JUBILEE

PLENARY INDULGENCE

“Now the time has come for a new Jubilee, when once more the Holy Door will be flung open to invite everyone to an intense experience of the love of God” (Spes non confundit, 6). In the Bull announcing the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025, at a moment in history in which “heedless of the horrors of the past, humanity is confronting yet another ordeal, as many peoples are prey to brutality and violence” (Spes non confundit, 8), the Holy Father calls on all Christians to become pilgrims of hope. This is a virtue which must be sourced above all in the grace of God and in the fullness of His mercy. It is to be rediscovered in the signs of the times, which, encompassing “the yearning of human hearts in need of God’s saving presence, ought to become signs of hope” (Spes non confundit, 7).

Click here to read and download the decree on the granting of indulgence during the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025 called by Pope Francis.

How do you obtain a Jubilee Indulgence?

An indulgence, a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for their sins, has been a key feature of holy years for centuries. But updated norms for obtaining one are published for each holy year celebration:

The faithful can obtain the Jubilee indulgence if, having celebrated the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, they devoutly visit any Jubilee site (in Rome or in your local diocese) and there, for a suitable period of time, engage in Eucharistic adoration and meditation, concluding with the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form, and invocations to Mary, the Mother of God.

(From the Vatican Decree on the Granting of Indulgence during the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025 called by His Holiness Pope Francis, 13.05.2024)

What are the conditions for the Indulgence?

To obtain any of the plenary indulgences the following conditions must be
fulfilled:  

  • Go to Confession (frequent sacramental confession is encouraged)

  • For each plenary indulgence that is sought, however, a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father are required.

  • The prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father is left up to the choice of the individual, but an Our Father and Hail Mary are suggested.
Making a Pilgrimage to Rome

Catholics can make a pilgrimage to Rome during the 2025 Jubilee Year and obtain a plenary indulgence by visiting one of the four major papal basilicas: 

  • St. Peter's Basilica
  • Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
  • St. Mary Major
  • Church of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Learn more about the four major papal basilicas here.

Visits to Sacred Places in the Diocese of Buffalo

In the Diocese of Buffalo, Catholics can gain a plenary indulgence by making a pious pilgrimage to St. Joseph Cathedral or one of the other churches designated across Western New York: 

  • Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Youngstown
  • Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Lakewood
  • Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, Olean 
  • St. Cecilia (Worship site of St. John Neumann, Sheldon, NY)
What if I'm unable to travel?
  • You can participate spiritually through prayer, uniting with the Jubilee celebration through media.

  • Spend time in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament

  • Jubilee 2025 will include virtual tours of the major basilicas in Rome, as well as a digital experience of St. Peter's Basilica.