Bishop Rino Fisichella: plenary indulgence is a gift from God and not a “conquest”

Within the framework of Jubilee 2025, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Mons. Rino Fisichella, has stressed that plenary indulgence is a gift that is not “earned”, since “there is nothing to buy”.

It should be noted that plenary indulgence is a special grace that is offered at certain times, with which it is possible to eliminate the temporary punishment that we deserve for our sins and that is still pending purification.

The Vatican authority has highlighted during the Meeting de Rimini the importance of the upcoming Jubilee of Hope, and invited to avoid the term “gain” when referring to the indulgence that the faithful can obtain during the jubilee year.

“I have never used this verb and wish it were never used. There is nothing to gain because there is nothing to buy,” Bishop Fisichella remarked.

In this sense, he reiterated that indulgence “is a gift from God” and that the Jubilee is the “announcement of a great forgiveness that is given to us.”

Likewise, as specified Vatican Newswho is also in charge of organizing this great event of the Catholic Church, recalled that Pope Francis, in the bull Hope does not disappoint, “underlines that forgiveness does not change the past, but it can help to live better in the future.”

“In a climate also of resentment, violence, revenge, the Jubilee comes to remind us of the great gift of God,” he stated.

Forgiveness and indulgence, Bishop Fisichella continued, “are a grace, not a conquest.” “Winning means nothing, and the experience of God’s forgiveness comes through a path: the pilgrimage, the passage through the Holy Door, the profession of faith, the work of charity. The announcement is that God comes to meet you,” he added.