Editing Indulgence (section)

==Catholic teaching==
{{Roman Catholicism}}
Catholic teaching states that when a person sins, they acquire the liability of guilt and the liability of punishment.<ref name=Primer/> A [[mortal sin]], one that is grave or serious in nature and is committed knowingly and freely, is considered to be an active refusal of communion with God, and to separate a person from Him to the end of suffering the eternal death of hell as an effect of this rejection, a consequence known as the "[[eternal punishment]]" of sin. The [[Sacrament of Penance]] removes this guilt and the liability of eternal punishment related to mortal sin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__PNK.HTM|title=The New American Bible – IntraText|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but the temporal punishment of sin remains. An example of this can be seen in [[2 Samuel]] 12, when, after [[David]] repents of his sin, the prophet [[Nathan (prophet)|Nathan]] tells him that he is forgiven, but, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel:...Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__P81.HTM|title=The New American Bible – IntraText|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

In addition to the eternal punishment due to mortal sin, every sin, including [[venial sin]], is a turning away from God through what the ''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]'' calls an "unhealthy attachment to creatures", an attachment that must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called [[purgatory]].<ref name="vatican.va" /> "The process of sanctification and interior renewal requires not only forgiveness from the guilt (''culpa'') of sin, but also purification from the harmful effects or wounds of sin."{{sfn|Peters|2008|p=1}} This purification process gives rise to "temporal punishment", because, not involving a total rejection of God, it is not eternal and can be expiated. Catholic teaching states that the temporal punishment of sin should be accepted as a [[Grace in Christianity|grace]], and that the sinner "should strive by works of [[mercy]] and [[Charity (Christian virtue)|charity]], as well as by prayer and the various practices of [[penance]], to put off completely the 'old man' and to put on the 'new man'."<ref name="vatican.va"/>

The temporal punishment that follows sin is thus undergone either during life on earth or in purgatory. In this life, as well as by patient acceptance of sufferings and trials, the necessary cleansing from attachment to creatures may, at least in part, be achieved by turning to God in prayer and penance and by works of mercy and charity.<ref name=Primer>{{cite web |url=https://www.catholic.com/tract/primer-on-indulgences |title=Primer on Indulgences – Catholic Answers |website=www.catholic.com}}</ref> Indulgences (from the Latin verb {{lang|la|'indulgere'}}, meaning "to forgive", "to be lenient toward"){{sfn|Peters|2008|p=1}} are a help towards achieving this purification.

An indulgence does not [[Forgiveness of sin#Christianity|forgive]] the guilt of sin, nor does it provide release from the eternal punishment associated with unforgiven mortal sins. The Catholic Church teaches that indulgences relieve only the temporal punishment resulting from the effect of sin (the effect of rejecting God the source of good), and that a person is still required to have their grave sins [[Absolution|absolved]], ordinarily through the sacrament of [[Sacrament of Penance|Confession]], to receive [[salvation]]. Similarly, an indulgence is not a permit to commit sin, a pardon of future sin, nor a guarantee of salvation for oneself or for another.<ref>{{cite web|title=Myths about Indulgences|url=http://www.catholic.com/tracts/myths-about-indulgences|publisher=Catholic Answers|access-date=2012-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904025054/http://www.catholic.com/tracts/myths-about-indulgences|archive-date=2012-09-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ordinarily, forgiveness of mortal sins is obtained through Confession (also known as the sacrament of penance or reconciliation).

According to the ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', "The [[Treasury of Merit|'treasury of the Church']] is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. ... In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy. ...This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Blessed Virgin Mary]]. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by His grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the [[Mystical Body of Christ|Mystical Body]]."<ref name="vatican.va"/>

Pursuant to the church's understanding of the [[Power of the Keys|power of binding or loosing]] granted by Christ, it administers to those under its jurisdiction the benefits of these merits in consideration of prayer or other pious works undertaken by the faithful.<ref name="Oxford:Indulgences"/> In opening for individual Christians its treasury, "the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity".<ref name="vatican.va"/>

