What is plenary indulgence?
Plenary indulgence, also known as the Jubilee, is the total remission
before God of the temporal punishment due for sins, already forgiven, granted by the Catholic Church. It can be obtained on any day in any year, regardless of whether it is a Holy Year or not.
The pilgrimage to Caravaca concedes this form of grace, but certain requirements must be met. The granting of the Apostolic Penitentiary establishes the plenary indulgence on the following occasions:
- May 3 and September 14, festivities of the Invention and Exaltation of the Cross.
- Once a year on the day freely chosen by the faithful.
- Whenever one makes a group pilgrimage out of devotion.
- At the celebrations of the solemn Opening and Closing of the Holy Year.
- On days when the diocesan bishop presides over a solemn rite.
Requirements to receive the grace of the Jubilee:
- Visit and participate in any celebration in the Basilica, and pray for the fulfilment of the Supreme Pontiff¿s intentions.
- In the event one is unable to participate in a celebration, a prayer for world peace and the realization of the Popes intentions will suffice (The Creed, Our Father).
- Sacramental confession and Eucharistic communion. It is not essential to receive these sacraments in the Basilica on the day of one's visit. They can be received a few days before, or after, at another church.
