Does the Urbi et Orbi when watching a recorded version, still make one eligible to receive the plenary indulgence?

[rf9661]

Hello all!
I missed the Urbi et Orbi today from His Holiness, Pope Francis.
If I watch a recorded version, will it still make me eligible as long as I complete everything else required?
May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

No, you don’t get the indulgence from a recording. Has to be live, per the Manual of Indulgences. (You also can’t receive a blessing from a priest or bishop or Pope via recording, you have to listen or watch it live.)

But you can do one of the other activities the Vatican is allowing instead, to get the plenary indulgence.
To quote their recent Decree:

This Apostolic Penitentiary also willingly grants a Plenary Indulgence under the same conditions on the occasion of the current world epidemic, also to those faithful who offer a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, or Eucharistic adoration, or reading the Holy Scriptures for at least half an hour, or the recitation of the Holy Rosary, or the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross, or the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, to implore from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself.

So just pick one of those things and do it instead.

 

[Neithan]

I recall something said about “spiritual desire”; so even if you hadn’t watched or listened to it live, you would have received the blessing if you desired to at the time it was given.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Unless you have another source, the Decree only allows the spiritual desire business if a person is actually suffering from COVID-19. Which makes sense because a person who is sick in bed might not be able to pray, etc.

The Manual of Indulgences of course doesn’t make any allowance for spiritual desire etc.

I further note that if you are a health care worker or a family member or other caregiver for someone with COVID-19 then you just get the indulgence for your caregiving, under the Decree.

 

[AngelaMarie]

Unless you have another source, the Decree only allows the spiritual desire business if a person is actually suffering from COVID-19.

Mmmm, I wonder about the health care workers, or other essential workers unable. But that said, the list you provided does provide for other options, so thank you.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Mmmm, I wonder about the health care workers, or other essential workers unable. But that said, the list you provided does provide for other options, so thank you.

As I added to my post above, the health care workers, family or other caregivers caring for people with COVID-19 get the indulgence automatically without needing to pray or unite themselves spiritually to anything. Which makes sense because they are busy trying to look after sick people and might not have time to pray, etc.

I’m presuming OP neither has the virus nor is a caregiver, because if so he probably wouldn’t be asking about needing to watch a recorded Urbi et Orbi to get an indulgence.

 

[rf9661]

Hmmm…

What makes an Urbi et Orbo so extraordinary? Isn’t it just like any other plenary indulgence?

 

[AngelaMarie]

Thanks for the clarification. My brain is scrambled. We have already lost one parishioner due to COVID19, and now we have a married couple who are both struggling with it and not doing well…

“Close to home…” so to speak, and in the parish sense, home

 

[Tis_Bearself]

All Plenary Indulgences are the same.
You can do a wide variety of works to get a Plenary Indulgence, even when we’re not having a pandemic.

The Urbi et Orbi today was special because the Pope usually only does an Urbi et Orbi blessing when he is newly elected, and thereafter twice a year for Christmas and Easter. The one he just did was very unusual.

Why the pope’s blessing on March 27 is absolutely unique

We can say that never in history has anything like this happened.

aleteia.org

Furthermore, we watch live not just to get an indulgence but also to receive the blessing of the Pope. (The indulgence is a motivation for us to tune in and listen to/ pray with the Pope and then get his blessing.) In this case he had Adoration and blessed us with Jesus in the monstrance, which is not the norm for Urbi et Orbi blessings. So we got blessed by Jesus as well.