Consistent with this, Peter J. Beer, SJ, writes in ''Theological Studies'':<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beer, SJ |first=Peter J. |date=1967 |title=What Price Indulgences? Trent and Today |url=http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/39/39.3/39.3.7.pdf |journal=Theological Studies |volume=67 |pages=526–535 |access-date=2020-04-29 |archive-date=2020-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925003839/http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/39/39.3/39.3.7.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=I believe present Church praxis would benefit if the granting of an indulgence were restricted to a special public ceremony of penitential readings, prayers, etc., at which the bishop in person would bless those wishing to gain the indulgence, after praying over them. It would be helpful, too, if the ceremony were linked to the Eucharistic celebration. In this way the recipient would more likely feel that the full authority of the Body of Christ is supporting him as he carries out the indulgenced work. |author= |title= |source=}}

Before the Second Vatican Council, stating that an indulgence of 40 days, 300 days or 7 years has been gained did not mean that a soul in Purgatory avoided a temporal punishment of 40 days, 300 days or 7 years; it meant, instead, that a soul in Purgatory avoided a temporal punishment of the same duration as that which it would have served with a traditional [[canonical penance]] of 40 days, 300 days or 7 years.

===Dispositions necessary to gain an indulgence===
An indulgence is not the purchase of a pardon which secures the buyer's salvation or releases the soul of another from purgatory. Sin is only pardoned (i.e., its effects entirely obliterated) when complete reparation in the form of sacramental confession is made and prescribed conditions are followed. After a firm amendment is made internally not to sin again, and the serious execution of one's assigned penance, the release of one from penalty in the spiritual sense consequentially follows.<ref name=Kent/>

An indulgence may be plenary (remits all temporal punishment required to cleanse the soul from attachment to anything but God) or partial (remits only part of the temporal punishment, i.e. cleansing, due to sin).<ref name="vatican.va"/><ref name="auto"/>

To gain a plenary indulgence, upon performing the charitable work or praying the aspiration or prayer for which the indulgence is granted, one must fulfill the prescribed conditions of:
# A complete and whole-hearted detachment from all sin of any kind, even venial sin
# Making a valid [[Sacrament of Penance (Catholic Church)|sacramental confession]] 
# Receiving [[Eucharist|Holy Communion]] in the state of grace
# Praying for the [[Holy actions#Intentions|intentions of the Pope]].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_doc_20020826_enchiridion-indulgentiarum_lt.html|title=Enchiridion Indulgentiarum quarto editur|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

The minimum condition for gaining a partial indulgence is to be contrite in heart; on this condition, a Catholic who performs the work or recites the prayer in question is granted, through the church, remission of temporal punishment equal to that obtained by the person's own action.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Since those who have died in the state of grace (with all mortal sins forgiven) are members of the communion of saints, the living (members of the [[Churches Militant, Penitent, and Triumphant|Church Militant]]) can assist those whose purification from their sins was not yet completed at the time of death through prayer but also by obtaining indulgences in their behalf.<ref name="vatican.va"/> Since the church has no jurisdiction over the dead, indulgences can be gained for them only {{lang|la|per modum suffragii}}, i.e. by an act of [[Intercession of saints|intercession]].<ref name="Oxford:Indulgences"/> This is sometimes termed 'impetration', which [[Thomas Aquinas|Aquinas]] explains "...is not founded on God's justice, but on His goodness".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lci-goroka.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/saint-alphonsus-liguori-prayer-the-great-means-of-salvation-and-of-perfection.pdf |title=Prayer: The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection |last=Ligouri |first=Alphonsus |author-link=Alphonsus Liguori |date=1886 |website=Saint Patrick Basilica {{!}} The Basilica of Mercy in the Heart of Ottawa |access-date=2 June 2024 |quote= [...] because impetration is not founded on God's justice, but on His goodness. "Merit," he says, "depends on justice; impetration, on grace." [2. 2. q. 83,a. 16]|page=24}}</ref>

On 28 August 1903, Pope Pius X allowed cardinals in their titular churches and dioceses to grant 200 days of indulgence; archbishops, 100; bishops, 50.<ref>[[wikisource:Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Indulgences|Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), Indulgences, by William Henry Kent]]</ref>

=== Present discipline ===
{{canon law}}
{{Further|Indulgentiarum Doctrina}}

By the [[apostolic constitution]] {{lang|la|Indulgentiarum doctrina}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P6INDULG.HTM|title=Pope Paul VI. ''Indulgentiarum doctrina'', January 1, 1967}}</ref> of 1 January 1967, [[Pope Paul VI]], responding to suggestions made at the [[Second Vatican Council]], substantially revised the practical application of the traditional doctrine.<ref name=EnChr >''The encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 2'' by Erwin Fahlbusch 2001 {{ISBN|90-04-11695-8}} page 695</ref>

