A Special Offer from the Pope
The Dec 21 Pittsburgh Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, reported in an article titled, "Pope OKs Lourdes Indulgence:"
"To mark the 150th anniversary of Mary's appearance to St. Bernadette Soubirous near Lourdes, France, Pope Benedict XVI authorized a special indulgence to encourage renewed holiness. Catholics can receive a plenary indulgence for taking part in any public or private devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes..."
A "plenary indulgence" (which can only be granted by the pope) is the complete remission of all temporal punishment (both in this life and in purgatory) due to sin up until the time of the indulgence. However, it does nothing for any punishment due to sins committed by a Catholic after the indulgence is granted!
Just look at some of the pope-created rules Catholics will have to abide by to obtain the release from punishment this special indulgence is granting:
To start with - A "pilgrimage" to the Lourdes shrine in France has to take place between Dec 8, 2007 – Dec 8, 2008. As of Dec 9, 2008, the god of Rome will no longer have this special offer available.
AND – For the god of Rome to grant this indulgence, "pilgrims" must visit the following sites, preferably in this order:
1. The parish where St Bernadette was baptized. 2. The Soubirous family home. 3. The grotto (where Bernadette saw "Mary"). 4. The chapel where Bernadette received her first communion.
ALSO – "At each location the faithful should end their meditation by praying the Lord’s Prayer, the creed and the special jubilee prayer or a prayer to Mary."
Now......for those who don't have the money to go to France, they can get this indulgence by visiting any "holy place dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in another part of the world Feb. 2-11 (and) pray the Lord's Prayer, the creed and the special jubilee prayer or a prayer to Mary."
The pope made it easier for rich people – he gives them a full year to get this indulgence (with a trip to France thrown in!), while poor people only have from Feb 2-11 to get to the nearest Lourdes shrine and go through these antics!
I wonder if the pope consulted with the French Board of Tourism before making this pronouncement?
Thankfully, the God of the bible is not at all the god presented by the Catholic Church. May the Spirit of God show many Catholics the sheer lunacy of the Roman Church and its man-made, zany rules! May God grant Catholics repentance from Rome and faith ALONE in Jesus Christ for the full and free forgiveness of sins – no popish indulgences needed!
"To mark the 150th anniversary of Mary's appearance to St. Bernadette Soubirous near Lourdes, France, Pope Benedict XVI authorized a special indulgence to encourage renewed holiness. Catholics can receive a plenary indulgence for taking part in any public or private devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes..."
A "plenary indulgence" (which can only be granted by the pope) is the complete remission of all temporal punishment (both in this life and in purgatory) due to sin up until the time of the indulgence. However, it does nothing for any punishment due to sins committed by a Catholic after the indulgence is granted!
Just look at some of the pope-created rules Catholics will have to abide by to obtain the release from punishment this special indulgence is granting:
To start with - A "pilgrimage" to the Lourdes shrine in France has to take place between Dec 8, 2007 – Dec 8, 2008. As of Dec 9, 2008, the god of Rome will no longer have this special offer available.
AND – For the god of Rome to grant this indulgence, "pilgrims" must visit the following sites, preferably in this order:
1. The parish where St Bernadette was baptized. 2. The Soubirous family home. 3. The grotto (where Bernadette saw "Mary"). 4. The chapel where Bernadette received her first communion.
ALSO – "At each location the faithful should end their meditation by praying the Lord’s Prayer, the creed and the special jubilee prayer or a prayer to Mary."
Now......for those who don't have the money to go to France, they can get this indulgence by visiting any "holy place dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in another part of the world Feb. 2-11 (and) pray the Lord's Prayer, the creed and the special jubilee prayer or a prayer to Mary."
The pope made it easier for rich people – he gives them a full year to get this indulgence (with a trip to France thrown in!), while poor people only have from Feb 2-11 to get to the nearest Lourdes shrine and go through these antics!
I wonder if the pope consulted with the French Board of Tourism before making this pronouncement?
Thankfully, the God of the bible is not at all the god presented by the Catholic Church. May the Spirit of God show many Catholics the sheer lunacy of the Roman Church and its man-made, zany rules! May God grant Catholics repentance from Rome and faith ALONE in Jesus Christ for the full and free forgiveness of sins – no popish indulgences needed!
posted by Robt. B. at 4:09 AM
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