According to a Vatican decree signed by Cardinal Stafford and Bishop Girotti, the upcoming World Youth Day in Australia will provide Catholics with the opportunity to receive indulgences. Plenary indulgences (complete remission of sin for the moment) will be granted to those who come to the youth day in a spirit of pilgrimage. Partial indulgences will be available for those you pray for a good outcome from the day.I cannot understand why the Vatican continues to make indulgences available. They will not allow communal absolution, but will allow what is the equivalent of absolution for those attending the youth day. Ergo, if a bomb dropped on them during that day, they would all go straight to heaven. This is simply bad theology and represents the superstitious portion of Catholic thought.
I think indulgences come from the good intention of explaining how our actions are an important aspect of our faith and relationship with God, but this is an embarrassment that is more comparable to a magic show than religion.
A Faithful Catholic