[[File:Socvillegas4jf.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|left|[[Archbishop]] [[Socrates B. Villegas]] bestows the [[Easter Sunday|Easter]] Mass Plenary Indulgence in 2012 (St. John the Evangelist Metropolitan Cathedral, [[Dagupan]], Philippines).]]
Paul VI made it clear that the Catholic Church's aim was not merely to help the faithful make due satisfaction for their sins, but chiefly to bring them to greater fervour of charity. For this purpose he decreed that partial indulgences, previously granted as the equivalent of a certain number of days, months, quarantines (forty-day periods) or years of canonical penance, simply supplement, and to the same degree, the remission that those performing the indulgenced action already gain by the charity and contrition with which they do it.<ref name="Oxford:Indulgences" />

The abolition of the classification by years and days made it clearer than before that repentance and faith are required not only for remission of eternal punishment for mortal sin but also for remission of temporal punishment for sin. In {{lang|la|Indulgentiarum doctrina}}, Pope Paul VI wrote that indulgences cannot be gained without a sincere conversion of outlook and unity with God.<ref name="indulgence">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-vi_apc_01011967_indulgentiarum-doctrina.html|title=Indulgentiarum Doctrina (January 1, 1967) &#124; Paul VI|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>{{rp|§11}}

In the same bill, Pope Paul ordered that the official list of indulgenced prayers and good works, called the ''[[Raccolta]]'', be revised "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance".<ref>''Indulgentiarum doctrina'', norm 13</ref> The ''Raccolta'' was replaced with the {{lang|la|Enchiridion Indulgentiarum}}. While a number of indulgenced prayers and good works were removed from the list, it now includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only examples<ref>''Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, Aliae concessiones, Proœmium'', 2</ref> of those to which the first of these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation".<ref>''Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, Concessiones'', I</ref> In this way, the {{lang|la|Enchiridion Indulgentiarum}}, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the ''Raccolta''.

Canons 992–997<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.intratext.com|title=IntraText Digital Library|first=EuloTech IntraText dLib-Digital Library|last=System|website=www.intratext.com}}</ref> of the [[1983 Code of Canon Law]] provide a general regulation of indulgences.

====Subjects who have the power to grant indulgences====
Both partial and plenary indulgences can be granted by the diocesan [[bishop]] or [[eparch]], by the [[major archbishop]],  [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] and [[patriarch]], by the [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]], as well as by the Pope and the [[Apostolic Penitentiary]].<ref>''[[Enchiridion Indulgentiarum]]'', ''Normae de indulgentiis'', nn. 6-10, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 4th edition, 2004, pp. 22-23. {{ISBN|88-209-2785-3}}</ref>

For patriarchs this applies in the individual localities of the patriarchate, in churches that follow the specific rite of the patriarchate beyond its borders, and everywhere for the faithful of their own rite.<ref>''[[Enchiridion Indulgentiarum]]'', ''Normae de indulgentiis'', n. 9, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 4th edition, 2004, p. 23. {{ISBN|88-209-2785-3}}. Quote: "Patriarchae in singulis locis sui patriarchatus, etsi exemptis, in ecclesiis sui ritus extra terminos patriarchatus, et ubique pro fidelibus sui ritus possunt"...</ref>

Cardinal bishops enjoy the faculty of granting only partial indulgence in any place. This indulgence can be purchased only by those who are present in the individual places from time to time.<ref>''[[Enchiridion Indulgentiarum]]'', ''Normae de indulgentiis'', n. 10, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 4th edition, 2004, p. 23. {{ISBN|88-209-2785-3}}. Quote: "H.R. Cardinales facultate gaudente concessionand ubique indulgentiam partialem a praesentibus solummodo, singulis vicibus, acquirendam".</ref>

====Actions for which indulgences are granted====
[[Image:Stradanus engraving.jpg|thumb|A 1948 reproduction of the [[Stradanus engraving]], a 17th-century certificate for indulgences, in return for cash contributions to build a shrine]]

=====Partial indulgences=====
There are four general grants of indulgence, which are meant to encourage the faithful to infuse a Christian spirit into the actions of their daily lives and to strive for perfection of charity. These indulgences are partial, and their worth therefore depends on the fervour with which the person performs the recommended actions:
# Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation.
# Devoting oneself or one's goods compassionately in a spirit of faith to the service of one's brothers and sisters in need.
# Freely abstaining in a spirit of penance from something licit and pleasant.
# Freely giving open witness to one's faith before others in particular circumstances of everyday life.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

