Pope Francis grants plenary indulgence for World Grandparents Day 2024

Pope Francis has granted plenary indulgence on the occasion of the IV World Day of Grandparents and the Elderlywhich will take place on Sunday, July 28 of this year.

It should be remembered that the Holy Father instituted this world day in 2021, urging that it be celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July, within the framework of the commemoration of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, which is celebrated every July 26.

The plenary indulgence returns the faithful, as long as the requirements or conditions are met, to the state in which they were when receiving Baptism, so that if they died after obtaining it, they would go directly to Heaven.

In a decree published this July 18 by the Press Office of the Holy See, the Apostolic Penitentiary explains that the Pontiff has accepted the request of Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, to grant the plenary indulgence for this world day.

To obtain plenary indulgence on this designated date, which in 2024 is celebrated under the title “In old age do not abandon me”, it is necessary to meet the usual conditions. The requirements are: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the intentions of the Pope.

The decree also highlights that the plenary indulgence is granted “to grandparents, the elderly and all the faithful who, animated by a true spirit of penitence and charity, participate on July 28, 2024 in the fourth World Day of Grandparents and of the Elders”, in the various celebrations that will take place around the world.”

This plenary indulgence, the text emphasizes, “may also be applied in favor of the souls in Purgatory,” that is, for a deceased person.

Likewise, the text indicates that it will be granted “to the faithful who dedicate adequate time to visit their older brothers in need or in difficulty (such as the sick, abandoned, disabled…), either in person or virtually through the media. ”.

The indulgence may also be obtained “for the sick elderly and their caregivers, as well as for all those who, unable to leave home for a serious reason, join spiritually in the sacred services of the World Day, offering to the Merciful God their prayers, pains or sufferings of your life, especially while the various celebrations are broadcast through the media.”

Due to the confession requirement, the decree concludes by encouraging priests “to make themselves available, with a prompt and generous spirit, for the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance.”