Chapter II. On the Indulgences Attached to the Way of the Cross and on Acquiring Them

I. Attached indulgences. By Decree of the Sacred Penitentiary,¹ all and each of the Indulgences previously granted in performing the Way of the Cross have been abrogated, and the following new indulgences have been established: all the faithful who, whether individually or in company, with heart at least contrite, perform the pious exercise of the lawfully erected Way of the Cross according to the prescriptions of the Holy See can gain:

1. A plenary indulgence as often as they complete the pious exercise itself.

2. Another plenary indulgence, if on the same day on which they have performed the mentioned pious exercise, or even within a month after it has been performed ten times, they approach the Sacred Synaxis.

3. A partial indulgence of ten years and as many quarantines for individual stations, if perhaps, for any reasonable cause, they have not brought the exercise begun to the end.

¹ October 20, 1931 (A.A.S. 1931, p. 522).

II. Acquisition of the indulgences. In order that the indulgences be acquired, there are required:

1. Visitation of the Stations, by going from one station to another.¹ Now:

a) In a private exercise, or one performed by individual persons, passage from one Station to another is always required "insofar as either the multitude of persons who visit them or the narrowness of the place where they are erected permits."²

b) In a public exercise, or one performed after the manner of a public sacred function, when disturbance can be excited, it suffices that, each one of the people keeping his own place, the priest with two clerics or cantors go around, and, stopping at each station, recite there the particular customary prayers, the rest responding alternately.³ But in the case in which, because of the size of the church or other circumstances of the place, the priest reciting prayers at each station can scarcely, or not even scarcely, be understood, it suffices that the same prayers be recited by the priest from the pulpit, from which he is understood by all, provided that another priest with two clerics or cantors goes around and stops at each station.⁴

c) In a common exercise, namely one performed by several at the same time but not after the manner of a public function, passage of all is required unless the narrowness of the place stands in the way; if this stands in the way, in the case in which the matter concerns a religious community, it suffices that one, even a layperson or woman, go around and, stopping at each station, recite the prayers.⁵

2. Meditation on the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ; nor is any vocal prayer prescribed.⁶ Meditation on the passion in general suffices, and that however brief and according to each one's capacity.⁷

3. The exercise performed morally in one stretch.⁸ A brief interruption for any cause, indeed a longer one from a religious cause, does not stand in the way.⁹

¹ Cited Monita, n. VII.

² Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, February 26, 1841 (Decreta authentica, n. 287).

³ Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, July 23, 1757 (Decreta authentica, n. 210).

⁴ Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, March 1, 1884.

⁵ Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, February 27, 1901; May 7, 1902.

⁶ Cited Monita, n. 6.

⁷ Cf. Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, June 2, 1838 (Decreta authentica, n. 259); Raccolta, n. 88.

⁸ Cf. Raccolta, n. 88.

⁹ Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, January 22, 1858 (Decreta authentica, n. 385, to I); Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, December 16, 1760 (Decreta authentica, n. 223, to IV).