on the page I am going to withhold[/i]
humbly prostrate at the feet of your Holiness begs apostolic benediction and a plenary indulgence to be gained at the hour of death on condition that being truly sorry for her sins even though unable to confess them and to reciave the holy viaticum she shall at least with her lips or heart the holy name of Jesus.

Two lines hand written in Latin I think with the date 10 nov 1959

and signed by a name I cannot read.

It also has an embossed seal on it that spells out:
sacrarvm Larcitionim
pont max magister

So I bought it, obviously, because I was curious about it. What does one do with one of these things? What are the chances the pope actually signed this document? Is it worth more than the $1.99 I paid for it ... LOL

Thanks in advance,
Uncle Bud [/quote]
Yes, it is Blessed John XXIII.

First off, let's define what an indulgence is not. It is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of future sin; neither could be granted by any power. It is not the forgiveness of the guilt of sin; it supposes that the sin has already been forgiven. It is not an exemption from any law or duty, and much less from the obligation consequent on certain kinds of sin, e.g., restitution; on the contrary, it means a more complete payment of the debt which the sinner owes to God. It does not confer immunity from temptation or remove the possibility of subsequent lapses into sin. Least of all is an indulgence the purchase of a pardon which secures the buyer's salvation or releases the soul of another from Purgatory.

Now...let's define what an indulgence is. An indulgence is the extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment due, in God's justice, to sin that has been forgiven, which remission is granted by the Church in the exercise of the power of the keys, through the application of the superabundant merits of Christ and of the saints, and for some just and reasonable motive.

The pope, as supreme head of the Church on earth, can grant all kinds of indulgences to any and all of the faithful; and he alone can grant plenary indulgences. For plenary indulgences, confession and Communion are usually required, while for partial indulgences, though confession is not obligatory, the formula corde saltem contrito, i.e. "at least with a contrite heart ", is the customary prescription. It is also necessary to have the intention, at least habitual, of gaining the indulgence. Finally, from the nature of the case, it is obvious that one must perform the good works -- prayers, alms deeds, visits to a church, etc. -- which are prescribed in the granting of an indulgence.

Cam