According to the 1968 Enchiridion of Indulgences, a partial indulgence is granted to the faithful for the following actions if done in conjunction with the receiving of the Sacraments of [[Eucharist in the Catholic Church|Communion]] and [[Sacrament of Penance|Penance]] as well as praying an intention for the [[Pope]]:<ref name="catholic.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholic.org/prayers/indulgw.php|title=The Enchiridion of Indulgences - Prayers|first=Catholic|last=Online|website=Catholic Online}}</ref>
* making an act of faith, hope, charity, contrition, or spiritual communion
* spending some time in mental prayer
* penitentially praying such prayers as the…
** Hidden God (Adoro te devote)
** To You O Blessed Joseph (Ad te beate Ioseph)
** certain prayers from the [[Roman Breviary]] (We Give You Thanks, Lord God Almighty, Let Us Pray for our Sovereign Pontiff, O Sacred Banquet, Holy Mary Help of the Helpless, Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Visit We Beg You O Lord)
** Angel of God
** Angel of the Lord
** Soul of Christ (Anima Christi)
** Hear Us (Roman Ritual)
** May it Please you O Lord
** Eternal Rest
** Hail Holy Queen
** We Fly To Your Patronage
** Come Holy Spirit
** [[Litany]] of the Name of Jesus, of the Heart of Jesus, of the Blood of Jesus, of the Virgin Mary, of Saint Joseph, or of All Saints
** Little Office of the Passion, of the Heart of Jesus, of the Immaculate Conception, or of Saint Joseph
** Apostles' Creed 
** Nicene Creed 
** Lauds or Vespers of the Office of the Dead 
** Psalm 50
** Psalm 129
** Magnificat
** Memorare (Remember O Most Gracious Virgin Mary)
* teaching or learning Christian doctrine
* visiting a Christian catacomb
* praying for sacerdotal or religious vocations
* praying for the return of non-Catholic Christians to the Catholic Church
* making the Sign of the Cross
* renewal of baptismal promises

=====Plenary indulgences=====
Among the particular grants, which, on closer inspection, will be seen to be included in one or more of the four general grants, especially the first, the {{lang|la|Enchiridion Indulgentiarum}} draws special attention<ref name="ReferenceA"/> to four activities for which a plenary indulgence can be gained on any day, though only once a day:
# Piously reading or listening to [[Bible|Sacred Scripture]] for at least half an hour.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
# [[Eucharistic adoration|Adoration]] of Jesus in the [[Eucharist]] for at least half an hour.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
# The pious exercise of the [[Stations of the Cross]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
# Recitation of the [[Rosary]] or the [[Akathist]] in a church or oratory, or in a family, a religious community, an association of the faithful and, in general, when several people come together for an honourable purpose.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

The prayers specifically mentioned in the {{lang|la|Enchiridion Indulgentiarum}} are not of the [[Latin Church]] tradition alone, but also from the traditions of the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]], such as the [[Akathistos]], [[Paraklesis]], ''Evening Prayer'', and ''Prayer for the Faithful Departed'' (Byzantine), ''Prayer of Thanksgiving'' (Armenian), ''Prayer of the Shrine'' and the ''Lakhu Mara'' (Chaldean), ''Prayer of Incense'' and ''Prayer to Glorify Mary the Mother of God'' (Coptic), ''Prayer for the Remission of Sins'' and ''Prayer to Follow Christ'' (Ethiopian), ''Prayer for the Church'', and ''Prayer of Leave-taking from the Altar'' (Maronite), and ''Intercessions for the Faithful Departed'' (Syrian).

