If you have not availed of the Roman Catholic Church’s offer already you are too late. Between them, God and Pope Benedict XVI had set a strict deadline on their plenary indulgence special offer.
To celebrate 150 years since a sickly, starving peasant girl spoke to the Virgin Mary and discovered running water the Pope announced at the beginning of December 2007 that Catholics who visited Lourdes over the year could skip a bit of time in Purgatory. It was lucky God told the Pope the Indulgence would involve Lourdes as the Vatican had a few months previously begun its own air service to the French Pyrenees – talk about small mercies!
Of course all this incitement to travel looks a bit morally corrupt in these days of man-made global warming. So, to compensate His Holiness said you would get away with it if you could make it to any places of worship dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes between the dates of 2nd and 11th of February 2008. Anyone too sick to visit should have gotten their dispensation regardless. You name it, the holy duo had it covered.
Over the twentieth century Indulgences had fallen from favour. Historical abuses of policy had precipitated the birth of Protestantism and the death of the Catholic practice of the Indulgence. Well, apparently it is still going strong and you can barter your way to a pretty sweet afterlife by completing the tasks.
As with all offers which sound too good to be true, there was a small caveat:
Those who made the pilgrimage to Lourdes should have visited the various sites in this order, and presumably been suitably repentant and done holy things there:
- The parish where St. Bernadette was baptized.
- The Soubirous family home.
- The Massabielle grotto.
- The chapel where St. Bernadette received her first Communion.
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This post is tagged Religion, Roman Catholic
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