Article IV. On the Indulgence in the Article of Death.

328. On This Indulgence Itself. 1. Pious mother Church grants to the dying a plenary indulgence to be gained in the article of death, so that the faithful, after the course of mortal life, freed from the punishments of their sins, can pass immediately to eternal blessedness. This indulgence is one, nor can it be applied to the dead;¹ but there are various titles from which it can be obtained, of which four are personal, one is universal, known to all by the name of general absolution. Several titles of this kind exist, although there is only one indulgence, so that the faithful may gain it more securely and more easily, by exactly observing the conditions of at least one title.

a. There are certain prayers and pious exercises which, performed during life under the due conditions, give the faithful the right of gaining a plenary indulgence at death. Thus those who often in life recite the well-known little prayer Angele Dei, or who frequently in life elicit acts of the theological virtues, can gain a plenary indulgence in the article of death.

b. Some sacred things (crosses, medals, rosaries, etc.) have been enriched with indulgences which are called papal; but one who possesses such a sacred thing and keeps it with himself at death gains a plenary indulgence in the article of death.

c. Members of almost all confraternities, and in like manner those who wear some scapular approved by the Church, gain the indulgence in the article of death.

d. The apostolic or papal blessing in the article of death is a special privilege by which the supreme pontiff grants a plenary indulgence for the article of death either to determined persons or to their blood-relatives.

e. To these is added the papal blessing which is carried about under the name of General Absolution and is not to be confused with the preceding. Namely Benedict XIV, through the bull Pia Mater (5 April 1747), grants to all bishops of the world requesting it the faculty of applying to the dying the apostolic blessing with plenary indulgence.

2. Between the personal titles and the universal title this difference intervenes: that the indulgence from a personal title can be acquired without the ministry of a priest applying it; for anyone can apply it to himself, or rather anyone gains it in the article of death without application by the very fact that he has fulfilled the conditions necessary for obtaining it, wherefore it is customarily called an indulgence given. On the other hand, the indulgence to be obtained from the Benedictine privilege must be applied through the ministry of a priest, whence it is called an indulgence to be brought.

¹ Whether he who has made the heroic act gains for himself or for the dead the indulgence granted in the article of death cannot be defined, but must be committed to divine providence. The S. C. Indl., when asked about this matter on 23 Jan. 1901, declined decision, answering: it is not to be discussed; perhaps according to his choice he can either reserve it for himself or apply it to the dead.

329. On General Absolution. 1. To whom it can be applied. This indulgence can be applied to all who, placed in danger of death, are capable of sacramental absolution: therefore a. even to those who are destitute of the senses, even if they have not received the last sacraments through their own fault; b. to children who are capable of sin, even if they have not received holy communion; c. to those condemned to death who repent of their crime, and to soldiers before battle, therefore also to those who are brought into danger of death from an external cause.¹

2. In order that a priest can validly apply this indulgence, two things are required:

a. Delegation or power of applying it. Through the Code of Canon Law this power is now conferred by the law itself upon all priests assisting the sick: "The pastor, or another priest who assists the sick, has the faculty of granting the apostolic blessing with plenary indulgence in the article of death according to the form handed down by the liturgical books."²

b. The formula prescribed by Benedict XIV, which must always be used, and this under penalty of nullity. It is found in the Roman ritual, in the breviary, in the diurnal hours, etc.

3. In order that the dying person can gain this indulgence, besides the universal conditions (intention and the state of grace) two others are required:

a. that he accept death with an equal and willing mind from the hand of God;

b. that he devoutly invoke the most holy name of Jesus with the mouth, if he can; if not, with the heart.³

4. When the apostolic blessing is to be imparted to the sick. a. In any illness connected with danger of death, even if death is not yet proximately imminent, the apostolic blessing can be given. But it is customarily given after the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and extreme unction, although these sacraments need not precede the apostolic blessing. The dying person, however, gains the indulgence in the very article of death.⁴

b. It is not lawful to repeat the apostolic blessing in the same illness, even if in a long illness a new danger of death returns, so that extreme unction can be repeated. This holds even if the sick person received it in the state of mortal sin or destitute of the senses, or if afterward he has fallen into grave sin or has received extreme unction again.⁵ For repeated application of this indulgence is useless, because the sick person can gain it only once in the very article of death, for which an application once made suffices.⁶ Nevertheless it can be repeated if the sick person recovers and then for any cause whatever falls into a new danger of death.⁷

¹ S. C. Indl., 18 Dec. 1885.

² Cn. 468, 2.

³ S. C. Indl., 23 Sept. 1775, n. 237, and 22 Sept. 1892.

⁴ S. C. Indl., 23 Sept. 1675, n. 9.

⁵ S. C. Indl., 19 March 1855, n. 362.

⁶ S. C. Indl., 20 June 1836, n. 257.

⁷ S. C. Indl., 12 Feb. 1842, n. 300.