Why do you have to pray for the pope?

  • Thread starter Thread starter MarkRA
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MarkRA

Guest
why is required for a plenary indulgence that you pray for the intentions of the pope? I like praying for him at any time, but i dont understand why it’s required for an indulgence. what does praying for the pope have to do with slighting punishment, why don’t we pray for each other instead or something?
 
MarkRA said:
why is required for a plenary indulgence that you pray for the intentions of the pope? I like praying for him at any time, but i dont understand why it’s required for an indulgence. what does praying for the pope have to do with slighting punishment, why don’t we pray for each other instead or something?
Click to expand...
Possibly because he is Christ’s vicar on earth. Very important, he needs many prayers.
 
MarkRA said:
why is required for a plenary indulgence that you pray for the intentions of the pope? I like praying for him at any time, but i dont understand why it’s required for an indulgence. what does praying for the pope have to do with slighting punishment, why don’t we pray for each other instead or something?
Click to expand...
I agree! Honestly, indulgences confound me. Do something not because you earn “points” for it, but because it is good 👍
 
The idea is not that we pray for the pope, but that we pray for the pope’s intentions.

The pope has official intentions every month. (You don’t have to know specifically what they are, in order to get the indulgence, though it’s nice to know.) The connection with indulgences allows him to get various important things prayed for by millions of the faithful in force, every month.

But the major thing is that indulgences are supposed to be granted by Jesus to come from the merits of the Church as a whole, So having all the Church members wanting indulgences out there praying for the intentions of the earthly vicar of the Church is fitting. We are all together in this, that way.
 
Good thing in the Divine Liturgy we already pray for (commemorate) the Pope 👍
 
ok but what about papal primacy connects it to forgiveness for punishments from heaven?
 
I mean as an individual what causes a holdback on the forgiveness just because you don’t pray for the pope?
 
Because the Pope decides what you have to do to get an indulgence and the Popes intentions are particularly important because they effect the whole world, so in essence by praying for the Popes intentions you are praying for all of humanity.

Take a look at some of the Popes intentions:

ewtn.com/faith/popeprayer.htm
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top