Did the Pope apply absolution on Twitter?

[sylviecybrarian]

Can you please let me know if Pope Francis gave a general absolution on Twitter or offer to forgive sins through Twitter as many web articles are suggesting?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

No, the Pope did not offer absolution on Twitter. Absolution was not offered, but rather an indulgence. An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has *already *been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church (CCC, 1471). Note that a person must first be forgiven for their sins before they can receive an indulgence and they must follow certain conditions set forth by the Church.

In this particular case an indulgence was offered for attendance at the World Youth Day:

[
Pope Francis decreed that World Youth Day participants can receive one plenary, or full, indulgence a day if they meet the usual conditions.

The conditions necessary for receiving a plenary indulgence include having recently gone to confession, receiving the Eucharist and offering prayers for the intentions of the pope. The faithful must also carry the proper spirit of being “truly repentant and contrite” and participate in the gathering’s sacred events and “pious exercises” with prayerful devotion.](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1302961.htm)

So, if someone attended World Youth Day and fulfilled all the conditions set forth they would receive one indulgence for each day they participated in World Youth Day.

The confusion arises because the Pope also offered the indulgence to those who could not attend the World Youth Day but followed it through technology:

Those who are “legitimately prevented” from being physically present in Rio may also obtain the indulgence as long as they meet the same prayerful and “spiritual and sacramental conditions” as well as participate “in spirit” in the sacred liturgies and prayer services via television, radio or “new means of social communication,” the decree said.

The media, ignorantly/unknowingly, conflated indulgences with absolution and got the story wrong.