In his Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine of 7 October 2004, Pope John Paul II announced a special "Year of the Eucharist", beginning in October 2004 with the International Eucharistic Congress in Mexico and ending in October 2005 with the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, whose theme will be "The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church". In order that the faithful may acquire a deeper knowledge and a more intense love of the Eucharist as an ineffable "Mystery of Faith", and that they may be enriched with more abundant spiritual fruit, the Holy Father, by virtue of a Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary on 25 December 2004, grants certain indulgences to the faithful during this special Year.

An indulgence is the remission in the sight of God of the temporal punishment due for sins, the guilt of which has already been forgiven. A member of Christ's faithful who is properly disposed and who fulfils certain prescribedconditions as set forth in Sections A and B below, may gain an indulgence through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasury of the merits of Christ and the Saints [cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 992; Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1471; Enchiridion Indulgentiarum: Normae et Concessiones (Enchiridion of Indulgences: Norms and Grants), Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1999, p.21].

A. Conditions for gaining Indulgences :

In order to gain an indulgence, one must renounce all attachment to sin, even venial sin, and be in the state of grace at least at the completion of the prescribed works. In addition, one must fulfill three conditions :

(1) Sacramental Confession: Individual and integral confession is required (cf. canon 960).

(2) Eucharistic Communion.

(3) Prayer for the intentions of the Pope: This is satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary; nevertheless, the faithful are free to recite any other prayers according to their own piety and devotion.

Notes :

(1) It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental confession and especially Eucharistic Communion and the prayer for the Pope's intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act.

(2) A single sacramental confession suffices for gaining several plenary indulgences; however, Communion must be received and prayer for the intentions of the Pope must be recited for the gaining of each plenary indulgence.

(3) An indulgence cannot be gained by a work to which one is obliged by law or precept, unless the contrary is expressly stated in the grant; one, however, who performs a work which has been imposed as a sacramental penance and which happens to be enriched with an indulgence, can at the same time both satisfy the penance and gain the indulgence.

(4) Confessors can commute either the prescribed work or conditions, in favor of those who, because of a legitimate impediment, cannot perform the work or fulfill the conditions.

(5) The deaf and dumb can gain indulgences attached to public prayers, if they devoutly raise their mind and affections to God, while others of the faithful are reciting the prayers in the same place; for private prayers it suffices, if they recite them mentally or with signs, or if they merely read them with their eyes.

(6) "An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it partially or wholly frees a person from the temporal punishment due for sins." (canon 993) The faithful can gain indulgences, partial or plenary, for themselves, or they can apply them by way of suffrage to the dead. No one, acquiring indulgences, can apply them to other living persons.

(7) A plenary indulgence can be acquired once only in the course of a day. A partial indulgence can be acquired more than once a day, unless otherwise expressly indicated.

B. Works to be performed for gaining Indulgences

I. According to the above-mentioned Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the faithful who fulfill the conditions under Section A and perform one of the following works may gain a Plenary Indulgence:

1. Every time the faithful take part devoutly in a sacred liturgy or pious practice in honour of the Most Blessed Sacrament, solemnly exposed or preserved in the tabernacle.

2. Every time, at the end of the day, when the clergy, members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the other faithful bound by law to recite the Liturgy of the Hours, as well as those who are accustomed to praying the Divine Office for pure devotion, recite Vespers and Compline (Note: both are required.) before the Most Blessed Sacrament, solemnly exposed or present in the tabernacle, either in community or privately.

Special Circumstances:

1. The faithful prevented by illness or by other just causes from visiting the Most Blessed Sacrament in a church or chapel, may obtain the Plenary Indulgence in their own home, or wherever they are staying by force of circumstances, as long as they are totally free from any desire to relapse into sin, as has been stated above, and intend to observe the three habitual conditions as soon as they possibly can; they will make the visit in spirit, should they deeply desire to do so, with faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, and they will recite the "Our Father" and the Creed, and in addition, a pious invocation addressed to Jesus in the Sacrament (for example, "Praise and thanks be at every moment to the Blessed Sacrament").

2. If the faithful are unable even to do what is stated in No. 1 above, they may obtain a Plenary Indulgence if in their hearts they desire to join those who carry out in the usual way the works prescribed by the indulgence and offer to Merciful God the infirmities and hardships of their lives with the determination to fulfil the three usual conditions as soon as possible.

II. The following provisions, also referred to in the above Decree, are contained in the Enchiridion of Indulgences (1999):

Fourth General Grant: A Partial Indulgence is granted to the faithful who, in their daily circumstances, voluntarily and publicly bear witness to the faith, in particular their faith in the Eucharist.

Grant No. 7 Eucharistic Adoration and Procession:

§1 A Plenary Indulgence is granted to the faithful who -

1° visit and adore the Most Blessed Sacrament for at least half an hour (partial indulgence if less than half an hour);

2° piously recite (or sing) the Tantum ergo Sacramentum during the solemn transfer of the Blessed Sacrament after the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday;

3° participate devoutly in the solemn Eucharistic procession on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, either inside or outside the church;

4° participate devoutly in the customary solemn eucharistic rite at the close of a Eucharistic Congress.

§2, 2° A Partial Indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite (or sing) any approved prayers [e.g., O Sacred Banquet (O sacrum convivium), or stanzas of Tantum ergo Sacramentum with the concluding prayer] in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Grant No. 8 Eucharistic Communion and Spiritual Communion:

§1 A Plenary Indulgence is granted to the faithful who -

1° receive Communion for the first time or participate devoutly in a special Mass for First Communicants;

2° after receiving Communion on any Friday during Lent, recite the following prayer piously before a representation of Christ crucified:

My good and dear Jesus,
I kneel before you,
asking you most earnestly
to engrave upon my heart
a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity,
with true repentance for my sins,
and a firm resolve to make amends.
As I reflect upon your five wounds,
and dwell upon them with deep compassion and grief,
I recall, good Jesus, the words the prophet David spoke
long ago concerning yourself:
they have pierced my hands and my feet,
they have counted all my bones!

§2 A Partial Indulgence is granted to the faithful who, using any approved prayer [e.g., Soul of Christ (Anima Christi), or the above "prayer to Christ crucified"], makes an act of spiritual Communion or thanksgiving after Communion.

Grant No. 27 First Mass after Priestly Ordination and Jubilee Masses

§1 A Plenary Indulgence is granted to -

1° a priest who celebrates his first Mass with the faithful after ordination;

2° those who devoutly participate in that Mass.

§2 A Plenary Indulgence is granted to -

1° the priests who celebrate Mass on the occasion of the 25th, 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of their priestly ordination and who renew before God their resolve to remain faithful to their priestly ministry;

3° the faithful who devoutly participate in a jubilee Mass.

* * * * * *

Lastly, the above Decree exhorts priests, especially parish priests, to keep in mind the "Suggestions and Proposals" indicated by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on 15 October 2004, and to inform their faithful in the most appropriate way of the foregoing beneficial disposition of the Church. Priests should be ready and available to hear their confessions and, on days to be determined as "convenient" for the faithful, should solemnly lead public recitations of prayers to Jesus in the Eucharist.