Besides the above actions, the 1968 Enchiridion of Indulgences lists the following actions as granting a plenary indulgence:<ref name="catholic.org"/>
* First Communion
* first Mass of a newly ordained priest

======Special indulgences======
A plenary indulgence may also be gained on some occasions, which are not everyday occurrences. They include but are not limited to:
* Receiving, even by radio or television, the blessing given by the Pope {{lang|la|[[Urbi et Orbi]]}} ('to the city [of Rome] and to the world') or that which a bishop is authorized to give three times a year to the faithful of his diocese.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* Taking part devoutly in the celebration of a day devoted on a world level to a particular religious purpose.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Under this heading come the annual celebrations such as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and occasional celebrations such as [[World Youth Day]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wyd2008.org/index.php/en/media__1/news_archives/plenary_indulgence |work=[[World Youth Day 2008]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902132854/http://www.wyd2008.org/index.php/en/media__1/news_archives/plenary_indulgence |archive-date=2 September 2007 |title=Plenary Indulgence |access-date=2 November 2019 |year=2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cairns.catholic.org.au/wyd2008/journey.html |title=World Youth Day 2008, Cairns, Queensland, Australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206135404/http://www.cairns.catholic.org.au/wyd2008/journey.html |archive-date=6 December 2007 |access-date=2 November 2019 |date=15 October 2007 |first=Ben |last=O'Donoghue |work=Catholic Diocese of Cairns}}</ref>
*Taking part for at least three full days in a [[retreat (spiritual)|spiritual retreat]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
*Taking part in some functions during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Special indulgences are also granted on occasions of particular spiritual significance such as a [[Jubilee (Christianity)|jubilee year]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ewtn.com/jubilee/indulgence/index.htm |title=The Great Jubilee Indulgence |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528093302/http://www.ewtn.com/Jubilee/indulgence/index.htm |archive-date=28 May 2019 |access-date=2 November 2019 |work=Jubilee 2000|publisher=[[Ewtn.com]]}}</ref> or the centenary or similar anniversary of an event such as the apparition of [[Our Lady of Lourdes]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_doc_20071121_decreto-lourdes_en.html |title=Grant of indulgence on the occasion of the 150th apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes |date=21 November 2007 |access-date=2 November 2019 |first=Cardinal James Francis |last=Stafford |author-link=James Francis Stafford |editor-first=Gianfranco |editor-last=Girotti |editor-link=Gianfranco Girotti |journal=[[Vatican.va]]}}</ref>

======Apostolic Blessing======
Of particular significance is the plenary indulgence attached to the [[Apostolic Blessing]] that a priest is to impart when giving the sacraments to a person in danger of death, and which, if no priest is available, the church grants to any rightly disposed Christian at the moment of death, on condition that that person was accustomed to say some prayers during life. In this case the church itself makes up for the three conditions normally required for a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the Pope's intentions.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

=====Coronavirus plenary indulgences=====

On 20 March 2020, the [[Apostolic Penitentiary]] issued three plenary indulgences.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/03/20/200320c.html|title=Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary on the granting of special Indulgences to the faithful in the current pandemic|website=press.vatican.va}}</ref><ref name=VaticanNews20Mar2020>{{cite news|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-03/church-grants-special-indulgence-coronavirus-patients.html|title=Church grants special indulgence to coronavirus patients and caregivers|author=Benedict Mayaki|date=20 March 2020|work=Vatican News|access-date=23 March 2020|language=en}}</ref> 
* The first indulgence was for victims of [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] and those helping them. The actions that the indulgence was attached to included praying the rosary, the [[Stations of the Cross]], or at least praying the [[Apostles' Creed|Creed]], [[Lord's Prayer]], and a [[Marian devotions|Marian prayer]]. 
*The second plenary indulgence was for the victims of COVID-19 at their hour of death.
*The third indulgence was for those who made an offering for an "end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself." The offering was either a visit to the Eucharist, [[Eucharistic adoration]], [[Rosary]], Stations of the Cross, [[Chaplet of the Divine Mercy]], or reading the Bible for half an hour. 
The Penitentiary took the extraordinary step of loosening the requirements regarding sacramental Communion and Confession, due to the impossibility of carrying them out in a timely fashion during lockdowns and suspension of liturgies in the pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncregister.com/blog/joseph-pronechen/vatican-grants-special-plenary-indulgences-during-coronavirus|title=Here's How You Can Get the Vatican's New Coronavirus Indulgences|website=National Catholic Register|date=24 March 2020 |access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref> The Vatican has also reminded Catholics that, in cases where sacramental confession is impossible, an act of perfect [[contrition]] grants one forgiveness of sin.<ref>[https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-12/the-act-of-contrition-sacrament-reconciliation-confession.html Vatican News: Act of Contrition and Sacrament of Reconciliation] Should we be in need of forgiveness of mortal sin, and cannot for some reason go to confession, a perfect Act of Contrition is needed along with the intention of going to confession as soon as possible.</ref>