“Everything has darkened”, Francis says. But not only “during the past weeks”

We have witnessed a penitential act presided over by Pope Francis. Adoration, penitential liturgical chants and a cry for help to the Blessed Virgin Mary with the hymn Sub Tuum Praesidium. Exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and a mixture of traditional litanies with other “inclusive” ones. Urbi et Orbi blessing, including the possibility of gaining a plenary indulgence for those who watched it through the media or who joined spiritually, if the necessary dispositions were fulfilled.

For the first time we see Francis asking for forgiveness, though without much emphasis placed on penance or the sins mentioned in the Ten Commandments. We see a doubtful, weak Bergoglio, almost inaudible in his final words, on the verge of collapsing for the short time during which he carried the monstrance and performed the blessing. Quite striking.

Alone, alone, all all alone…

This time, as usual, Francis did not kneel before the exposed Sacrament, not even a single genuflection (though in this case a double genuflection corresponds, including a deep reverential inclination). Just a short bow. The reason of this may be that he’s too weak, considering the episode we mentioned before, and the fact that when he first tried to get up from the chair placed ad hoc at the entrance of the Basilica, his strength ran out.

An auspicious gesture; God has been asked for forgiveness, or at least that is what people thought when they saw a Pope praying before a miraculous Christ that saved the city from the plague centuries ago. A Francis apparently extinguished in his body, with serious walking difficulties. A Bergoglio who’s recurrent in the topics of the Open Society Foundation agenda, an infeasible agenda in these increasingly awful circumstances for Italy, where different malls are used as morgues to pile up the bodies, or ice skating rinks – because there are not other places to put the bodies – and with rising and almost uncontrolled death and spread scales (or should we erase the word “almost”?)

Parce, Dómine, parce populo tuo!

No genuflexions before de Most Holy Sacrament, but…

What are the indulgences, and what is a plenary indulgence?

INDULGENCES

Can. 992 An indulgence is the remission before God of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is already forgiven, which a properly disposed member of the Christian faithful gains under certain and defined conditions by the assistance of the Church which as minister of redemption dispenses and applies authoritatively the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.

Can. 993 An indulgence is partial or plenary insofar as it partially or totally frees from the temporal punishment due to sins.

Can. 994 Any member of the faithful can gain partial or plenary indulgences for oneself or apply them to the dead by way of suffrage.

Can. 995 §1. In addition to the supreme authority of the Church, only those to whom this power is acknowledged in the law or granted by the Roman Pontiff can bestow indulgences.

§2. No authority below the Roman Pontiff can entrust the power of granting indulgences to others unless the Apostolic See has given this expressly to the person.

Can. 996 §1. To be capable of gaining indulgences, a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the end of the prescribed works.

§2. To gain indulgences, however, a capable subject must have at least the general intention of acquiring them and must fulfill the enjoined works in the established time and the proper method, according to the tenor of the grant.

Can. 997 As regards the granting and use of indulgences, the other prescripts contained in the special laws of the Church must also be observed.

Translation: Dolores González Calvo