Are Indults Forever?

[deogratias]

Can an Indult be granted by one Pope be removed by another?
Do Indults have an expiration date or are they open ended?

Indults are general faculties (q.v.), granted by the Holy See to bishops and others, of doing something not permitted by the common law.

For instance, could John Paul II decide that the indult granted by Paul VI for communion in the hand in some countries no longer be allowed.

Could his successor cancel the Indult allowing TLM, or female altar servers or allowing ashes of cremated Catholics to be present at the Mass?

 

[itsjustdave1988]

Unless it’s *de fide *dogma, its not immutable. So idults, like any canonical norm or law, can be abrogated or modified.

 

[deogratias]

I wonder, in addition to the four I mentioned, how many Indults are in effect in the U.S. today

 

[deogratias]

Hummm - I found two more U.S. Indults

As a part of the practical norms, the Bishops of the United States requested indults by which extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion would be permitted to assist with the distribution of the Precious Blood to other chalices at the Lamb of God, the purification of sacred vessels and the consumption of what remains of the Precious Blood after the distribution of Holy Communion.

Two of the three requests were approved by the Congregation. First, the Congregation published a separate decree by which “the diocesan Bishop may grant to priest celebrants the faculty for extraordinary ministers to assist with the purification of sacred vessels after the distribution of Communion at Mass when this is necessary” i.e., for a serious pastoral reason (March 22, 2002, Prot. 1383/01/L). This indult extends for a period of three years, ad experimentum, and was made effective by a decree signed by Bishop Gregory, dated March 22, 2002. The complete text of this decree may be found on the USCCB website.

So this indult could end in 17 months from now.

The Congregation declined, however, to confirm the third request of the USCCB for an indult by which extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion could help with the distribution of the Precious Blood to other chalices during the singing of the Agnus Dei.

 

[spetreopn]

I have heard that in some of the large papal Masses, the indult to receive Communion in the hand has been suspended. This is done to decrease the chance of profanation of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[deogratias]

That would make sense, especially since I read recently there is a big problem with Satanists there right now.

 

[Iohannes]

That apparently what happened to a local parish, a new bishop was appointed and later on he revoked the indult TLM angering parishioners.

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

Indults can be very confusing with some Ordinaries using them and others chosing not too. Also some complaints of irregular procedures are do to the ignorance of an indult in effect at a certain diocese. Many times U.S. Bishops ask for indults that are not asked for anywhere else.

As successors of the apostles, the local bishops are given a lot of discretion. If they are still in the diocese, then we know that they are in communion with Rome, even if we would like to see some changes. We are all called to pray for them. They have a very difficult job.